Upcoming Webinars and Trainings

New Toolkit: Accelerating Collaboration Between Youth Homelessness Providers & Youth Policing, Court, Probation, and Incarceration Systems

Wednesday, February 10, 2021 3pm-4pm ET

Join NN4Y, Project Oz, and the Link to learn about the latest publication and the top six steps a community should take to build an effective relationship between youth homelessness services and the youth court system:

  • Open the lines of communication to begin to build a positive and strong relationship.  
  • Include court and probation system partners in your collaborative community and state work to prevent and end youth homelessness.
  • Center youth and young adults with lived experiences of homelessness, placing an emphasis on BIYOC and LGBTQIA young people.
  • Identify the top challenges and opportunities for collaboration. Be honest.  
  • Set clear goals and be persistent in achieving them.      
  • Evaluate progress towards goals and reaffirm or create new goals at least every six months. 

Presenters:
Darla Bardine, Executive Director, National Network for Youth 
Lisa Thompson, Exective Director, Project Oz
Beth Holger, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), The Link
Kee Cooper, Youth Leader, National Network for Youth

This webinar is free for everyone.

To register for this webinar click here.

A Healing-Centered Vision for Youth, Families, and Communities

Wednesday March 10, 2021 3PM-4PM ET

Healing ourselves emotionally and mentally is not as easy as it sounds, and at times we neglect to acknowledge the importance of incorporating a healing approach in our everyday lives (school, work, home, etc.). The healing-centered vision, adopted by Healing Ninjas, allows us to come to terms with events and circumstances which have occurred in our lives, and to overcome the barriers of mental illness--one person, one family, and one community at a time.

Healing Ninjas is an online community platform highlighting the stories of individuals who are seeking to master the art of healing. Join the founder of Healing Ninjas and two Community Activists to learn more about the healing-centered vision and how, as individuals and professionals, we can influence those we work with to become a person who excels in a particular skill or activity--in other words, to become a NINJA.

Presenters:

Hernan Carvente-Martinez, Founder & CEO, Healing Ninjas
Iliana Pujols, Director of Community Connections, Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance
Abdul Ali, Communtiy Organizer, Maine Youth Justice

This webinar is free for CJJ members. To become a member click here.

To register for this webinar click here.

From Prison Walls to College Halls: Achieving Success in the Face of Adversity

Friday, April 9, 2021 3pm-4pm ET

Join author, Hameen Shabazz on a journey from hopelessness to hopefulness as he bestows a holistic and inner personal approach to the youth justice system, foster care, and transitioning through America’s re-entry programs. The journey, words, trials, and triumphs Hameen Shabazz shares to disentangling professional and personal issues divulges a systemic blue print to a successful life after incarceration. 

Presenters:

Hameen Shabazz, Founder, Project NAS

This webinar is free for CJJ members. To become a member click here.

To register for this webinar click here.

Engaging Policymakers: How Youth Advocates are Leading State Juvenile Justice Reform

POSTPONED

Engaging policymakers, advocating for legislative changes, and reforming systems can be difficult, especially when there are significant barriers including incarceration. While at Green Hill School, a state-run detention facility in Washington, a group of young men have played an integral role in state juvenile justice reform. Since March 2018, this group of young men has helped pass bills that extend juvenile court jurisdiction to age 25, remove the auto-decline requirement, phase out the placement of youth charged with status offenses in detention facilities, and increase the use of community-based alternatives and enrichment opportunities in place of confinement. 

This legislative season they are focusing on a bill that will provide the opportunity for youth who were automatically sentenced as an adult to be resentenced as a youth in the juvenile justice system. The young men believe this bill will be effective in tackling the internal issues of the justice system by letting youth who are charged as an adult to be treated as a youth and not as adults. 

During this webinar, the young advocates from Green Hill School will present their impressive story of engagement with policymakers in Washington State and how they were able to effect change. Attendees will learn about the importance of advocacy within the juvenile justice system and how State Advisory Groups and adult partners can support youth advocates, especially those currently involved in the system. 

Presenters: 
Aaron Toleafoa, Emerging Leaders Committee (ELC) Chair, Coalition for Juvenile Justice; Member, Washington State Partnership Council on Juvenile Justice
Guillermo Padilla, ELC Member
Joseph Huntley, ELC Member
Edgar Calixto, ELC Member
Garrett Comer, ELC Member