FYI in partnership with the City of Toronto hosted the “YOUTH SPEAK!” conference at the University of Toronto – Chestnut Residence on April 20, 2010, to provide a forum for youth to dialogue with stakeholders around the topic of youth and the criminal justice system in Ontario. In addition, the purposes of the conference were to bring relevant and personal experience to the discussion concerning the challenges that face youth who encounter the criminal justice system and to provide accountability on the part of stakeholders to improve the lives of youth.

The conference consisted of one keynote speaker and three plenaries that were comprised of (a) youth who have already gone through the criminal justice system; (b) youth who are currently involved in the system; and (c) youth considered at-risk of encountering the system due to their socio-economic status. The panel discussions sparked important dialogue amongst youth and different stakeholders; and brought important questions to bear concerning the responsiveness of the youth criminal justice system and community organizations to the needs of young people. This report will build upon the foundation that “YOUTH SPEAK!” laid and continue the dialogue around the key issues that affect youth.

Subsequently, a working committee was formed with service providers who are passionate about addressing issues within the youth criminal justice system. They have been reviewing the recommendations that arose from this conference and are arriving at strategies to move forward on key recommendations. The committee has been meeting since September 2010 and has chosen issues revolving around restorative justice as a focus for this year. The committee is also actively seeking new members to join them.

Please contact Maria at getinvolved@foryouth.ca for more information.