Youth Voice & Perspective
The Center amplifies the voices of the young people we serve. We seek guidance from girls and gender-expansive youth as experts in their own lives and experiences and promote the artistic expression of their views to complement our work.
Highlights of Our Work on Youth Voice & Perspective
I Am the Voice
We partnered with Rights4Girls to solicit girls’ visual and written work from across the country to create “I Am the Voice: Girls’ Reflections from Inside the Justice System.” The compilation reflects girls’ experiences with the juvenile justice system. It is intended to provide space for girls to express themselves, allowing their work to stand on its own. View some artwork in the gallery below or download the full compilation here.
The Artist’s Perspective
We commissioned two local Black women artists to express their responses to our adultification bias research, drawing on their own lived experiences as young people, which were featured in an exhibit co-organized with the National Museum of Women in the Arts.
About Our Work in Youth Voice & Perspective
We recognize that creating lasting, positive change in the lives of girls and gender-expansive youth, conventional law, policy, and research analysis and solutions must be grounded in girls’ stories, strengths, and perspectives. We work directly with young people and lift their voices to learn from them in identifying challenges, needs, strengths, and solutions.
The value we place on girls’ expertise based on their life experiences is reflected in our qualitative research. We conduct focus groups and listening sessions with young people to ensure their perspectives are woven into our work and approach.
In addition to the youth voices heard in our research, we support the power of artistic expression in advocating for equity and social justice, healing, and community-building. See more examples of our work with young people below.
Lived Experience: Sharing Adultification Bias Stories
You can help the Center amplify youth voices by sharing your perspective to our Storytelling Gallery.
Youth Advisory Committee
We work with youth advisors who guide our work. We are currently building out our next youth advisory committee for the Justice for Youth Survivors Initiative.
Youth Storytellers in Residence
We support the power of artistic expression in advocating for equity and social justice, healing, and community-building. Our Youth Storytellers enhance the Center’s work by giving voice to girls’ real-world experiences.
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