National Youth Justice Network

TO DECONSTRUCT HARMFUL YOUTH LEGAL SYSTEMS THROUGH THREE CORE PROGRAM AREAS.

CORE PROGRAMMING - NYJN IS AN ORGANIZATION COMMITTED TO CREATING ANTI-RACIST, HEALING-CENTERED JUSTICE FOR YOUTH IN OUR COMMUNITIES. WE WORK TO UNITE ADVOCATES, ACTIVISTS, ORGANIZERS, ARTISTS, HEALERS, AND DREAMERS BEHIND THE LONG-TERM CAUSE OF DECONSTRUCTING HARMFUL YOUTH-LEGAL SYSTEMS AND BUILDING COMMUNITY MODELS OF CARE CENTERED ON HEALING, EQUITY, AND YOUTH AND FAMILY EMPOWERMENT.TO ACHIEVE OUR MISSION, WE EMPLOY SPECIFIC STRATEGIES TO: ASSIST STATE AND LOCAL ADVOCATES WITH LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY SUPPORT, RESEARCH, AND EDUCATION; ORGANIZE NARRATIVE POWER TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ON A NEW WAY OF HEALING-CENTERED JUSTICE AND DEBUNK HARMFUL NARRATIVES ABOUT YOUTH, PARTICULARLY YOUTH OF COLOR; DEVELOP THE SKILLS AND LEADERSHIP OF MOVEMENT LEADERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY; AND, UNITE A NETWORK OF MOVEMENT LEADERS AND ORGANIZATIONS WORKING ACROSS THE COUNTRY TOWARDS THE SAME END.ADVOCACY SUPPORT, RESEARCH AND EDUCATION: NYJN PROVIDES JUVENILE JUSTICE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE BY OFFERING POLICY RESEARCH, EDUCATION, COMMUNICATIONS, AND LEGISLATIVE STRATEGY TO ITS MEMBERS. WHILE NYJN AIMS TO BE RESPONSIVE TO THE GRASSROOTS NEEDS IDENTIFIED BY STATE-BASED MEMBERS, WE ARE ALSO LEADING THE NATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO RAISE THE MINIMUM AGE OF YOUTH PROSECUTION AND CONFINEMENT. SINCE BEGINNING OUR CAMPAIGN IN 2020, DOZENS OF STATES HAVE INITIATED LEGISLATION, AND 12 STATES HAVE PASSED LAWS TO LIMIT CHILDREN ENTERING THE LEGAL SYSTEM.NARRATIVE ORGANIZING AND POWER BUILDING: THROUGH NYJN'S NARRATIVE ORGANIZING, WE BUILD NARRATIVE POWER AMONGST YOUTH JUSTICE MOVEMENT LEADERS AND ORGANIZATIONS IN ORDER TO TRANSFORM PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS AND ATTITUDES ABOUT YOUTH BY CREATING A NEW NARRATIVE THAT UPLIFTS THE DIGNITY OF YOUNG PEOPLE, PARTICULARLY YOUNG PEOPLE OF COLOR, AND HIGHLIGHTS THE INHERENT HARMS AND IMPACTS OF THE CURRENT SYSTEM ON YOUTH, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES.LEADERSHIP: NYJN DEVELOPS THE SKILLS AND LEADERSHIP OF MOVEMENT LEADERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, WITH A SPECIFIC EMPHASIS ON SUPPORTING MOVEMENT LEADERS OF COLOR AND YOUTH ADVOCATES. THE HALLMARK OF THIS WORK IS OUR YOUTH JUSTICE LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE (YJLI), ESTABLISHED IN 2011 TO PROVIDE A LEADERSHIP PATH FOR ADVOCATES OF COLOR, PARTICULARLY THOSE IMPACTED BY LEGAL SYSTEMS. NYJN PROVIDES DEEP LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND REFLECTIVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR YJLI FELLOWS THROUGH SHARING BEST PRACTICES, CHALLENGES, METHODS, AND INCREASING COLLECTIVE POWER.