Project Summary

Youth returning to Philadelphia from juvenile justice placements collaborate to create a positive vision for their communities. People often write them off, but their ideas and energy give rise to constructive change and new opportunities.

About me

I am a 37-year-old white juvenile justice advocate living and working in the Philadelphia area. At first glance, you might think that the population described here is not my community, but it is. First, J4J creates a community of juvenile justice advocates - youth and adult - who recognize the importance of youth voices. More importantly, one of my core beliefs is that if we don't protect all members of our community, we are all at risk. Youth in the juvenile justice system are vulnerable not only because of their incarceration, but also because of their race and class. Failing to address their needs weakens the entire Philadelphia community. While incarcerated youth don't have the resources to launch and maintain J4J on their own, they will determine our goals and strategies. One of my greatest strengths is my ability to foster dialogue without imposing my own view of the process or the results. The Teen Health Initiative (THI) I founded at the New York Civil Liberties Union in 1997 is still thriving, helping young people to educate and advocate on reproductive health issues. Even while I worked on THI, however, I dreamed of allowing youth to truly set a social change agenda. In my article, "Creative Prison Lawyering: from Silence to Democracy," in the Georgetown Journal of Poverty Law and Policy, I explored how to promote this approach in a correctional setting. I was thrilled to learn that Make It Your Own could help me to do just that.