Youth Voice / Youth Action / Youth Justice

How do we create and provide viable platforms for young people to be visionaries in their own communities and within our democracy?The Youth Justice Institute co-creates spaces with young folks where they can discuss issues that affect them in their communities, explore these issues with adults, community leaders, and envision their futures through artmaking.I have worked alongside young people in an array of capacities for the last 20 years, often making art and always in awe of how they navigate their worlds.Youth advocacy is a realm and practice I have dedicated my life to, and it is a joy to be in service to young people.Young folks are our community members who are not yet old enough to vote, while simultaneously being harmed and impacted by systems and legislation spearheaded by adults and their respective ideologies.Wyoming has one of the highest juvenile incarceration rates in the country, topped by the highest youth suicide rates in the country.Upon moving to Laramie via New Orleans in 2021, I co-founded the Youth Justice Institute (YJI).Since its inception, YJI has taken three distinct forms: the pilot YJI afterschool program, the YJI partnership with The Partners for Rural Impact Summit, and the YJI summer institute.Each iteration is grounded in amplifying youth thought, voice and action within their communities and beyond.As a model of valuing young folks as artists and thinkers, it is important to note that YJI pays participants an equitable wage for their participation in the program.