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.