National Youth Justice Network - NYJN

06/09/2026

This month we are excited to showcase RISE for Youth, one of our member organizations located in Virginia! RISE for Youth is a nonpartisan organization committed to dismantling the youth prison model and ensuring every space that impacts a young person’s life encourages growth and success. RISE promotes the creation of healthy communities and community-based alternatives to youth incarceration through policy advocacy and youth leadership programs.

Grounded in community input and driven by the voices of impacted youth and families, their Theory of Change underscores the critical link between comprehensive youth support systems, policy advocacy, and equitable opportunities. By integrating these components, RISE for Youth envisions a future where every young person has access to nurturing environments that prioritize growth, safety and empowerment.

06/05/2026

Celebrating, affirming, and supporting LGBTQ+ youth is a crucial part of creating a better world for our young people. We'll spend this Pride Month lifting up our LGBTQ+ youth and we encourage you to do the same!

06/03/2026

A great opportunity to advocate for change in Massachusetts!

Do you think adolescents who are too young to legally drink, smoke, gamble or rent a car should be subjected to the harsh environment of adult jails and prisons - even for minor offenses? You can change that here in Massachusetts.

Join the coalition behind the Raise the Age campaign for a lobby day at the Massachusetts State House on Wednesday, June 10th from 1pm to 4pm! We will be meeting with State Representatives urging their support for the Raise the Age bill (S. 1061).

Please join us and encourage your friends to come as well! No experience necessary. Join us for one of two Raise the Age ambassador trainings to learn about talking with legislators and choosing a lobbying team to join.

Register and learn more here: https://www.cfjj.org/raise-the-age-lobby-day-2026

06/01/2026

We declare June Stolen Children's Month! This month, we honor children stolen by the family policing system, the ICE machine, youth incarceration, private adoption industries, and forced treatment facilities.

We stand in solidarity with the Stolen Children's Month campaign that is building narrative power to abolish ALL systems that steal children and separate families.

Learn more and take action: StolenChildrensMonth.com

05/20/2026

The 2nd Annual Stolen Children's Month is coming up in June! Stolen Children's Month is a time to uplift the voices of stolen children and their families, and to shift the narrative towards ending family separation by abolishing systems of family policing, youth incarceration, and immigrant detention and deportation.

Learn more and sign the proclamation:

Stolen Children’s Month calls for the abolition of all systems that steal children and separate families, including the family policing, adoption, and foster industries; the ICE detention and deportation machine; and the prison-industrial complex.

05/13/2026

Check out this great opportunity for young people!

The SPLC's Louisiana Lead the Change Youth Advocacy Program is a youth-driven journey in advocacy, justice and public leadership 🌟.

If you're a high school or college student interested in community organizing and advocacy, law and justice, or public service and government, this program is for you! 📲 Apply today: https://bit.ly/4vOYmoe

05/12/2026

We are thrilled to announce the inaugural cohort of our new Youth Justice Coaching Institute program!

YJCI is an intensive skill building and leadership development pilot program for experienced advocates and leaders who are interested in enhancing their ability to lead through direct coaching. In order to create sustainability in our movement we have to be able to evolve as leaders and often that means imparting our knowledge onto others who can carry the torch. This pilot program focuses on teaching and coaching as a means of creating capacity within our movement to both develop new leaders and create space for seasoned leaders to grow.

Learn more about YJCI and meet our first group of coaches: https://nyjn.org/youth-justice-coaching-institute/

05/07/2026

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and addressing youth criminalization is a key part of creating a world with better mental health support and less stigma.

What do you think it would look like if we offered our young people care and support when they are struggling rather than criminalization and incarceration? Let us know in the comments!

04/28/2026

"The modern school-to-pipeline starts with school data feeding into sheriff’s lists, moves through risk prediction scores that can land youth in juvenile detention, and extends to surveillance that shapes how young people experience their neighborhoods. But it isn’t inevitable. It has been interrupted before, by young people who understood what they were up against."

With little transparency or oversight, technology is being used to flag youth as risks to public safety and deciding who is surveilled, arrested, and confined.

04/21/2026

We are excited to announce this year’s Youth Justice Leadership Institute cohort! These fellows bring a wealth of experience in restorative and healing justice, policy advocacy, youth leadership development and community activism.

Throughout the year these fellows will learn and build their leadership skills together while bringing new knowledge and growth into their work. Each fellow will also be working on an advocacy project to move youth justice toward healing and transformation across the country.

You can meet this year's YJLI fellows here: https://nyjn.org/youth-justice-leadership-institute/