We’re here to strengthen youth centered justice services in Canada.

Establish and maintain a representative network of key stakeholders in the youth justice sector from across Canada, including Indigenous and racialized communities.

Strategies

a) Actively recruit members from non-represented jurisdictions, communities & organizations.
b) Set overall limit on size of network and representation from each jurisdiction.
c) Manage membership through annual review.

Increase knowledge and understanding of the operation of the youth justice system across jurisdictions and about best/promising and innovative practices for youth justice services.

Strategies

a) Actively seek out current research and evaluations of Youth Justice projects. This not necessarily be limited to Canada.
b) Projects that have been funded and evaluated by the Federal Government be shared upon completion.
c) When a significant practice shift happens in a region or Province the rationale and results are shared.

Support multisectoral collaboration among and between community service providers, federal and provincial/territorial governments, and other stakeholders with an interest in youth justice services.

Strategies

a) Increase the profile of the NYJN among government departments, organizations and others with an interest in youth justice services.
b) Pursue opportunities for dialogue between the NYJN and the aforementioned groups.

Advocate for and support practices that contribute to community safety by reducing the rate of recontact with the youth justice system and reducing the trajectory of youth/adolescents toward the adult correctional system.

Strategies

• Government and Elected Officials
• Youth Serving agencies
• General Public
• Academic Community

• Government and funders

Advocate for and support initiatives to reduce the over-representation in custody of Indigenous youth (e.g. support the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #38) and youth from other racialized communities.

Strategies

a) Understand and share good practices re; how race/ethnicity is discussed in relation to crime & justice.
b) Obtain & review data on custody rates of indigenous youth, and other racialized groups as relevant, in Canada.
c) Review & compile learnings from existing anti-oppression reports/initiatives & funding provincially/nationally/internationally, e.g. ON Anti-Black Racism; ON Black Youth Action Plan.
d) Review data to determine definition of over representation for the NYJN (e.g. national vs P/T data/definitions).
e) Review practices in place for those communities without over representation to ascertain best practice.

Identify linkages between youth justice involvement and socio-economic factors beginning with homelessness.

Strategies

a) Preliminary research into academic and grey literature that identifies linkages.
b) Highlight most prevalent socio-economic factors that have well-established interlinkages to youth justice as priority areas for NYJN (i.e. for advocacy and connection to other goals).
c) Work in collaboration with NYJN and other stakeholders to raise awareness of cross-sectoral implications/trajectories towards justice system involvement.
d) Identify opportunities for knowledge mobilization that will contribute to ongoing sustainability of NYJN activities (i.e. access diverse funding opportunities).

Advocate for sustainability of relevant supports that are in the best interests of young people involved in the justice system.

Strategies

a) Given the cyclical nature of trends and reforms related to youth justice, collaborate with, and share information among, provincial and national associations representing youth justice issues.