Join CfJJ's Board of Directors
CfJJ’s directors generally have a passion to improve the lives of young people and see the value of systems reform in supporting young people’s development. We strive for members who are willing to support CfJJ’s mission and core values, while aiding in the realization of our goals. A sampling of our board of directors’ responsibilities are as follows:
Assist in setting the policy and strategic direction of CfJJ.
Act as an ambassador to heighten the profile of CfJJ in the community.
Attend board meetings and assist with at least one committee, task force, or special project each year.
Aid in fundraising and support CfJJ’s fiscal well-being.
Counsel the Executive Director as appropriate
If you are interested in joining CfJJ’s board, we would love to hear from you. Please contact the Executive Director at cfjj@cfjj.org
Our work
CfJJ promotes a fair and effective juvenile justice system through research, public education, coalition building and advocacy. Our current focus areas include reducing racial and ethnic disparities, improving data collection, and promoting community alternatives to court and incarceration when appropriate.
Research
CfJJ regularly publishes reports on important juvenile justice issues affecting Massachusetts. Featuring relevant state data, national research on best practices, and stories from impacted young people and their families, these reports provide critical information to the public and policy decision-makers about the best ways to improve our state systems for children and young people. CfJJ currently convenes the Massachusetts Juvenile Justice Reform Coalition, made up of organizations from across the Commonwealth and is a member of the National Juvenile Justice Network, a membership-led organization that supports and enhances the work of state-based juvenile justice advocates across the United States. CfJJ recently launched the statewide Massachusetts Alliance for DCF-Impacted LGBTQ Youth, in partnership with GLAD, to address the state of emergency facing LGBTQ youth involved with the Massachusetts child welfare system
Recently, we published a report on how Springfield’s current school and policing policies contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline, "Arrested Futures Revisited: Springfield. The Ongoing Impact of the School-to-prison Pipeline"
Find our full list of publications here.
Public Education
CfJJ offers trainings and information sessions as a part of our mission to educate the public on key juvenile and youth justice issues. These trainings and information sessions can be customized to meet the needs of youth, parents, community-based and grassroots organizers. Some of our options include standalone, one-time trainings on a particular issue or part of the system, or a series of advocacy trainings that leads up to a policy campaign or legislative meeting on a particular topic or issue. Download a detailed description of the trainings here.
Advocacy
CfJJ understands that big system change can't happen alone. That's why we partner with and support a variety of initiatives that bring people together to tackle the toughest problems. CfJJ has also enhanced our community outreach and engagement, centering and elevating the voices of youth, parent organizers, community-based and grassroots organizations in policy on the municipal and statewide level through information sessions and trainings on state/federal laws, legal rights, pending legislation, and policies of state child-serving agencies.
The Issues
CfJJ promotes a fair and effective juvenile justice system through research, public education, coalition building and advocacy. Our current focus areas include reducing racial and ethnic disparities, improving data collection, and promoting community alternatives to court and incarceration when appropriate. To learn more about the issues we address and our research, please select from one of the issues below.
Forefront of Advocacy
CfJJ is at the forefront of youth justice advocacy in Massachusetts, consistently speaking out against false narratives, leading the fight for transformative legislative and policy reform that promotes successful outcomes for youth, and hosting events to bring together community members and advocates.
Narrative change work is central to our mission. CfJJ consistently combats harsh and negative narratives in the media that vilify youth, and pushes back on harmful policies that promote punishment and incarceration over addressing the root causes of youth behavior. Check out our "CfJJ In the Media" web page for media featuring CfJJ.
CfJJ is actively combatting harmful rhetoric amid alleged incidents of heightened violence in schools, such as Brockton High School. CfJJ is fighting against the push for school hardening measures and zero tolerance approaches, which fail to honor the needs of struggling students. In collaboration with partners CfJJ published an op-ed in the Boston Globe dispelling school safety myths and advocating for approaches that support student's needs. Additionally, CfJJ’s Executive Director, Leon Smith, joined WGBH’s Crystal Haynes on “Greater Boston” to discuss alternative ways to address school violence. Watch highlights on our youtube, or check out CfJJ's blog to learn more.
Legislative Priorities
CfJJ, in partnership with the statewide Juvenile Justice Reform Coalition, advocates for comprehensive reforms to promote transparency, best practices, and better outcomes for children and communities. Building on the legislative successes of criminal justice and policing reforms, we will continue to advocate for reforms that continue to advance youth justice.
We are the leading voice on campaigns for important youth justice reform, such as the "Raise the Age" campaign.
CfJJ has partnered with The Boston Celtics on a campaign in support of the passage of the “Raise the Age” bill in Massachusetts. The Boston Celtics launched this campaign at their November 10, 2023 game where players wore “Raise the Age” t-shirts, Jaylen Brown spoke about the importance of this legislation, and CfJJ’s Executive Director, Leon Smith, was honored with the “Hero Among Us” award. January 31, 2024, The Boston Celtics, including three-time All-Star Jaylen Brown, CfJJ, and CPCS met with legislative leadership at the MA State House to discuss the importance of Raise the Age.
Leadership Celebration
Every year, Citizens for Juvenile Justice hosts our Leadership Celebration, an event to honor those who have advanced equity and justice for young people. This event brings together leaders in the fight for youth justice, passionate advocates, and uplifts youth and community serving nonprofits and organizations.
At our 2023 celebration CfJJ honored Shaplaie Brooks, a fierce advocate for LGBTQ+ youth with a wealth of experience working with children and families, Elevated Thought, an art and social justice organization based in Lawrence, MA that develops spaces for BIPOC youth and communities to engage and understand art's liberating power, and the Honorable Jay D. Blitzman, a dedicated advocate for youth justice who served as the First Justice of the Massachusetts Middlesex Juvenile Court and is one of the founding members of CfJJ.
CfJJ's Leadership Celebration is an opportunity to connect with and to learn from our community. At our 2023 celebration we hosted a panel discussion, "Changing the Narrative About Youth". This panel opened up an importance discussion on combatting harmful narratives that perpetuate the criminalization of youth, leading to increased justice system involvement. Leaders in youth justice provided insight into how we can dispel these negative myths and reclaim the narrative.
"...we have to change policy. Policy represents the perception of certain groups and we have to have a conversation about race and racism and how racialized tracking systems continue to exist and continue to exist with impunity" - Edith Bazile
Our 2023 celebration not only brought together leaders in youth justice advocacy, but uplifted three mission-driven non profit organizations. Our celebration included incredible youth performers from Zumix, a nonprofit transforming lives and community through creative development, great food provided by NECAT, a program empowering adults facing barriers to employment through training in culinary skills, and was held at Arts at the Armory, a unique venue promoting the creative economy in Somerville.
Get Involved
There are many ways in addition to joining CfJJ's board to support our work.
Run, Walk, Golf to Support Youth Justice!
We would love for you to join team CfJJ for the 2024 Falmouth Road Race, or participate in our 5th annual charity golf tournament!
Team CfJJ is participating in the 2024 Falmouth Road Race. You can run in person along the beautiful race route in Falmouth on Sunday, August 18, OR walk/run at home. If you chose to participate at home, you get to pick the course and complete it between August 11-17th at your own pace - walking or running, all at once or spread out over a week!
CfJJ is also hosting our 5th annual charity golf tournament at Granite Links in Quincy on Monday, June 3, 2024. More information here
Ask your legislators to stand up for youth!
Join the Campaign to Advance Equity and Justice for Youth by taking action on 2023-2024 youth justice legislative priorities. With thousands of bills competing for attention, co-sponsorship is an important gauge of support within the legislature. Help spread the word and ask your legislators to stand up for youth!
Stay connected
Join our newsletter, and check us out on social media for youth justice news and important updates on our advocacy. Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and Facebook
Donate
Help support work that will have an impact on thousands of kids across Massachusetts, helping to ensure that they can grow into productive adult through contributing to CfJJ.
