DOCUMENT RESUME ED 450 007 SO 031 439 AUTHOR Leiterman, Hannah, Ed. Youth Summits: Engaging Young People in Violence Prevention. TITLE Technical Assistance Bulletin. American Bar Association, Chicago, IL. Public Education Div. INSTITUTION Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Office of Juvenile SPONS AGENCY Justice and Delinquency Prevention. REPORT NO ABA-TAP-18 ISSN-1527-2184 ISSN PUB DATE 1999-00-00 NOTE 10p. CONTRACT 95-JS-FX-0017 American Bar Association Division for Public Education, 541 AVAILABLE FROM North Fairbanks Court, Chicago, IL 60611-3314; Tel: 312-988-5735; Fax: 312-988-5494; E-mail: ([email protected]); Web site: http://www.abanet.org/publiced General (020) Collected Works PUB TYPE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE Citizenship Education; *Law Related Education; Learning DESCRIPTORS Activities; *Prevention; Secondary Education; *Social Problems; Social Studies; *Violence; *Youth Programs *Youth for Justice IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT This Technical Assistance Bulletin addresses the youth summit component of the Youth for Justice program. The Youth for Justice program of the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is a national law-related education (LRE) initiative designed to give young people a better understanding of the law and equip them with strategies for active involvement in solving national problems, particularly violence by and against youth. Youth summits bring together students from diverse backgrounds and ask them to work together. By involving young people in solving the problem of youth violence rather than imposing "treatment" on them, youth summits have a real impact on young people's behavior by showing them how they can be part of the solution. The bulletin's articles discuss youth summits and OJJDP; the involvement of lawyers in LRE; examples of young people confronting problems through youth summits; exemplary youth summits in Delaware, Minnesota, Oregon, and Illinois; and Canadian youth summits. Lists 13 youth summit resources. (BT) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. Youth Summits: Engaging Young People in Violence Prevention. Technical Assistance Bulletin No. 18. Leiterman, Hannah, Ed. CL1 Cr) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Utica 01 Educational Research and Improvement 'Tr EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to Cr) improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this 0 document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. BEST COPY AVAILABLE 2 TECHNICAL ASSISTANC MI[E3 American Bar Association AK Division for Public Education Youth Summits: Engaging Young People in Violence Prevention by Hannah Leiterman and Paula A. Nessel It is Law Day (May 1). The federal courthouse is filled with people a better understanding of the law and equipping them hundreds of high school students from rural, urban, and sub- with strategies for active involvement in solving national prob- urban areas around the state. They arrived by school bus, pri- lems, particularly violence by and against youth. vate car, and public transportation. The students are from a Early exposure to the principles and practices of law provides wide range of racial and ethnic backgrounds, with an assort- young people with insights into the legal system, which can ment of clothing and hair styles. They have gathered to discuss ultimately lessen the chances of their becoming involved in a number of legal issues with experts from the executive, leg- crime, as perpetrators or as victims, both as children and later islative, and judicial branches of government as well as non in life. Research on national, state, and local law-related government organizations. education programs has shown that LRE helps prepare young In one courtroom, the white-haired state director of the people for participation in civic life and helps prevent American Civil Liberties Union has just expressed an opinion delinquency. An important element of a successful LRE pro- on a law forbidding the sale of recordings containing obscene gram is providing opportunities for interactive learning lyrics. A high school student stands and begins to express her through which young people can reach a more tangible under- opinion, when the ACLU director begins to stand to clarify his standing of legal issues through discussion with adults (e.g., position. The young woman firmly motions to him to sit down lawyers, judges, police officers, government officials) and as she continues to make her point. The ACLU director their peers. respectfully takes his seat and allows her to finish. Here, the Youth summits are an important part of Youth for Justice student's opinion is just as important as that of the "expert." law-related education, especially in their role of violence pre- This is an example of the power of a youth summit. vention. To know something of another group promotes OJJDP and Youth Summits understanding of that groupyouth summits bring together In recent years, the Youth for Justice program of the U.S. students from diverse backgrounds and ask them to work Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention together. Youth summit participants have a chance to present (OJJDP) has focused growing attention on youth summits. their ideas and opinions to policy makers and see themselves Youth for Justice is a unique national law-related education as members of a process that can influence law, government, (LRE) initiative led by five national LRE organizations with and the way things are done. By involving young people in the participation of LRE projects in every state. LRE uses the solving the problem of youth violence rather than imposing power of active learning about the law to help youth address "treatment" on them, youth summits have a real impact on the risks of being young in today's society. The Youth for young people's behavior by showing them how they can be Justice program was designed with the goal of giving young part of the solution. Youth summits also offer new skills and knowledge to participants. They instill in young people a Hannah Leiterman is an editor, and Paula A. Nessel is a sense of their own responsibility for developing and partici- program manager for School Programs of the American Bar pating in solutions to the challenges Association Division for Public Education. facing their communities. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 3 role models of civic involvement. Aside from the development The Youth for Justice program of OJJDP has been sponsoring and direction that bar associations and lawyers provided in the and supporting youth summits since 1995. In that first year, programs below, lawyers and their associations aid youth sum- approximately 11,000 persons participated in youth summits mits in a variety of capacitiesas consultants on the develop- across the country; of those, 80% were students, 10% were ment of materials, as sponsors, as experts and speakers, or teachers, 2% were administrators, and 8% were other adults. simply as facilitators. Summits ranged widely in size, from the smallest with less than 50 participants to the largest with over 3,500; average The Wyoming Youth Summit is a striking example of what can attendance in 1995 was 159 persons. Two years into the pro- be accomplished through the collaboration of bar associations, gram, with reduced federal funds, these numbers were already law-related education programs, and students. The Wyoming diminished. Bar Association and Foundation have cooperated with the Wyoming LRE Council to develop highly effective youth The models used in many states include pre-summit activities summits that provide students from around Wyoming with an for students and/or teachers, including law-related education opportunity to meet one another and explore ways to prevent lessons, surveys, background research, and assignments violence. In the course of the 1995 summit, for example, the focusing on youth violence. During many summits students 75 students attending decided that their state should pass leg- are asked to develop "action plans" to prevent violence in their islation to create teen courts. The students visited the state schools and communities. Follow-up summit activities include capital to make presentations in support of teen courts to service-learning projects, school-based summits, and reports. House and Senate Judiciary hearings. Their lobbying was a Youth summits bring diverse experts and speakers from a vari- success and passed court legislation teen 1996. in ety of backgrounds, including police chiefs, juvenile justice officials, college and university professors, members of Subsequently, the state bar association and the Wyoming LRE Council cooperated to create teen courts in four Wyoming Congress, attorneys general, lawyers, and judges from various cities. The resources of the Wyoming Bar Association allowed courts through the state supreme court, television personali- the Law-Related Education Council to develop a youth sum- ties, and many others. mit that will have lasting impact on the students involved, as Lawyers Lead, Participate, and Support well as young people throughout the statethe future benefi- Lawyers and bar associations offer valuable expertise and ciaries of the teen courts created by the summit. resources to youth summits because of their unique relation- With a grant from the Lincoln National Corporation in Fort ship to justice in our society. Lawyers also serve as important Wayne, Indiana, the Young Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association partnered with local organizations to create "Youth Empowerment Summits" for middle and high school students in 22 cities. One such summit occurred in Fort Wayne TECHNICAL ASSISTANC in May 1998. American Bar Association /II\ Division for Public Education A planning committee of six public school and two parochial Allan J. Tanenbaum Chair Standing Committee on Public Education: school students developed a format in which adult leaders Mabel C. McKinney-Browning Director Division for Public Education: Seva Johnson. Director Publishing and Marketing: planned the logistical aspects of the summit, while the stu- Paula A. Nessel School Programs Manager: dents were responsible for choosing topics. Three topics were Hannah Leiterman Editor: chosenteachers' strikes, diversity, and "dangerous choices." @ 1999 American Bar Association ISSN: 1527-2184 PC # 497-0101 The Young Lawyers invited a diverse group of 170 seventh and This is one in a series of technical assistance bulletins on law-related education pub- eighth graders from public, private, and parochial schools in lished by the American Bar Association Division for Public Education, 541 North Fairbanks Court, Chicago, IL 60611-3314; (312) 988-5735, FAX (312) 988-5494. Allen County, Indiana, to attend. They developed a program E-mail: [email protected] www.abanet.org/publiced using the Youth for Justice Youth Summit Planning Guide. One General permission to photocopy or otherwise reproduce, and/or to republish, for non- profit educational purposes, all or part of the material in this booklet is granted, provid- session featured a television talk-show format with a panel of ed that reference is made to this publication, its date or issue, and that reproduction teachers, two student moderators, and the superintendent of and/or reprinting privileges were granted by permission of the American Bar Association on behalf of its Division for Public Education. the local school district, who discussed a teachers' work slow- Prepared under Grant #95-JS-FX-0017 from the Office of Juvenile Justice and down and contract negotiations. In other sessions, students Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice; we are grateful for its support. presented skits on party/drinking scenarios, and local hospital The views expressed in this document are those of the authors and have not been resource people discussed statistics on teen pregnancy and gun approved by the House of Delegates or the Board of Governors of the American Bar violence. The summit was so successful that the schools Association and, accordingly, should not be construed as representing the policy of the American Bar Association, the Fund for Justice and Education, or the Division for involved put it on their next year's calendar and expected that Public Education. it would become an annual event. FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE, CALL (312) 988-5522. Am All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. For more information on programs that involve lawyers in Printed on recycled paper. ca'C9 law-related education, contact the ABA Division for Public Produced by Creative Services Associates, Inc. Education at 312/988-5735 or [email protected]. The American Bar Association is a not-for-profit corporation. ©1999 American Bar Association 2 Young People Across the U.S. Confront the students discussed the topic in groups of 15-20 participants. They then presented their findings to a panel of experts, which Problems That Affect Their Lives included the general counsel from the Kentucky Supreme Examples From Alabama to Wyoming Court, as well as professors from area universities. During the 1997-98 school year, youth summits occurred in In Louisiana, 250 teenagers experienced the jury selection 32 states, from Alabama to Wyoming, using a variety of mod- process firsthand when a Louisiana Judicial District Court els. According to data collected by Youth for Justice and the judge led a mock voir dire session. Students then broke into Social Science Education Consortium on 21 states' summits, groups of 25-30 to attend interactive sessions such as "How the smallest state programs involved less than 50 student par- Well Do You Know the Law?" in which they were quizzed on ticipants, and the largest involved over a thousand. Summits their knowledge of teenagers' rights and responsibilities; took place in a variety of venues, from school auditoriums and "High Crimes and Misdemeanors," in which they were asked state courthouses, to churches and the local TV station. to determine how to define high crimes and impeachable In Alabama, approximately 150 students from throughout the offenses; and "Police Patrol," in which students were given state convened at Sanford University to discuss youth vio- scenariospolice officers responding to domestic violence, lence/violence prevention in breakout sessions moderated by loitering, and speeding situations, for exampleand a crash their peersother students trained in peer mediation. The "police academy" course and asked to role-play the situation. summit ended with a plenary session in which each of the Lawyers, judges, police officers, and others facilitated each of breakout groups made a closing statement, and one school the breakout sessions. provided a closing song. The Montana LRE project partnered with the Flathead In Arizona, the summit was designed by a youth planning County Peer Court to hold a countywide youth summit involv- committee and funded in part by the Arizona Parent-Teacher Association and the Ariiona Bar Foundation Center for Law- Related Education. Almost 300 students attended workshops Addressing Concerns of Young Women on a variety of topics, including the rights and responsibilities In Columbia County, Florida, a special "1999 Girls' of young people, conflict resolution, stress management, com- Summit" addressed topics such as violence; teen preg- munication techniques, decision making and problem solving, nancy; alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; and sexual and community service. harassment and date rape from the perspective of high In Iowa, recent youth summits have involved middle school- school girls. The original idea for a girls' summit came aged participants, because organizers felt that middle- from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, which schoolers did not have as many options as high school students had provided resources for a statewide girls' summit in for extracurricular activities. The Young Lawyers Division of 1998, hosted by MTV. The American Association of the Iowa State Bar Association and the Center for Law and University Women initiated the 1999 Columbia County Civic Education worked together as part of the national pilot girls' summit by providing an initial grant, which paved program of Youth Empowerment Summits (see p. 2). the way for additional money from the Florida Organizers chose the topic of juvenile justice and relationship Department of Juvenile Justice. According to Bunny violence by surveying middle-schoolers before the summit to Rhodes, executive director of the Columbia County Teen determine their interests. The summit began with a debate Court and co-coordinator for the summit, "I feel we have between the Des Moines deputy police chief and a Drake given a legacy to our community because of all of the University sociologist on waiving juvenile criminal offenders gifts and information absorbed by these future mothers, into adult courts. Students then broke into smaller groups to attorneys, doctors, and educators." The Columbia County discuss different aspects of the topic and formulate policy rec- Schools Comprehensive Health Project, Big ommendations. The 1999 summit focused on substance abuse, Brothers/Big Sisters, and a large number of other organi- based on student recommendations in the previous year's eval- zations helped sponsor the 1999 summit. uations. Breakout groups developed policy recommendations The AAUW, following its research findings that girls for different agencies such as police, the superintendent of in adolescence experience a dramatic drop in self-esteem, schools, and lawmakers. seeks to address the issuessexual harassment, violence, early sexual activity, substance abuse, and body image The 1997-98 Kentucky Youth Summit was held in the his- that are important to girls but not addressed in schools. toric state capitol building in Frankfort. Approximately 125 The AAUW supports "Sister-to-Sister" summits all over students from schools as well as group home/alternative edu- the United States and offers a step-by-step guide to orga- cation settings participated. Prior to the summit, students had nizing a summit, from fundraising and publicity to meals chosen the topic of lack of parental involvement in juvenile and transportation (see Resources). issues and conducted background research. At the summit the 5 ©1999 American Bar Association 3 best projects, which were presented as the concluding event of the summit. Solving Problems in the Virtual World Vermont's most recent youth summit had its best ever turnout, "Junior Online hosted Summit," the by An with over 100 middle and high school students and many Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab took Vermont Law School student speakers gathering at Vermont place in November 1998. The idea was conceived in Law School. Participants discussed a variety of topics, includ- 1995 by a Japanese businessman who felt that children ing "Prison Life: Myths and Reality," featuring a representa- should be involved in discussions of the future of tech- tive from the Vermont Department of Corrections as well as nology. He organized a group of students in Tokyo to one current and two former inmates, and "The Death Penalty find out what children thought. For the 1998 online sum- in New Hampshire: Is It Time to Breathe New Life?" featur- mit, students aged 10-16 from around the globe were ing a Vermont Law School professor. invited to discuss, in a variety of languages, projects that addressed important world problems. Participants chose The West Virginia State Bar's Citizenship and Law-Related 100 delegates to represent them at a six-day summit at Education Committee sponsored three regional youth summits the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where dele- in 1999 with support from a grant from the Youth for Justice gates discussed and debated topics such as cross-cultur- program of OJJDP. Each summit was coordinated with assis- al communication, new technologies for children, and tance from the West Virginia Center for Civic Life, which used countries without borders. They finalized a "Bill of the National Issues Forums materials (see Resources) that Rights for Children in Cyberspace," and on the conclud- addressed the question "Our Nation's Kids: Is Something ing day of the summit presented their ideas to world Wrong?" Students from various high schools and teachers, leaders in industry, government, and education. probation officers, counselors, state legislators, lawyers, police, and other community representatives deliberated in small groups over what problems exist and who should take ing 53 students. Participants conducted interviews in their responsibility for remedying them. Each small group then schools to gather information on attitudes toward conflict as reported its conclusions to the large group, and the day ended well as interest in peer courts. They then attended peer court with students from each high school meeting to discuss what training and used the information they had collected to devel- action they could bring home with them. op guidelines for a peer court training manual. Students from the Milwaukee Public Schools and Oregon and In New Hampshire, 120 upper elementary school students Monona Grove high schools planned the 1998 Wisconsin explored conflict resolution and made their own "conflict Youth Summit. Students in grades 7-12 were invited to free" T-shirts. They were guided by adults specially trained in research changes in the juvenile code that affected parental different aspects of mediation at the elementary school level. liability, loss of driving privileges, elimination of the right to a In North Carolina, the Center for the Prevention of School Violence coordinates a summit based on its Students Against Preserving the Global Environment Violence Everywhere (SAVE) curricula and programs. The In September 1997, students from high schools in April 30, 1999 summit marked the fourth annual youth sum- mit in North Carolina and was attended by 1,000 students, Australia, Brazil, Israel, Japan, South Africa, and the United States came together in Oregon to present who participated in activities and sessions focused on nonvio- research on topics such as toxic waste disposal and lent responses to conflict. Past summits explored such topics as gun safety, peer influence on behavior, and driving while deforestation. Each school developed a set of citizens' intoxicated. rights, responsibilities, and solutions for its topic. The summit agenda included welcoming remarks from Vice- In Ohio's 1999 "Stopping the Violence" summit, attended by President Al Gore, Secretary of the Interior Bruce 1,600 students, teams of five to six students presented the Babbitt, and Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber, and five results of their research on problems of violence or delinquen- days of meetings, workshops, events, and environmental cy in their schools or communities and their proposals to stop field trips throughout Oregon. The summit, was orga- the violence. Their work was showcased in a "project fair," nized by 21st Century Schoolhouse, an international where students presented their work to and answered ques- non-profit education organization, and made possible by tions from other fair -goers in an interactive session. Students 15 corporate and non-profit sponsors. The next summit had the opportunity to talk to state and local officials, policy occurs in late September 1999 in Perth, Australia. makers, legislators, and representatives from youth agencies and local organizations. Summit participants chose the five 6 ©1999 American Bar Association 4 jury trial, and other issues affecting minors prior to attending the daylong event. The summit began with a panel of experts representing the views of judges, attorneys, and community resource people who were instrumental in enforcing and rebutting changes in the code. Students then presented their findings to the summit participants. The event concluded with a dinner and talent show. The Wyoming Law-Related Education Council also offered students a chance to learn more about legislation affecting them. One summit took the format of a compressed video con- ference focusing on youth-related issues. The other was a leg- islative conference that focused on influencing the state legis- lature to pass youth-related laws. A teen court law and a "zero- tolerance" law were passed in the state legislature in part Minnesota Youth Summit. Courtesy of the Minnesota because of these summits. Center for Community Legal Education. A Closer Look at Four the student lessons and the survey materials, and they worked Exemplary Youth Summits directly with students at the summit. In many cases, the resource people were policy makers in their organizations. Delaware: A Successful First Summit After a brief opening session, students attending the summits by Pat Quann were divided into six working groups. Each of the three cho- sen policy issues was assigned to two groups. Each group was The Delaware Law Related Education Center held its first also assigned one resource person to serve as an advisor. The youth summits on April 27, 28, and May 4, 1999, in each students used a guide for policy analysis and developed a of Delaware's three counties. Nine high schools and three series of recommended responses to the public policy issue. At junior high schools participated and approximately 250 the end of each summit, students presented their responses to students attended. A grant from the Youth for Justice program an elected official for feedback and discussion. The officials of OJJDP and donations from local businesses supported the were Congressman Michael Castle through a satellite link program. from Washington, D.C., Delaware Attorney General M. Jane The goal of the summits was to help students understand how Brady, and Sussex County Councilman Vance Phillips. public policy is developed. The format was based on the model developed by the Constitutional Rights Foundation in Pat Quann is Executive Director of the Delaware Law Related Chicago. Each summit was designed to analyze three public Education Center. policy issues. The issues were identified through a series of meetings with teachers and students in each county. The cen- Minnesota: Analyzing Legislation ter suggested some policy issues, but students were ultimately responsible for choosing topics. Each of the counties agreed to by Jennifer Bloom include relationship violence as one of the policy issues, and The Minnesota Youth Legislative Summit on Violence two counties selected alcohol abuse as a second issue. Other Prevention has a simple goalif the state legislature is going policy issues chosen by the students were abuse of child labor to pass laws that affect kids, then it should ask kids what they laws, school safety, aggressive drinking, and restricting mate- think about those laws. Each year, the Youth Legislative rials on the Internet. Summit brings together 200 young delegates who represent Once the policy issues were selected, the Law Related over 2,000 youth from all walks of life and all corners of the Education Center compiled a Teacher's Handbook that includ- state. They get involved in the lawmaking process by studying ed a set of lessons to teach prior to the summits. These lessons an actual bill aimed at a problem that directly concerns them. included information on the selected issues and public policy Each year the bill that is the focus of the summit is selected by development. The center provided each teacher with copies of the youth planning team. In the past five years, topics have a survey for the students to administer to their classmates prior included trigger locks on guns, locker searches, hate crime, chemical dependency treatment, and graduated driver's to attending the summits. A large number of resource people from both public and private organizations helped to develop licenses. 7 ©1999 American Bar Association 5 BESTCOPYAVAILABLE prison time for repeat offenders. Teachers hear from key pro- After reviewing possible bills, which are presented to the plan- ponents, opponents, and others knowledgeable about the ning team by the legislative authors, the team members select potential impact of the laws. From these sessions, CLP devel- the one that most interests them. Young people throughout the ops and distributes lesson plans on the topics, through which state then develop an understanding of the problem from mul- tiple perspectives and analyze the impact of the bill on their teachers can engage their students in thoughtful, dynamic dis- The Minnesota communities. peers and Center for cussion of these issues. Community Legal Education provides background materials On Youth Summit day, each teacher brings five students to and teaching strategies to ensure that the students study the Lewis & Clark College, where the students begin by conduct- topic in a comprehensive and thoughtful manner. Many ing simulated hearings. They take testimony from the key pro- schools conduct classroom or schoolwide forums to involve ponents in each camp, as well as from community leaders more youth in this educational process and to provide broader knowledgeable in certain aspects of the issue. After consider- youth voice in the lawmaking process. ing the testimony from experts, students discuss new ideas After six weeks of "taking stock before taking sides," the 200 they heard and formulate a list of issues for voters to consider delegates selected by participating schools and community before casting their ballots. groups travel to the state capitol on the day of the summit Before the close of the day's events, students cast their own where they present their findings and make recommendations ballots. Sometimes the outcome of their vote accurately mir- to a special committee of legislators. rors the sentiments of voters when they cast their ballots the Using actual voting booths, delegates then vote on the bill's following week. After the summit, students are expected to various provisions in the rotunda of the state capitol. The report back to their classes and share their experiences with results of the vote and the comments made during the com- others in their schools, as well as encourage their parents and mittee hearing are shared with the authors of the bill and the older friends to vote. relevant committee members. Throughout the summit's five- In preparation for the summit, CLP draws upon resources, year history, youth voice has resulted in changes in the lan- guidance, and other support from the Oregon Education guage of the bills. Association, the Oregon State Bar, the League of Women The Minnesota Youth Legislative Summit on Violence Voters, the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Prevention is co-sponsored by the Office of the Minnesota and numerous community leaders. Attorney General and the Dispute Resolution Institute of Barbara Rost is an attorney and Program Coordinator for the Ham line Law School. It has been supported by grants from the Classroom Law Project. Youth for Justice Program of OJJDP, legislative appropriation, and private contributions. Jennifer Bloom is an attorney and the Director of the Illinois: Policy Analysis and Community Minnesota Center for Community Legal Education. Service by Beth Swanson Oregon: Addressing Ballot Initiatives Now in its sixth year, the Illinois Youth Summit program by Barbara Rost combines in-class policy analysis with community service to address issues of violence and public safety for high school The Classroom Law Project (CLP) annually sponsors a youth students in the state of Illinois. More than 1,000 students summit for middle and high school students. Timed to occur at over 20 Illinois high schools annually take part in this in late October, it is deliberately held shortly before statewide program. elections. Students conduct congressional-style hearings, pos- ing questions to community leaders, elected officials, and The specific focus of the summit is developed by a Student regional experts on a pre-selected, hotly debated election Advisory Committee, who then selects policies and programs issue. Students participating in the youth summit learn about to research and discuss at the summit. Working together with teachers, community leaders, and representatives of govern- not only the nuts and bolts of the contested issue but also the ment, students study, discuss, and respond to the problem of process of legislation and how to be a well-informed voter. violence using a special five-unit curriculum prepared by the The preparation for the summit begins with a teacher training Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago. In addition to a in September. Social studies teachers gather to learn about the school and community survey, students design and implement topic chosen by CLP. Past topics have included Oregon's a service project in their school to address one of the issues. Measure 11, which treats youthful offenders as adults for cer- tain major crimes; Measure 51, which legalizes physician- The program culminates at the end of the school year in a day- long "summit" at the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago, assisted suicide; and Measure 61, which mandates increased 8 6 ©1999 American Bar Association where approximately 200 student delegates representing each sory board, or using topics of their choosing. Student involve- campus meet with local, state, and national policymakers to ment during the summitsuch as debating, role-playing, and address these issues. The summit includes a celebration of ser- discussingis also important: students show greater retention vice that exhibits student service projects, group discussions of learned skills when they learned those skills through doing, with students from across Illinois, and three live teleconfer- and they show greater dedication to achieving the goals of the ences with Springfield, Illinois, Washington, D.C., and Lima, summit when they had personal responsibility for developing Peru. This year's teleconferences included U.S. Senators those goals. Richard Durbin and Peter Fitzgerald; Shay Bilchik, Director As members of Congress look for ways to reduce youth vio- of the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency lence through legislation dealing with everything from Prevention; and staff members of the office of Governor Internet filters to gun control, students, educators, and lawyers George Ryan; as well as Carlos Humberto Alva, Casa La can have real hands-on roles in preventing youth violence in Juventud, and numerous students from Lima, Peru. their communities through law-related education programs such as youth summits. In the fall of 1998, 89% of public Beth Swanson is State Programs Coordinator for the schools were connected to the Internet, progressing toward a Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago. congressional goal of 100% by 2000. Each new class of teach- ers incorporates Internet use into their curricula in greater numbers (National Center for Education Statistics, 1999). Canadian Youth Summits With improvements in audiovisual technology and satellite The Canadian Department of Justice's Youth Justice and digital networks, youth summits can continue to link stu- EducatiOn Partnership hosted, in cooperation with the dents from around the United States and the world in ever Ottawa-Carleton Regional Violence and Youth Initiative, more interactive ways, accomplishing important outcomes. a Canadian regional "Youth Taking Action Forum" in 1996. Over 130 students explored issues related to youth violence and juvenile justice and developed action plans Best Practices to take back to their schools. Follow-up meetings were held with the students to review their progress and pro- Youth involvement in the planning process vide assistance in carrying out their action plans, as well Interactive activities as to create a regional network of involved youth. The forum, designed and delivered by youth, was so success- Topics relevant to young people's lives ful that a second forum was held in 1997, this time Involvement of community members such as involving over 275 participantsmany returning from those in legislatures, social service agencies, the previous year, as well as principals, teachers: and and the legal profession representatives from parent associations. The second summit sought to address the barriers students had encountered in attempting to implement their own solu- tions; thus, skills development sessions were provided on Resources mediation, racism, empowerment, negotiation, facilita- American Association of University Women Sister-to-Sister tion, intervening on the spot, the use of circles in conflict Summits. Includes a step-by-step planning guide for organiz- resolution, and tips on how to establish and maintain a ing a girls' summit, including a state/local contact list and a conflict resolution program in schools. In other sessions, list of other partnering organizations. The Web site includes principals, teachers, and parents worked with the stu- various downloadable reports and studies on the issues of girls dents from their schools to "ensure that the adults who as fodder for summit discussions. Contact the AAUW may influence the success of any strategy [were] Educational Foundation at 202/785-7780, or via E-mail, committed to the long term success and to sustaining the giving @aauw.org. www.aauw.org/5000/summits.html. programs forwarded by the youth." American Bar Association Division for Public Education. This Web site includes information on youth summits and other law-related education activities, at www.abanet.org/ Conclusion: The Future of Youth Summits publiced/youth/home.html, as well as a directory of state and Looking at the summits above, as well as youth summits from national LRE programs, which includes an index of common around the country, some "best practices" emerge. Successful programs through which the visitor can visit the Web site of youth summits involve the students themselves in some aspect summits. At program every state that offers youth of developmentusing their advice and opinions by survey- www.abanet.org/publiced/lre/main.html. ing them in advance, including them in planning on an advi- ©1999 American Bar Association 7 9 BEST COPY AVAILABLE The Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago. Its Web site www.crfc.org includes the Youth Summit Planning Guide in AnDefending Liberty downloadable format, curricula, student guides, a survey, and Pursuing Justice information/graphs/statistics on past summits, as well as use- ful links to other law-related education and issues-related Web The Online Junior Summit Web site. www.jrsummit.net This sites (e.g., guns, date rape, hate crimes). Web site features information about and history of the summit, application materials, and reports of the summit participants' Find Law Internet Legal Resources. This Web site, which projects as well as personal homepages. offers a wealth of legal information, from lists of law journals to text of Supreme Court decisions, in an easy-to-use 21st Century Schoolhouse Biennial Summits. www.viser.net/ directory format, is an excellent starting point for finding gs21/biennial.htm This Web site includes extensive informa- information on laws and upcoming legislation in your state. tion on the organization's 1997 summit, including a detailed Find Law's directory of state government resources is available agenda, opening remarks, participants' work, and photographs at www.findlaw.com/Ilstategov/index.html. from the international delegations; information on the 1999 summit; and information about the organization. Minnesota Center for Community Legal Education. Its Web site www.ccle.fourh.umn.edu/ has information and pictures The UNICEF Voices of Youth Web site. www.unicef. from past summits, links to the text of the legislation the sum- org/voy/index.html An online forum for children and their mit will explore, and links to summit speakers and sponsors. teachers to discuss issues affecting children and children's rights throughout the world. The site offers quizzes on issues National Association for Community Leadership. This non- such as child labor, discrimination against girl children, and profit organization is dedicated to nurturing leadership in It has member organizations HIV/AIDS to stimulate thinking about such topics. communities everywhere. throughout the United States and can assist in locating youth Youth Justice Education Partnership: Youth Taking Action who have received leadership training. For information on www.extension.ualberta.ca/youthjustice/forii.html Forum. its Web site services, call 317/637-7408, or visit at its #exec Has extensive information on this Canadian youth sum- www.communityleadership.org. mit, including the processes by which the first two summits were developed, assessment of their effectiveness, the student National Issues Forums Institute. This organization "is dedi- action plans, information about workshops, and much more. cated to finding a better way for the public to learn the peo- ple's business," by providing citizens with "a framework to Youth Summit Compendium. 1997. Composite statistics and consider a broad range of choices, weigh the pros and cons of state-by-state information on Youth for Justice youth summits those choices, and meet together in a deliberative dialogue to in 1996-1997; a project of Youth for Justice and the Social identify the concerns they hold in common." The National Science Education Consortium. Contact James Giese Issues Forums Institute offers a series of booklets that outline ([email protected] or 303/492-8154) for a copy. specific issues (such as the Internet and individual rights, affir- Youth Summit Planning Guide. 1996. A publication of Youth mative action, and civil justice) and several approaches to pub- for Justice and the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago. lic policy addressing those issues, which are reviewed by a Download a copy at www.crfc.org/ysguide.pdf or call panel of experts to make sure the choices are presented accu- rately and fairly. Its materials are useful as a framework for 312/663-9057. developing youth summits. For more information, write NIF Institute; P.O. Box 75306; Washington, D.C. 20013-5306; phone: 800/433-7834; Web site: www.nifi.org. DIVISION FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION 541 North Fairbanks Court 15.3 Chicago, IL 60611-3314 http://www.abanet.org/publiced (312) 988-5735 E-mail: [email protected] 10 ©1999 American Bar Association