SAFE Passages Youth Leadership Training Program

SAFE Passages for LGBT Youth is a leadership and community organizing training program designed to empower youth to become active in changing the policies that impact the lives of court-involved lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people.

During eight weeks of interactive workshops, participants learn about issues directly related to the juvenile justice system, criminalization of young people and the issues confronting LGBT youth in all phases of the juvenile justice system. SAFE Passages participants are young people from New York City, ages 15 to 20, who either have been directly affected by the juvenile justice system or are concerned about the system’s injustices. We prepare youth to work as agents of social change in the juvenile justice and education systems and within their communities.

Goals

SAFE Passages has three core objectives:

1) To train young people to become activists and leaders in juvenile justice reform efforts.

2) To educate lawmakers, administrators, and other young people about the devastating impacts of homophobia on court-involved LGBT youth.

3) To advocate for a discrimination-free and harassment-free environment for incarcerated LGBT young people.

For more information about the SAFE Passages program, please contact DeAvery Irons, Juvenile Justice Project Associate, at (212) 254-5700 ext. 316 or email the Correctional Association.