Themis Youth Law & Advocacy

Jonah is facing one of the toughest challenges of his life. Following his removal from Atlantis Leadership Academy in Jamaica, where he experienced extreme abuse and neglect, he was placed in the permanent custody of Jamaica when his adoptive parents failed to plan for his return to the U.S.

When Jonah finally returned, and upon turning 18, he was left without stable housing or transportation to work to support himself. Dawn J. Post's work in Jamaica for Jonah and the other abandoned adoptees led to the founding of Themis Youth Law & Advocacy. We are now rallying to ensure he has the support, shelter, and resources he needs to get on his feet.

No one should have to go through this alone. With your help, we can provide Jonah with a safe place to stay, basic necessities, and transportation so that he can rebuild his future and provide for himself. Any amount—big or small—will make a huge difference in his journey toward stability and hope.

Donations through this GoFundMe will automatically be directed to Jonah's care.

If you can’t donate, please share this campaign with others who might be able to help. Your kindness and generosity mean the world.

If donations exceed the goal, the money will be used for Jonah's longer-term plans, including relocation and pursuing other educational or work opportunities.

While Jonah is the priority, Dawn J. Post, a career non-profit children's rights attorney, has personally funded Themis Youth Law & Advocacy's mission of providing legal advocacy for abandoned adoptees. However, to grow our impact, we need your help. Please consider making a general donation if you can, if not now, in the future through the Themis website (www.themisyouthlawadvocacy.org).

Thank you for your support!

Photo Credit Abbie Townsend for the Sunday Times Magazine's Investigative Report by Decca Aitkenhead 'I’d rather die than go back’: Jamaica’s school for troubled US boys.

Jonah Bevin knows firsthand what it means to be abandoned, but he also knows the power of community and support. While he is incredibly grateful for the generosity shown to him, he is now turning his focus to those who remain unseen—other abandoned adoptees facing homelessness, medical emergencies, and survival without a safety net.

I have continued to work closely with the two other youths who were abandoned alongside Jonah at Atlantis Leadership Academy and who also need assistance. In addition, alarmingly, another facility in Jamaica has approximately 170 adopted children and teens in its care, most of whom are from the United States: Youth of Vision Academy (YOVA). We are working with survivors of this facility who report serious physical abuse, including serious injuries suffered during physical restraints, and tactics such as solitary confinement for months on end. Some of these teens have been warehoused there for years, have been deprived of an education, and have had no contact with the outside world. Most leave the program without their high school diploma and become trapped in a cycle of crisis while trying to work, pay their own bills, figure out how to be an adult, and work through the trauma they have faced, all without a stable safety net. Many of their adoptive parents have completely cut contact with them, going as far as blocking their numbers and removing them from their health insurance.

In the last few weeks, I have personally covered urgent care costs and paid for emergency shelter for young adults in crisis. I have also traveled across the country to advocate for them legally and support them as they navigate an incredibly uncertain future. These are young people left without family, resources, or a voice.

Jonah is using his platform to raise awareness and amplify the voices of abandoned adoptees who need help. Your donation will go directly toward life-saving emergency needs—safe shelter, food, medical care, and the stability they deserve, much like Jonah is receiving now through the community's generous support.

While Jonah and the youths are the priority, Dawn J. Post, a career non-profit children's rights attorney, has personally funded Themis Youth Law & Advocacy's mission of providing legal advocacy for abandoned adoptees. However, to grow our impact, we need your help. Please consider making a general donation through the Themis website (www.themisyouthlawadvocacy.org).

Let’s stand together and make sure no one is left behind.