Trading Jail for Jobs started out as a Construction Union Pre-Apprenticeship/Criminal Reform Program that was originally named Trading Hammers for Hammers Program. In 2019, Divine Shabazz was a real estate agent under a Real Estate Brokerage in East Flatbush Brooklyn. Divine was also a full time Union member in the Cement and Concrete Laborers Union. Real Estate work was a part time gig for him. Every year when his Union opened their books for new Apprentices , he would create flyers and hand them out to everyone he knew knew on the streets and all the guys in the parole building waiting to see their parole officers. People would contact him for more information and guidance on how to join the Apprenticeship. Divine would advise and coach guys through the process. Sometimes guys would get in based on his advice and guidance. His Real Estate Broker at the time had significant experience doing non profit work in the past. When she seen the work Divine was doing on his personal time ,she offered to help him out. Together they built and formed this work into a formal Pre-Apprenticeship Program. Darrin Fernández was a friend of Divine. They both worked in the field together. Darrin had a history of running the streets and changed his life after joining a construction union. Divine invited Darrin on to a YouTube channel to interview him about his life story. Darrin became a big supporter of the program after that interview. He went on to become Assistant Program Director. Lending his time and resources to carry out the mission of the program.
