Youth Justice Action Month, #YJAM2022, powered by the Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ) and the National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN)! Check back often, as events will be added throughout the month of October.
This page will be updated throughout the month. Check back often!
Oct.3: Kickoff Webinar w/ the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (Virtual)
Youth Justice Action Month: Creating Brighter Futures for Our Nation's Youth
Monday, October 3, 2022
2-3 p.m. ET
Register
Join the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), the Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ), and the National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN) to learn more about the history of Youth Justice Action Month and actions we can each take during October and beyond to create brighter futures for our nation’s youth.
Participants
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Elizabeth Ryan, Administrator, OJJDP
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Valerie Slater, Vice Chair, NJJN Board of Directors
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Douglas Johnson, Youth Advocate
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Tracey Wells-Huggins, Advocate
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Isidro Marino, Kansas State Advisory Group (Youth)
October 6 - October 9: A New Deal for Youth: If Not Us, Then Who (Washington, DC & Virtual)
Time: Varies
Description: Join A New Deal for Youth (ND4Y) Changemakers for a ND4Y Week of Action, including:
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Thursday, October 6 - Hill Day
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Friday, October 7 - White House and Agency Advocacy Day
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Saturday, October 8 - Block Party, Donation Drive, and Open Mic
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Sunday, October 9 - Mural Day Installation and Storytelling Workshop
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Virtual Action Hub - All Week
Registration
Host: Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), clasp.org
Additional Information: newdealforyouth.org
Oct. 8: Youth Justice Writing Circle
Saturday, October 8, 2022
12-4
Contact: consultwithtea@gmail.com
The Just Write Community Project is centered around sending love and letters to incarcerated individuals. Every October we host an event centered around youth justice. This year we will be convening a writing circle to write to incarcerated youth and young adults. The event will include art , an open mic and healing circle.
Oct. 8-16: Dignity in Schools Week of Action Against School Pushout (Virtual),
Dignity in Schools Social Media Toolkit
Oct. 13: NJJN Police-Free Schools Social Media Day of Action (Virtual),
Police-Free Schools Social Media Toolkit
Oct. 15: Justice For Families Youth Justice Awareness Day
Saturday, October 15, 2022
10 am - 6 pm ET
2090 Honeywell Ave.
Bronx, New York 10460 (Outdoor Event)
Hosted by: Justice For Families
Join Justice For Families for a day filled with local resources that will strengthen your mind, body soul as we recognize the challenges and celebrate our resiliency in community. A day of Healing through music, art food and love!
- Education Not Incarceration
- Books Not Cages
- No Kids in Cages
Oct. 17: The Future of Children’s Lawyering: Supporting the Next Generation of Children’s Lawyers - Part 2 (Virtual)
Monday, October 17, 2022
1-2:30 PM ET
Hosted by: The Gault Center
Registration
There is a gap between the generations of children’s lawyers that reflects a changing narrative about children’s law as well as the nature of work generally. This gap presents opportunities for our field and our organizations that touch on issues such as workforce wellbeing, supporting lawyers of color and living up to the values we are professing. Our speakers will explore these issues and ideas for ways to address them that can strengthen our field and support the next generation of children’s lawyers.
Speakers:
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Paige Joki, Staff Attorney, Education Law Center, Philadelphia, PA
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Brittany Mobley, Deputy Chief, Community Defender Division, Juvenile Services Program, Public Defender Service for DC, Washington, DC
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Vivek Sankaran, Clinical Professor of Law, Director, Child Advocacy Law Clinic, Director, Child Welfare Appellate Clinic, University of Michigan Law School, Ann Arbor, MI
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Heather Wilson, Attorney Supervisor, Children’s Law Center of California, Los Angeles, CA
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Trenny Stovall, LGC Core Consulting, Washington, DC (moderator)
Oct. 18: Raising Awareness of Youth in Adult Prisons (NJ)
Tuesday, October 18, 2022
11-3 PM ET
Hosted by the New Jersey Youth Justice Initiative
Address: NJPC Office c/o Trinitas Regional Medical Center, 655 East Jersey St. Elizabeth, NJ 07206
Contact: 908-994-7619 or 973-234-8468; dallas.njpc@gmail.com
- Raffles
- Outreach events
- Free t-shirts and sweatsuits
Oct. 18: YJAM Virtual Dinner w/ the Players Coalition
Tuesday, October 18, 2022
3:30 pm PT | 5:30 pm CT | 6:30 pm ET | 90 minutes
Hosted by: Players Coalition; Café Momentum; Coalition of Juvenile Justice (CJJ); National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN)
Register!
NJJN is thrilled to partner with the Players Coalition and Café Momentum for a YJAM Virtual Dinner!
Join us as youth advocates from NJJN and the Coalition for Juvenile Justice share conversation with Momentum Ambassadors from the Café Momentum program and professional athletes from the Players Coalition. During the conversation, youth will share what justice means to them while also shining a light on YJAM and identify the ways in which we can all provide opportunity and make impactful change to support our country’s most marginalized youth.
This event is free and open to the public! Register!
Athletes & Participants:
- Host: Trimaine Davis, Players Coalition Education Expert Alliance;
- Soul Cole, NFL Legend, New Orleans Saints and Wellness Consultant;
- Paige Nielsen, NWSL Professional Soccer Player, Angel City FC;
- Tim Patrick, NFL Player, Denver Broncos;
- Young Justice Leaders, NJJN;
- Emerging Leaders, CJJ;
- Momentum Ambassadors, Momentum Advisory Collective
Oct. 20: The 40 Million Dollar Investment : Where is it and where does it need to be?
Thursday, 10/20/22, 6-8 pm CT
Hosted by: Progeny
Address: The Center, 1914 E. 11th St N, Wichita, KS
Registration
Progeny welcomes youth ages 16-24 to reimagine what they want their community to look like. Big financial decisions should not be made without those that are directly impacted! Food, drinks, music and youth resources will be there!
Oct. 20: unHEARD Voices Youth Panel
Thursday, 10/20/22, 6:00 pm
Hosted by: Juvenile Justice Coalition
Columbus Metropolitan Library - Main Columbus, Ohio
Auditorium at CML Main
Contact: takasha@jjcohio.org
Juvenile Justice Coalition will host a one night youth panel on police interactions followed by youth-led guide roundtable discussions designed to put attendees (including law enforcement officers) in the place/perspective of local youth. This will be a time for our youth to be heard!
Oct. 20: Word On The Street: Communicating with our Youth
Thursday, 10/20/22, 4:00 pm
Virtual via Zoom
Hosted by: Michigan Children's Law Center
Contact: LawLynda@aol.com
We are inviting young people (and their parents) who have or previously had a juvenile justice case in Wayne County, their mentors, and community activists to have a conversation with judges, lawyers/guardian ad litems, and community members. We will discuss the issues with juvenile justice as they see them, what restorative justice is, and the best practices to assist the legal community with connecting with young people and clients.
Oct. 25: Beyond Fines and Fees: A Youth Justice Action Month Webinar
Tuesday, October 25, 6 PM ET
Hosted by: Michigan Center for Youth Justice
Registration
In celebration of Youth Justice Action Month (YJAM), the Michigan Center for Youth Justice (MCYJ) is pleased to announce, Beyond Fines and Fees: A Youth Justice Action Month Webinar. Join us to discuss the impacts of juvenile justice system fines and fees on youth and families. This webinar will feature the work of the Macomb County Circuit Court which successfully removed a majority of fines and fees in 2021 resulting in a discharge of $84 million in debt owed by families. Throughout our conversation, we will hear from both state and national leadership working to advance debt free justice. The audience will have an opportunity to ask questions and learn best practices from our guest speakers.
Featured speakers:
- Nicole Faulds, Juvenile Division Administrator, 16th Circuit Court
- Miranda Sheffield, Debt Free Justice Campaign Coordinator
- Jason Smith, Executive Director, Michigan Center for Youth Justice
We encourage you to register early and share this invitation with colleagues and those in your networks. For questions, please contact Policy Director Jennifer Peacock jpeacock@miyouthjustice.org

Hosted by: Austin Liberation Youth Movement and the Texas Center for Justice and Equity
Registration
Please join Austin Liberation Youth Movement and the Texas Center for Justice and Equity for a webinar detailing the current crisis in the Texas youth justice system. Special guest Jolie McCullough, criminal justice reporter at the Texas Tribune, will walk attendees through her reporting on the situation at the Texas Department of Juvenile Justice (TJJD). Following this informational session, ALYM and TCJE will introduce a new campaign focused on youth justice in Texas.
Please note: this webinar is not sponsored by the Texas Tribune, and Jolie McCullough will join only the informational section of the event.

Tuesday, October 25, 2022, 1-2:30 pm ET
Hosted by: Columbia University Justice Lab
Registration
Join the Columbia Justice Lab and Youth Correctional Leaders for Justice on October 25th at
1pm EDT for a moderated discussion about transforming youth justice systems by supporting
young people in their communities.
“Taking on Transformation: Community Support for Youth and Families” is the seventh and final
event in our series that examines the growing movement to end the use of a punitive youth
prison model in favor of a community-centered approach. Learn more about Taking on
Transformation on the project website.
The panel will focus on why strong community-based supports and opportunities serve as the
foundation for helping young people to thrive in their own homes and communities. Panelists will
discuss the kinds of supports and services they are creating for young people and discuss what
is needed - especially from system leaders - to further scale up and resource this work so that
they can fully replace the punishment paradigm.
Oct. 26: From Planning to Policy: The Milwaukee County Credible Messenger Program
Wednesday, October 26, 2022
12:00 PM -1:30 PM CT (Virtual)
Hosted by: Youth Justice Wisconsin
Registration
Join us for a 90-minute discussion exploring Milwaukee County’s investment in the Credible Messenger program from start to current state. Panelists will speak to the design, launch, delivery and evaluation considerations for a program that addresses a key milestone in the Zero Youth Corrections initiative. This program is a collaboration between Milwaukee Turners, Youth Justice Wisconsin and Milwaukee County.
Panelists:
- David Muhammad - Deputy Director, Health and Human Svcs., Milwaukee County
- T.J. Cobb - Enterprise Project Manager, Milwaukee County
- Gina Whiyee, Assistant Administrator, Children Youth Family Svcs. Milwaukee County
- Chaz Fortune - Credible Messenger, Youth Advocates Program
- Kelly Pethke - Administrator, Children Youth and Family Svcs
- Danique Seymour - Zero Youth Corrections Manager, MKE County
- Sharlen Moore - Community Advocate, Youth Justice MKE
Moderators: Erica Nelson, Kids Forward and Emilio De Torre, Milwaukee Turners
Co-Producer Krissie Fung
Sponsored by Ann McCullough, Youth Justice Wisconsin, Milwaukee Turners
Oct. 26: Capitol Hill Forum: Credible Messengers as a Youth Policy Solution (Wahington, DC & Virtual)
Wednesday, October 26, 2022
12-1 PM ET
Hosted by: American Youth Policy Forum
Registration
The American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF), a nonpartisan nonprofit, is hosting a Capitol Hill Forum to highlight credible messengers as a youth policy solution. Credible messengers are mentors who have similar lived experiences as the youth with whom they work. During this virtual Capitol Hill Forum, AYPF Youth Policy Consultants and Dr. Bernadette Sanchez, a leading researcher on mentoring, will share with attendees how important a credible messenger can be to the well-being of young people.
Oct. 26: Film Screening: Katrina Babies
Wednesday, 10/26/22, 6-8 pm CT
Hosted by: Louisiana Center for Children's Rights
Address: New Orleans African American Museum, 1417-1418 Governor Nicholls, New Orleans, Louisiana 70116
Contact: krome@lakidsrights.org
In conjunction with the Youth Justice Advocates' YJAM Community Celebration (funded through a grant provided by Greater New Orleans Foundation), LCCR will host a screening of film, Katrina Babies - a 2022 film made by New Orleans native, Ed Buckles, that explores the impact Hurricane Katrina had on New Orleans youth. A youth-led panel discussion on the direct links between the government's response to Katrina and the development of young people 13-18 years old will follow.
Oct. 27: What Youth Justice Means to Youth: A Vision for the Future
Youth Advocates Panel with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Thursday, October 27, 2022, 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm ET
Hosted by: The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, in partnership with the National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN) and the Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ)
Location: Online
Registration
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), in partnership with the Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ) and National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN), will host a youth panel discussion: "What Youth Justice Means to Youth: A Vision for the Future." Young leaders from across the country with expertise and lived experience in the youth justice system will present a policy platform consisting of recommendations to transform the youth justice system.
Speakers
• Liz Ryan, Administrator, OJJDP
• Emerging Leaders Fellows, CJJ
• Young Justice Leaders, NJJN
Oct. 27: 6th Annual Youth Justice Action Month Arts and Advocacy Night
Thursday, October 27, 2022, 6-8 pm ET
2nd Floor Art Gallery, Corpus Christi Church-Building C
2022 Saint Bernard Ave., New Orleans, LA 70116
The Travis Hill School Presents: The 6th Annual Youth Justice Action Month Arts and Advocacy Night Featuring the work of Travis Hill Students. The mission of the Travis Hill student support team is transformation for students, families, and communities. We motivate, teach, and support diverse learners so that all students become self advocates, meet their educational goals, and reach their full potential.
Oct. 28 : Rights 4 Girls Girls’ Justice Day (Virtual),
Girls’ Justice Day Toolkit