National Conference Reflection - Stephen Powell

Attending the 2012 CDF Conference with the NY State Action Team was an AMAZING experience to say the least. The opportunity to lean and glean best practices and strategies to from youth and adults from across the country was empowering because all the attendees were focused on a key point that is sometimes missed at conferences: developing a clear action and implementation plan when returning to the respective communities we serve.

If you walked into the CDF conference without a clear understanding of what justice is, you certainly didn’t leave the conference without knowing how to execute justice on behalf of those who face injustice daily.

Mentoring USA is thoroughly excited about the possibilities that lie ahead, working with the Children’s Defense Fund to create positive pipelines of success for youth in underserved communities in the NY/NJ area.

Special thank you to Rev. Dr. Emma Jordan Simpson, my mentoring hero, for reminding me that mentoring and pursuing justice is a ministry. The opportunity to attend the conference was divinely delivered.  Shout out to Thomas Owens and the entire CDF Freedom School family at Metropolitan Baptist Church in Newark, NJ. It’s such a blessing and inspiration to see the village in action, inspiring our boys to grow into strong men.

Much continued love and blessings to all the CDF warriors around the country. Keep fighting and pursuing justice.

In spirit and service,

Stephen Powell

Executive Director, Mentoring USA

CDF National Conference 2012 Reflection

Erica at National Conference with
Youth Justice Organizer,  Jasbir Singh

"I will forever be grateful for the opportunity I had to learn at the Children’s Defense Fund National Conference."

Erica Vladimer
CDF-NY Education Justice Intern

Summer 2012

Although I attend a public interest focused law school, it is still easy to lose sight of the responsibility to pursue justice for others while navigating through our educational careers. Yet, the CDF conference rejuvenated my passion to seek social justice for youth. The inspiring workshop leaders opened my eyes to the possibility of using my legal skills outside of the courtroom, by influencing the creation of fair and sensible legislation through advocacy. 

The legal field tends to turn societies into objective communities, where we argue the language of the laws that we live under. This conference was a crucial reminder that we live in a very subjective world, full of human emotion, injustice, and unfairness where we are not just arguing laws; we are advocating for the rights of a human being. Youth are at an even bigger disadvantage, in that they cannot legally advocate for themselves. It is our responsibility to ensure that the laws they are forced to follow treat them fairly and equally, ensuring them a fair start to becoming a positive member of society. I look forward to the day where I can dedicate my time to empowering youth, working with them in pursuing justice. 

Welcome

Welcome, and thanks for visiting CDF-NY’s Building for Youth blog. This space is meant to inform and create (virtual and real) conversations about building youth justice in our communities. What do I mean by “youth justice?” Scroll down for an excerpt from our recently released “Call for Youth Justice” mapping brief (developed in partnership with the Justice Mapping Center). The maps provide a powerful visual of some of the interlocking obstacles affecting the New York City communities most impacted by the juvenile and criminal justice systems. 

While it is necessary to spotlight problems, we need real solutions. We firmly believe that these solutions must come from the impacted communities. To make this happen, CDF-NY staff is interviewing young people, parents, community members, service providers, community-based organizations, etc. The wisdom, expertise, and vision collected will be compiled and released in a report. The report will identify needs and highlight strengths- those people, programs, and organizations already doing powerful work in communities. 

I am hopeful that this blog will encourage and empower people to add their voices to the development of solutions and recommendations. I also hope that it will provide a tool through which we can share, inspire, and support each other. Please check back often for interview excerpts, research summaries and to learn about the contributions of fellow builders.

With many thanks,

Avery Irons
Director of Youth Justice Programs
Children’s Defense Fund- New York

The Call for Youth Justice

We define Youth Justice as a community’s concrete, active and sustained commitment to invest in the physical and emotional needs of children. It translates into providing safe and supportive homes, neighborhood and learning environments that offer meaningful opportunities for their growth and development “before they get sick or into trouble, drop out of school or suffer family breakdown.” 

Encompassed in this commitment is a philosophical belief and tangible adoption of positive youth development and restorative responses to inappropriate behavior of youth. Positive youth development compels us to seek humane interventions for even those young people who commit the most egregious of acts. Youth Justice goes beyond just juvenile justice system reform or education justice or health justice. It is a call to break down the policy and decision-making silos and processes that force neighborhoods to accept the false choices between teachers and alternative-to-incarceration programs; or between nurse-family partnership programs for young parents and summer jobs for teenagers and young adults.

Youth Justice recognizes that holistic policy-making strengthens community infrastructures in all areas and does not pit individual programs and services against each other for funding and support.  It never says to a child, “we will fund your hands but not your feet.” Youth Justice affirms that children do not come in pieces.