If you based your knowledge about the youth of our city on the headlines, one might think that there’s an overwhelming percentage of misguided young people, often associated with violence and incidents of negativity, that give the city a reputation of being unsafe and hopeless. Contrary to this notion, there is a group of young people that are working to change that image of youth in Indianapolis through self-advocacy. These 25 young people belong to the Youth Justice Leadership Program (YJLP) of the Children’s Policy and Law Initiative of Indiana (CPLI) and serve as a collective voice of change by sharing their views on policy issues at the local and state legislative level.
YJLP was initially established following a roundtable series CPLI hosted in August 2021 where 25 young people shared their experiences with 160 community stakeholders regarding school discipline and school and community policing. They raised issues, many resulting from intergenerational trauma and systemic racism, such as the lack of student support and mentoring, over-policing, and the consequential poor life outcomes that can lead to increased risk of justice involvement.
Since its inception, each year CPLI engages a cohort of 25 youth ages 13-18 through the Youth Justice Leadership Program, giving them the opportunity to amplify their voices and experiences as a catalyst for systemic change to move their policy recommendations forward. The youth participate in workshops and training sessions with policymakers, public relations professionals, and experts in government affairs to prepare them to be able to advocate for themselves and their peers at the Statehouse and in meetings with legislators to help impact policies that directly affect youth.
The youth are equipped with recommendations that are grounded in culturally responsive, trauma-informed practices that are proven to effectively address the trauma that young people experience due to systemic racism, violence, economic disparities, harsh discipline, over-policing, and racial injustice. CPLI partners with youth mentoring organizations to identify participants who are system-involved and/or those who may be most vulnerable to the school-to-prison pipeline. This allows for youth to share their direct, personal experiences with the system and express their ideas for how it can be changed to better the long-term outcomes for our youth. The youth participants advance best practices by aligning data, removing barriers, and centering youth voices and participation. They work to build collaborative family and community action to support the advancement of youth justice.
One of the highlights for YJLP is the Advocacy, Commitment, and Toolkit Workshop Series: A two-day workshop for youth ages 13-18 that equips youth with leadership and advocacy skills to bring about change in their neighborhoods and communities. It offers young people an opportunity to influence their peers, community leaders, and policy makers. After the workshop, participating youth will have a toolkit to share with the community to help enact change and create a better future.
How to Get Involved: You can support this workshop series and the other advocacy efforts of CPLI by donating or volunteering.
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