Happy Holidays from the National Youth Justice Network! We hope that however you celebrate this time is full of family, community, joy, and rejuvenation.

We were honored to present Mishi Faruqee of Andrus Family Fund with the 2025 NYJN Impact Award at our Annual Forum! Mishi has been an unsung hero of the youth justice movement for over 25 years.

We were excited to present Melissa Goemann with the Legacy Award at our 2025 Annual Forum in honor of her decades of service to youth advocacy. She is an attorney and social justice advocate who has worked throughout her career to positively impact children’s lives and protect their civil rights.

We were honored to present Lisa Maria Rhodes, founder and ED of ALAS, with the Diana Onley-Campbell Movement Builder Award to recognize her decades-long advocacy and leadership! She is a trailblazer and heart-centered advocate who creates pathways for directly impacted youth to lead movement work.

Forum 2025: we had a time, we cultivated community, we planned for the road ahead together. Our cup is overfilled with the love, support and commitment to youth justice that our community poured in and we can’t wait to share more highlights and an invite to continue building with us.

As Youth Justice Action Month 2025 comes to a close, we remind ourselves this week to be United and Building a Better Future. Transforming youth justice requires collaboration across communities, policymakers, and systems - all with youth voices at the center. #YJAM2025

When youth lead, systems change. When youth are heard, communities heal. This Youth Justice Action Month we are #UnitedForAction by centering youth voices.

On 10/28, the day before Forum, we will be hosting a reunion for our YJLI alumni! YJLI is a cohort program that deepens the leadership capacity of BIPOC advocates, organizers, healers, and creatives who are committed to transforming harmful systems.

Register here: nyjn.org/2025-nyjn-fo...

Youth justice means creating opportunities for growth, not cycles of harm. Together, we can transform systems to promote youth development and healing. We are proud to partner with Coalition for Juvenile Justice and @wearenyjn.bsky.social during Youth Justice Action Month (YJAM).
#YJAM2025

Communities thrive when we invest in people, not prisons. This week we are united for community investments - championing support for youth, schools, and families. #YJAM2025 #UnitedforCommunityInvestments

This Youth Justice Action Month, we’re #UnitedForUnderstanding. Through books, lived experience, and shared stories, we learn how to better support youth impacted by the juvenile legal system. We are proud to partner with @wearenyjn.bsky.social
and National Youth Justice Network during YJAM.

In this video, Liz Ryan, Doris Duke Distinguished Fellow at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown, reflects on the importance of listening to youth stories as part of justice reform.

Check out our #YJAM2025 resources for ways to uplift youth storytelling: youthjusticeactionmonth.org

Spots are filling up but there's still time to register!

Punishment doesn't heal, community does. This week we are united for healing, not harm - centering care, restoration, and rehabilitation. #YJAM2025

Learn more and take action: youthjusticeactionmonth.org

Please join us in welcoming Lucid Parks (they/them) to our team as NYJN’s Communications & Narrative Change Manager! They will be guiding and implementing our communications and narrative organizing strategy moving forward.

Learn more about Lucid at nyjn.org/staff

Youth Justice Action Month (#YJAM2025) starts today! This week's theme is #UnitedForUnderstanding. Through books, shared stories, and lived experiences we can learn how to better support youth impacted by the legal system.

Learn more at youthjusticeactionmonth.org

October is Youth Justice Action Month (YJAM)! We'll be spending the month raising awareness about the unique challenges young individuals face within the justice system and advocating for fair, effective, and developmentally appropriate responses.

Learn more: youthjusticeactionmonth.org

We are excited to invite you to this year's annual forum, Rising in the Moment: From Communication to Implementation, on October 29 and 30 in Washington, DC! This gathering is for anyone active in the youth justice space.

Register and find more info here: nyjn.org/2025-nyjn-fo...