We are excited to launch a new Justice-Involved Community of Practice! 

Please join us for a special Kickoff Event on Nov. 15!

Tuesday, November 15

12:00-1:30 p.m. ET / 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. CT / 10:00-11:30 a.m. MT / 9:00-10:30 a.m. PT / 8:00-9:30 a.m. AKT / 7:00-8:30 a.m. HT (view your time zone)

SERIES CONTINUES: DEC. 6 • JAN. 10 • FEB. 7 • MAR. 7 • APR. 11

DESCRIPTION

Justice-involved youth can be powerful agents of change. Join us for a five-part community of practice focused on promoting the leadership of system-impacted young people. This strengths-based series will address racial trauma and racial disparities in juvenile justice systems across the nation.

Designed for leaders in the system of care, the series will help participants engage justice-involved youth in advocacy work, prioritize culturally responsive care for BIPOC youth, deepen their knowledge of community-based solutions, and implement effective peer support programs.

President Biden has declared October to be National Youth Justice Action Month. (Check out the White House's proclamation). Registering for this series is a great way to honor the month and commit to lifting up justice-involved youth!

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 Image from the film, Growing Up in the Prison System | Gateways Part 1

KICKOFF EVENT

Join us on Tuesday, November 15 for a special event introducing the themes that drive this Community of Practice. Attendees will watch a short film titled Growing Up in the Prison System and participate in a moderated discussion on racial disparities in the juvenile justice systems and the need for community-based services.

Like other sessions in this Community of Practice, the Kickoff Event will spotlight the voices of those with lived experience.

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COMMITMENT TO PARTICIPATE

To build an environment of psychological safety and trust in which learners can share deeply, we strongly encourage participants to attend all five sessions of the Community of Practice.

Meet the Kickoff Event Facilitators

Evelyn Clark is a Mexican-Native American woman who is passionate about racial equity and justice, leadership development, and peer support. She has nearly 14 years of experience serving young people and their families who were system involved. Evelyn is also a Certified peer counselor. She dedicated her career empowering young people and their families to get involved in this work. She is a proud recipient of the 2019 Peer Alternatives youth and young adult leadership award. Evelyn’s mission is to end racial and ethnic disparities within systems of care and to promote leadership opportunities for the BIPOC workforce.

Dr. Henrika McCoy is the Ruby Lee Piester Centennial Fellow in Services to Children and Families and Associate Professor at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work. Dr. McCoy’s research has predominately focused on strengthening the screening of mental health needs for youth who have juvenile legal system involvement and on examining the intersection of mental health and juvenile delinquency, particularly for African American boys ages 12 to 17. Her work also focuses on the violent victimization experiences of Black males, ages 18 to 24. Although she is currently a professor, she previously worked as a school social worker, therapist, and case manager providing services in a range of with adolescents, and their families, who were engaged in multiple systems and in need of various supports and services.

Jason Clark's first and most important focus is being a father. He is also the Director of Northwest Credible Messenger (NWCM), a capacity-building organization developed to empower the next generation of Black and Brown leadership, grown out of his journey overcoming personal and professional adversity. Previously, as a Project Manager, he had success in both city- and county-level positions. However, community and Credible Messenger are his North Stars.

From being a resident of the Washington State Department of Corrections to being a project manager for the largest trial court system in the state, Jason utilizes his personal and professional experience to develop relationships that produce results and empower others throughout the statewide team at NWCM to maximize personal and community impact.

Jason is a Prosecution Beyond Big Cities Leader for the Institute of Innovation in Prosecution at John Jay College, a 2019 JLUSA Leading with Conviction Fellow, and a 2019 Civil Survival Justice in Policy Fellow. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, as well as being a certified Project Manager and a member of the Thurston County Racial Equity and Inclusion Council. His organization, NWCM, is the Washington State Ambassador for CM3, the National Credible Messenger Mentoring Movement, and his greatest success is in the POWER in UNITY.