Instead of locking youth up, National Youth Justice Month is designed to bring attention to a growing movement to transform juvenile justice in America.
Progeny, a Wichita-based youth-adult partnership working to reimagine the youth justice system in Kansas, has planned two National Youth Justice Month events.
Block Party
The first event will be a Block Party to bring together youth impacted by the justice system, their families, community members, and leaders, Thurs., Oct. 17, 5 to 8 p.m. at the Atwater Neighborhood Center, 2755 E. 19th Street, Wichita.
In addition to a resource and vendor fair focused on services, opportunities and products for youth, the evening will feature music, skits, games, food, and talent showcases that celebrate the resilience, creativity, and power of these young people. It is a unique opportunity to amplify youth voices in justice reform and foster unity.
Youth Policy Symposium
Progeny, in partnership with Destination Innovation, the ACLU of Kansas, the Juvenile Law Center, and Kansas Appleseed, will continue their National Youth Justice Action Month activities with a symposium focusing on the need to transform the youth justice system in Kansas.
The symposium, Reimagining Justice for Tomorrow’s Leaders, will be held Thurs., Nov. 21, 6 to 8 p.m. at the Kansas Leadership Center, 325 E. Douglas, Wichita. The event is designed to bring community members, policymakers, educators, youth advocates, legal professionals, and system decision-makers to engage in powerful discussions about reimagining youth justice.
The symposium will feature youth and expert panels, including leaders with lived experience in the justice system, who will share insights on how to create an effective youth justice system, including discussions on racial disparities in youth justice and actionable strategies for reform and strengthening community resilience.
“Our goal is to create a space where decision-makers listen to those directly impacted by the justice system—our youth—and take action,” says Desmond E. Bryant White, manager at Progeny. “By centering youth voices, we can reimagine a system that fosters opportunity, healing, and transformation.”
Bryant White says Progeny hopes to attract at least 50 youth, especially those impacted by the justice system, to the symposium. To do so, they will give youth participants who attend the two-hour symposium a $40 gift certificate.To register for the symposium, block party and the Wichita City Council meeting on Tues., Oct. 15 where they will approve a resolution proclaiming October National Youth Justice Action Month, go to: https://bit.ly/3zD3TWH. Those who can’t attend the symposium can sign up to attend remotely.
