Youth Advocacy Toolkit

A Toolkit for Building the Field of Ethical, Authentic, & Youth-led Advocacy

This toolkit is designed to provide guiding principles and a framework for developing and supporting youth-led advocacy, using the best practices Juvenile Law Center's Youth Advocacy Program has gleaned over the past 15 years.

Table of Contents

What You’ll Find in this Toolkit 

This toolkit provides extensive knowledge, recommendations, and practical tips to develop and sustain youth-led advocacy programs. You’ll find guiding principles that reflect Juvenile Law Center’s approach, and important anecdotes and youth reflections. You’ll also find tip guides, policies, and protocols we encourage you to use.
 

Download Documents

Explore this resource bank and use our documents and templates to support your work and programs.

Meet The Experts

Our team of experts have extensive experience and are available to answer questions and for interviews.

Why Youth Advocacy

Learn more about the Youth Advocacy Program at Juvenile Law Center.

Our Youth Advocacy Program Groups

Advocates for Youth Justice logo
This program engages young people who have been involved in the juvenile justice system, offering them an opportunity to assess the system's strengths and weaknesses, and then develop and implement advocacy projects to improve the system.
Advocated Transforming Youth Systems logo
This program engages young people who have been involved in the juvenile justice system, offering them an opportunity to assess the system's strengths and weaknesses, and then develop and implement advocacy projects to improve the system.

Related Issues

Keeping Kids in the Community

Kids do best close to home and in their communities.

Juvenile Life Without Parole (JLWOP)

The U. S. is the only country that sentences youth to die in prison. We work nationally to abolish life without parole sentences for youth.

Economic Justice

Court costs, fines, fees, and restitution hurt youth and families. Justice-related debt pushes youth deeper into the system and keeps families in poverty.

Youth Tried as Adults

Around 250,000 youth enter the adult criminal justice system each year, despite research showing treating youth as adults does not reduce crime.

Youth Interrogations & Access to Counsel

Juvenile Law Center advocates for a robust right to counsel for all youth in the child welfare and justice systems.