Welcome to Youth Justice Action Month - #YJAM2022, powered by the Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ) and the National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN)!
October is here, and that means it’s Youth Justice Action Month - #YJAM2022! YJAM is a month where advocates come together to organize events and online activities to raise awareness and inspire action on behalf of young people impacted by the justice system.
This year’s theme is “Justice Is____.” We can only create a true vision of justice, equity and opportunity when we hear directly from those who are most impacted by the systems we are fighting to change. That means centering directly impacted youth voices in any transformations we advocate for. Our theme, “Justice Is____.” gives impacted youth, families and allies an opportunity to collectively imagine new possibilities for systems of support, healing and restorative justice.
Proclamations: October is Youth Justice Action Month!
2022 coming soon
White House Proclamation (2022)
Resolution from the U.S. Senate (2022)
Resolution from the U.S. House of Representatives (2022)
Use this template in your state, county, or municipality to create a local resolution of your own supporting YJAM.
Kickoff: Webinar with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Youth Justice Action Month: Creating Brighter Futures for Our Nation's Youth
October 3, 2022
2-3 p.m. ET
Register
Take Action: We invite you to join us for #YJAM2022 by taking action with us all month long!
Attend an Event: Check out YJAM events taking place virtually and across the country. Activate on Social Media: Download our free social media toolkit to post on your platforms all month
Activate on Social Media: Download our free social media toolkit to post on your platforms all month long. Join us for these special social media days of action:
- National Week of Action Against School Pushout (Powered by Dignity in Schools) - October 8 - 16
- Police-Free Schools Day (Powered by NJJN) - October 13
- Girls Justice Day (Powered by Rights 4 Girls) - October 28
Host An Event: If you’re an advocate or organizer in your community working with youth, join #YJAM2022 with a virtual or in-person event. With this year’s theme, “Justice Is___,” an event could be as simple as hosting a conversation with youth to brainstorm their ideas of what justice really is for youth, and sharing youth responses with your community, schools boards, PTAs and local city councils. Need help? Check out this event planning guide. Have something planned? Let us know about your events so we can amplify your work on this website.
Learn More About Youth Justice: If you’re an ally who is new to learning about and understanding youth justice, make this a month to learn about key issues related to transforming youth justice. Each week, take on one topic. Here are links to get you started.
- Week 1: What do young people envision for youth justice?
- Week 2: What is restorative justice?
- Week 3: Why do we need police-free schools?
- Week 4: How do youth get criminalized for mental health challenges?
- Extra Credit: Why must all youth justice advocacy be grounded in anti-racism?
Donate to Youth Justice: Youth justice advocacy needs financial support from individuals who care about the safety, protection and future of all youth. Take action this month by making a donation to a youth justice advocacy organization in your state or a national organization like CJJ or NJJN.
Stay Connected: Stay committed to youth justice all year long by joining our email lists for future news and action alerts.
- Join our email list - Coalition for Juvenile Justice
- Join our email list - National Juvenile Justice Network