“I was truly blown away” (Exclusive)

“Some stories about being trapped in this cycle are heartbreaking,” the TikTok star tells PEOPLE.

Charli D’Amelio takes her hat off to Kim Kardashian for inspiring her to get involved in social change.

Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE, the 19-year-old social media influencer — D’Amelio is partnering with REFORM Alliance to empower Gen Z to embrace supervision reform as a priority issue — explained how she uses his star power to help others.

“I heard Kim talk about this issue at a dinner at Michael Rubin’s house which really sparked the idea of ​​the REFORM Future Shapers Advisory Council,” the “If You Ask Me” singer told about his involvement in criminal justice reform.

“She talked about what inspired her to get involved in the fight for reform and gave us advice on how to use our platforms to change policies and help people in the system,” adds D ‘Amelio on the 43-year-old founder of SKIMS.

One of the formerly incarcerated people the business and beauty mogul previously worked with was Alice Marie Johnson, a woman who was sentenced to life in prison following her 1996 conviction for her involvement in a drug trafficking organization. cocaine in Memphis.

Related: Kim Kardashian Reveals How She Pleaded Alice Johnson’s Case to Trump in Emotional ‘KUWTK’ Scene

“Kim spoke about Ms. Alice Marie Johnson and how unfair it was for her to be serving a life sentence. Kim said she had to do something to help this woman, and ultimately her efforts helped free Ms. Alice,” D’Amelio told PEOPLE.

“I was really blown away by the impact she had. Kim has directly helped many people and her involvement in REFORM and other groups has helped pass laws that have changed thousands and thousands of lives,” she adds.

THE D’Amelio Show talent said she left the dinner feeling “inspired” to continue educating herself, adding that she wanted to “use my platform to shine a light on what’s happening in our probation and parole system” .

Last week, the TikTok star appeared in a social media campaign featuring other Gen Z talents, including her older sister Dixie D’Amelio, as they came together to engage students.

“We can all use our platform and our voices to help pass more laws and help more people,” Dixie, 22, says in the Instagram clip.

Charli also told PEOPLE why REFORM means so much to her. “I’ve met people who have been in the system, and some of the stories of people trapped in that cycle are heartbreaking,” she says.

Related: Kim and Khloé Kardashian Visit California Prison to Hear Inmates’ Experiences

She adds that she and her family attended events with REFORM co-founder Rubin that left a lasting impression.

Charli explained how “minor technical violations like missing a meeting with your probation officer” can cause a negative ripple effect. “The main people who end up suffering are their children. Meeting the young children affected by the cycle truly broke my heart,” she says.

“This is not about excusing crimes. This is about a system that is more concerned with being punitive for technical reasons,” Charli adds.

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“We need to ensure that jails, prisons and our surveillance system do not continue to create cycles of harm,” adds Rondo Bonilla, co-chair of Future Shapers Advisory.

“Hurting people hurts other people – and the system doesn’t really help them get better. We need to help people who have been hurt, heal them and get them on a better path,” says Bonilla. “I believe my generation will come forward and lead the charge. Let’s get to work.”

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