We use the law to protect and enforce rights, and to affirm the inherent worth and potential of every young person.
Our Approach
At the Youth Law Center, our advocacy is shaped by a clear and unwavering philosophy: systems that serve children and youth must be rooted in love, developmental science, and a commitment to lasting well-being. We fight against harmful practices, and we build the conditions that allow youth to thrive.
At the heart of our work is a steadfast belief in the power and wisdom of young people. We follow a movement lawyering model that elevates the voices of youth and families with lived experience. Their insights guide our priorities, drive our solutions, and shape the future we’re building together.
Our approach centers on developmental science, legal strategy, and youth partnership. We advocate for laws, policies, and practices grounded in what children and adolescents truly need to grow, heal, and thrive. Across the country, we support communities working toward their own transformation using litigation, policy reform, budget advocacy, training, and capacity-building, among other advocacy tools.
Our strategies include legislative and budget advocacy, impact litigation, narrative change, public education, movement lawyering, and creative innovations like our signature Quality Parenting Initiative, which promotes children’s relationships as the foundation of effective foster care and our Pathways Initiative, which promotes colleges as a solution in juvenile justice reform.
Our Work
YLC confronts the root causes of systemic failures, advancing a vision where a child’s experience in foster care or juvenile justice is not a life sentence, but a brief moment on the path to a bright future. Too often, young people who succeed after system involvement are celebrated for having “beaten the odds.” We are working to flip that narrative by building a world where the odds are finally in their favor.