About:

Matthew Kaufman is a somewhat self-aware white man who finds the world he lives in to be generally unbearable. In a desperate attempt to do anything to change it, Matthew gave up any hope of achieving the American Dream through Darwinian capitalism and got his Master’s in Social Work so that he might discover a way to shift the trajectory of the racist systems and the over consumptionist culture that shepherds humanity to its inherent doom. Matthew’s current struggle for change focuses on juvenile justice reform in Westchester County, NY with the hope that one day the incarceration of youth will not be viewed as necessary. He is employed at CLUSTER Community Services where he leads efforts to develop and implement a restorative, youth centered intervention with Yonkers Family Court to support better outcomes for court involved young people. During his spare time, when Matthew is able to shift his focus from the inflamed world, he likes to spend time with his friends and loved ones, and use his hands to create things that come to mind. Matthew has dreams of one day finding a way to connect the work he does in urban communities to healing through connection with land.