The Juvenile Rights Practice (JRP) of The Legal Aid Society is proud to announce the establishment of the JRP Youth Leadership Board sponsored by the Arlene Libowitz Fund. Thanks to the generous support of the Libowitz family, in memory of Arlene, the creation of the Board will facilitate a client-centered practice that will truly infuse JRP clients as partners and leaders in the process. Arlene served as a fierce advocate for teens and mentor to staff in our Bronx office for many years.

The Board’s members will comprise of JRP current and former clients ages 16 to 24 years old who have been impacted by the child welfare and/or juvenile justice systems. Through trainings, discussion and advocacy initiatives, in collaboration with JRP leadership, staff and attorneys, the board will Empower youth to share their ideas and experiences so their voices are heard, the child welfare and juvenile justice practices are informed.

JRP recognizes that our client’s juvenile justice and child welfare experiences offer a unique perspective to our fight to elevate their voices every day. Youth are valuable and concerned people in their communities; they are essential to JRP providing quality legal services to youth.

Youth voice is integral to improving the outcomes for youth—allowing for more informed decision making among policy makers and providers and offering youth opportunities to build important skills. Across the country, there is a growing movement towards giving affected youth a greater voice on the issues that impact their lives. Indeed within New York City, the Mayor’s Office recently launched an initiative to engage some 30,000 young people in policymaking and advocacy by 2020. Juvenile Rights Practice is the only NYC organization that provides legal representation to children in both the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. Our unique perspective and expertise allows us to provide comprehensive legal services to the clients we serve— however our work is not done in a vacuum – our clients’ interests and access inform our priorities.