Announcing the Albuquerque Justice for Youth Community Collaborative
La Plazita Institute (LPI) is excited to announce the launch of the Albuquerque Justice for Youth Community Collaborative. Funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Collaborative is comprised of community-based stakeholders—local grassroots organizations, youth justice advocates, and young people and families who have been directly impacted by the juvenile justice system. Its aim is to: honor and strengthen community self-determination; reduce (and eventually eliminate) dependence on the juvenile justice system; and keep youth safe at home and supported by the capable hands of their own communities. The Collaborative’s work is both healing and creative—holding public systems accountable for harm they inflict on communities, holding each other accountable for our complicity in that harm, and continuing to develop culturally-grounded and community-based supports and opportunities, especially for young people of color. We come together to build a collective partnership and work toward a new, community-defined vision of youth justice for generations to come.
Why the Collaborative? Systemic racism persists in the juvenile justice system in Albuquerque, the state of New Mexico, and across the country. And authentic partnerships between the system and the communities that are most impacted are few and far between. Real progress toward social justice and racial healing will require a radical change in the current balance of power—a change that empowers the young people and families who have lived experience and a change that is grounded in community leadership and partnership.
Who is on the Collaborative? More than twenty local grassroots organizations from across Albuquerque are represented on the Collaborative, along with more than twenty young people and family members who have been impacted by the justice system.
How will the Collaborative work? Starting with its first meeting on January 20, 2021, members will work together to:
- Build authentic community and transparency. The Collaborative will provide a space for community members who are most impacted by the juvenile justice system and who work with those most impacted by the system. It is a forum to work through tensions that may exist between community stakeholders and a place to build partnerships. The Collaborative will invite members to come together and share their needs, perspectives and solutions with one another. In this space, members need not censor what they say out of fear of retaliation and/or retribution.
- Increase capacity, authentic belonging and ownership. The Collaborative will increase the capacity of community members to navigate the policies and practices and understand the language of the juvenile justice system. This increased capacity is key to building a true sense of belonging and ownership in the reform planning and design arena. It is about reclaiming voice, power and strength.
- Amplify community voice. In year two of its work, the Collaborative will lift community voice by strategically positioning its representatives across all committees of the local and state juvenile justice infrastructure, both as leaders and members. The Collaborative will help define the problems and craft the solutions.
How is the Collaborative funded and supported? The Annie E. Casey Foundation is providing funding to support the work of the Collaborative—an investment in youth justice from the community perspective. Funding covers coordination by La Plazita Institute, stipends to all participating system-impacted young people and families (along with food, childcare, and technology support) and subgrants to member organizations. The grant will also fund documentation and story-telling support from Dr. Jaelyn DeMaría, a local community member and documentarian, who is leading a team grounded in Community-Based Participatory Research and Solutions Journalism. “Our support for the Albuquerque Community Collaborative is an investment in the wisdom, power and creativity of young people, families and communities to lead the way,” said Sandra Gasca-Gonzalez, Vice President of the Foundation’s Center for System Innovation. “We look forward to learning from and with all of our New Mexico partners as they work to build bright and healthy futures for all young people.”
Questions?
Please contact Albino Garcia, Executive Director of La Plazita Institute, at albinogarciajr@gmail.com or 505-203-2794.
Member Organizations
- ABQ Center for Hope & Recovery
- Ancestral Lands/Southwest Conservation Corps
- Bold New Futures
- Centro Sávila
- Families United for Education (FUE)
- Frontline Resurrection
- Keshet’s New Mexico Arts & Justice Network
- La Plazita Institute
- NACA Inspired Schools Network/My Brother’s Keeper
- New Day Youth & Family Services
- New Mexico Asian Family Center
- New Mexico Black Leadership Council
- New Mexico Dream Team
- NMCAN
- Pegasus Legal Services for Children
- Recycled Man
- Serenity Mesa
- SouthWest Organizing Project
- Together for Brothers
- Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico
- United South Broadway Corporation
- VIZIONZ-SANKOFA
- Youth Development, Inc.
January 19, 2021
South Valley Organization Helping People Turn Their Lives Around
