This summer, we are grateful to have had an amazing summer intern Melanie Mata, a rising senior at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.! Melanie designed our latest publication on Police-Free Schools, organized and support our Advocacy Day on the Hill to support federal youth justice legislation, tracked our youth jusice advances and provided staff support to our coalition to raise the minimum age of juvenile court jurisdiction. Huge thank you to Melanie for her hard work and contributions this semester!
Learn more about Melanie!
What got you interested in youth justice advocacy work?
When I witnessed my brother's experiences with the youth justice system and the pain it caused him and my family, I became interested in youth justice advocacy work. I observed a lot of injustices and wanted to speak up for young people who may lack the resources or protections they need to receive the help and support they deserve. I became particularly interested in the school-to-prison pipeline and youth mental health as a result of my coursework and research, and I wanted to continue to raise awareness of these issues in order to disrupt the current cycle of children being incarcerated rather than encouraging trauma-informed care and mental health support.
How do you hope your experience with NJJN will support your goals moving forward?
NJJN has taught me the value of policy advocacy, building networks, and collaborating with others to affect change. Through my work with NJJN, I am able to have a better understanding of the problems I care about from a policy perspective, as well as how different states tackle youth justice concerns. NJJN has also made me more aware of several issues that youth confront that I was previously unaware of. NJJN has a strong emphasis on amplifying youth voices and integrating people with lived experiences in their work, which has allowed me to hear a variety of important narratives. Through this experience I have gained a lot of knowledge on youth justice and it has shown me the power of community to create change. As I move into graduate school and eventually law school, I intend to continue advocating for youth justice and look forward to making a difference.
What college course has had the biggest impact on you? Why?
The college course that has had the biggest impact one me was my Alternatives to Imprisonment class. This class was taught by a justice-impacted individual and had a lot of knowledge on the carceral system and the many flaws the system has. The class really resonated with my beliefs and encouraged a lot of class discussion on abolition and the different ways we should be approaching rehabilitation.
Favorite book or movie?
My favorite movie is The Perks of Being a Wallflower and favorite book currently is Prison by Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms by Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law