By Brian Evans, State Campaign Director

Youth Justice Action Month (YJAM) is here!

Last year, Youth Justice Awareness Month turned into Youth Justice Action Month in recognition of the remarkable growth in action oriented activism and advocacy that has emerged in recent years. For the past nine years, YJAM has encouraged people to organize events that raise awareness, strengthen coalitions, build campaigns, and encourage advocacy on behalf of young people in contact with the justice system.

While progress has been made on many fronts – reductions in youth incarceration, changes in laws that transfer youth to adult courts – there is much left to do. Tens of thousands of children are still charged and incarcerated as adults each year, and we are seeing at both the state and federal level the re-emergence of false narratives that cast teenagers as “super-predators” who are beyond redemption and must be dealt with as harshly as possible.

YJAM 2017 is fundamental to keeping youth justice reform headed in the right direction. This year we are focusing on the arts. We believe artistic expression is a great way to communicate and inspire action during a challenging political climate. Now, more than ever, it is important to get involved and see how you can use your own creativity to reform youth justice. Whether this is your first YJAM, or your ninth, we hope you are motivated to take action.

Visit our website, www.campaignforyouthjustice.org/yjam to learn more about YJAM and access an event planning guide, an event calendar, social media toolkits, and much, much more.

Also, follow the hashtag #YJAM to see what others are doing for the month and to share your own YJAM activities and pictures! Make sure to also follow us on Twitter (@justiceforyouth), Facebook (Campaign for Youth Justice) and Instagram (@justiceforyouth), to stay up to date on the latest juvenile justice news and happenings.

Thank you for your continued support. Let’s get ready to YJAM!