Application and Recruitment: Members are selected through a competitive process from a large applicant pool. Criteria for selection include interest in the topic, commitment to working on a long-term project, and willingness to work as part of a team. The board represents the diversity of New York City, and includes a wide range of skills and perspectives.

Training: Members receive intensive training, beginning with a weekend retreat in upstate New York where members participate in team-building activities and begin their exploration of the selected topic. Later training
covers research, consensus building, listening and interviewing skills, public speaking, and ‘New York
Civics 101’ to learn how policy decisions are made and implemented in New York City.


The Youth Justice Board presents its findings.

Fieldwork: The Youth Justice Board designs and implements a work plan that includes interviews, focus groups, and direct observation. The board interviews a wide range of stakeholders—professionals in the field, community members, advocates, public officials, and young people affected by the issue. Members work in
small teams to plan and conduct the interviews then compile the information from the interviews to
share with other board members. Past interview subjects have included New York City Council members,
and staff from the New York Police Department’s School Safety Division, the New York State Office of
Children and Family Services, the New York City Department of Education, and the Legal Aid Society.
The board also runs focus groups, typically composed of young people affected by the issue being investigated.
The focus groups enable the Youth Justice Board to hear directly from a diverse collection of
young people, resulting in recommendations that genuinely reflect young people’s points of view.

Policy Recommendations: After completing their investigation, the board members explore potential solutions and develop policy recommendations. Before finalizing the recommendations, the board invites comments and constructive criticism from stakeholders, including other young people and professionals in the field. The board then issues a final report and holds a series of meetings to present its policy recommendations directly to relevant officials and policymakers; past presentations have been made to the Chancellor of the Department of Education, the New York City Criminal Justice Coordinator’s Office, the New York City Council, the New York State Assembly, and the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development.

Taking Action: After presenting its recommendations, the board develops and executes strategies to convince decisionmakers to implement their recommendations. Strategies have included advocating for their ideas directly with key agencies, implementing pilot initiatives, and building partnerships with other organizations
addressing the same topic. As a result of their advocacy, past participants have obtained seats on advisory
councils, witnessed the creation of School Safety Advisories (a recommendation of the 2005 board) and
participated in a year-long Department of Education youth focus group on school safety.

The program continues to work with and support members after their 12-month terms. Many alumni
continue to advocate implementation of the board’s recommendations. In addition, each year many
alumni remain citizen leaders, taking on leadership positions in their schools, interning with related
organizations, and pursuing civic-minded activities in their communities.