young people's caucus
Join us in empowering young people to have a voice in decision making in Maine.
We envision a future where all young people in Maine experience a fair, equitable, and responsive system of care that provides opportunities to help them have autonomy and power in decisions that impact their futures, so they may find wellness, experience success, feel a sense of belonging, and thrive in adulthood.
WHAT WE DO
The Young People’s Caucus (YPC) builds pathways for young people who have been directly impacted by systems involvement and systemic oppression to have a genuine voice and power in decision making in Maine. We create opportunities and connect young people, agency partners, and policy makers to work together to create public systems that support and empower all young people, with a focus on youth who have experienced the juvenile justice and foster care systems.
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To achieve this mission YPC develops pathways and programs to engage young people and adult leaders in this work. We do this by:
Connecting Young People to a positive community of peers and adult mentors
Building Pathways for young people to learn and have a voice in decisions
Connecting Adult Leaders to young people who have been impacted by Maine's public systems
Supporting and Informing policies that reflect the wisdom of young people with lived experience
Are you a young person who has been impacted by the justice system, the foster care system, or other system oppression?
join us in building community, connecting with peers, and using your voice for systems change in Maine.
OUR CURRENT PROJECTS
YPC Justice Network Community Zooms
Build Community
Learn About YPC
Get Connected to Paid Opportunities to Share Your Voice
Join Our Weekly Zoom Group
Change Starts With You: A Paid Training Series
Half-day workshops
In-person
Paid Opportunity
Join A Group of Your Peers to Learn How Change Happens in Maine
Coming Spring 2024
YPC Social Media Development Team
Help Create an Online Space that is Genuine, Loving, and Wellness + Action Oriented
Connect with Peers
Build Power for Change
Share Info About Changemaking
Join the Team and Get Paid
ABOUT YPC
The YPC is based at the University of Southern Maine, Catherine Cutler Institute and is a partnership between the Maine Department of Corrections (MDOC), the Juvenile Justice Advisory Group (JJAG), the Youth and Community Engagement (YCE) team, and our community and legislative partners. Our staff includes a mix of policy and researcher professionals, educators, social workers, and experienced program providers. We also engage YPC youth leaders and alumni in our work through internships and work with community partners to facilitate our programming opportunities.
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In this work, we value mutual understanding and respect, active listening, curiosity, inclusion, collaboration, and empowering those most impacted by the issues.
CONTACT OUR TEAM
