Juvenile Law Center’s Youth Advocacy Program centers adolescent development and race equity and inclusion while prioritizing understanding trauma. When establishing a youth-led advocacy program, the learned and lived experiences of its young members have been integrated into the development of the program. In the Juvenile Law Center’s Youth Advocacy Program, members have been or are currently involved in the foster care and/or juvenile justice systems. The members of this program are in the prime of their adolescent development. The behavior they often exhibit, which can involve risk-taking or defiance, is reflective of the stage of their brain development. Knowing this, curriculum building includes how to equitably work with the members and use a trauma-informed approach. These members are expected to address barriers and traumas that they have and continue to experience including abuse, instability, abandonment and neglect, and lack of supportive adults in their lives.

Internally, from the interview process to recruit new members through weekly programs, check ins and alumni support, the behavioral and emotional health of all program members is central. This year, a full-time Clinical Social Worker was added to the team to provide support to individual youth advocates and alumni, connect them to needed resources and to develop and implement a wellness approach for the program. Youth Advocates and their dependents have full access to Modern Health as described above.

Externally, the focus of the youth advocates work has included access to mental health services in the community to prevent entry into the justice and child welfare systems and to support youth who have experienced foster care and justice-system involvement.