A conference this week at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. focused on the work of the school’s Center for Juvenile Justice Reform (CJJR).
The Leadership, Evidence, Analysis, Debate or LEAD Conference, put on by the Georgetown Public Policy Institute, brought together representatives of various stakeholder groups, including activists, judges, experts, students and researchers.
The inaugural conference, titled Positive Outcomes for At–Risk Children and Youth: Improving Lives Through Practice and System Reform, centered around the work of the CJJR and featured a number of speakers in the filed.
Sonja Sohn, an actress best known for her role in HBO’s The Wire was the opening speaker. Sohn started Rewired for Change, a nonprofit focused on assisting underserved youth and their communities, in 2008 after coming into contact with impoverished communities through her television work.
Other speakers included: Mark Shriver, senior vice–president of Save the Children’s U.S. programs; Gladys Carrion, commissioner, New York State Office of Children and Family Services; Sarah Brown, CEO, The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy; and Betsy Bond, executive director, American Youth Policy Forum.
Breakout sessions covered a wide spectrum of efforts, including creating environments and programs conducive to youth development, reconnecting youth after experiencing trauma, best practices, system change, policy, and taking advantage of public opinion to influence political leaders.