81 Reasons
Justice for Children and Youth is a partner with the 81 Reasons Campaign, a coalition of concerned youth and other community members who oppose the building of a superjail in Brampton for GTA youth.  The members oppose the use of $81 million dollars on this facility, which they believe is too large and not community based, and therefore will not be an effective facility to aid in the rehabilitation of young people.  They believe the money can better be used on youth programming and other ways of supporting youth and thereby making our communities stronger.

Advocates Society
Justice for Children and Youth and The Advocates Society work together with Pro Bono Law Ontario to increase the availability of trained and experienced lawyers to help young people with education cases. For information about this project go to the Child Advocacy site: http://www.childadvocacy.ca

Children in Limbo Task Force
Sparrow Lake Alliance
The Children in Limbo Task Force of the Sparrow Lake Alliance is a multidisciplinary group of people who work within the child welfare system in Ontario.  A staff member of Justice for Children and Youth has been a member of this group since its inception over 15 years ago.  It has produced publications outlining the effects of delay in the court system on children as well as the need for permanency planning for children and youth in the child welfare system.  Recent work has included focus groups with youth in care on the topic of their court experiences. More information about the Sparrow Lake Alliance can be found at www.sparrowlake.org

Community Education and Access to Police Complaints Demonstration Project (CEAPC)

CEAPC, which is hosted by the Scadding Court Community Centre, aims to make the police complaints system easier to access and understand, by helping to document and file complaints about police. CEAPC follows up on complaints and supports the complainant throughout the process. CEAPC workers also conduct workshops for local populations in order to increase awareness of the basic rights of Canadians. One of the strengths of the program is that it is delivered in the languages of the people it serves.  SYLS is a contributing partner to the CEAPC project. The SYLS lawyer completes intakes for the clients to be referred to CEAPC and attends monthly partner meetings at Scadding Court. Read more about CEAPC here: www.scaddingcourt.org/specialprojects/police.htm

Equity Policy Advisory Group (EPAC)
EPAC is a committee of the Toronto District School Board made up of community members who are dedicated to equity within the school system.  They advise the school board on issues relating to equality and human rights.  Justice for Children and Youth has had a member on this committee since 2002.

Grassroots Youth Collaborative (GYC)
The GYC was formed in May 2004 to advocate for policies that empower young people to have a voice and contribute to their communities. The seven member organizations provide youth-led programming in underserved, at-risk communities where violence is a  regular feature in the media. The aim of the program is to reach out and engage young people who are typically missed by more mainstream youth programming.  In March of 2006, SYLS was a collaborating partner when GYC organized and hosted a conference called “From the Roots Up”. The SYLS team facilitated a workshop at that conference, and SYLS continues to cooperate with GYC. GYC’s website is: www.grassrootsyouth.ca/

Homeless Access and Referral Partnership Project (HARP)
HARP is working to address some of these barriers by partnering with other social agencies in Toronto’s downtown core, to provide people who are homeless with access to legal services in places they are familiar and comfortable with.

By holding regularly scheduled ‘access clinics’ in community centres and drop- ins frequented by people who are homeless, HARP creates access points to legal aid services which make it easier for these clients to get legal help.

The SYLS lawyer receives referrals from the HARP program, and for clients that he uses the special HARP legal aid certificate application process to expedite the processing of certificates where clients face homelessness. Visit the Legal Aid Ontario website for more info about HARP:  www.legalaid.on.ca/en/publications/reports/Nov05.asp

The Inter-Clinic Immigration Working Group (ICIWG)
The SYLS lawyer participates in an informative monthly meeting of legal aid clinic lawyers who specialize in immigration law. Although the SYLS lawyer does not generally practice immigration law, the meetings are interactive and informative, and an excellent opportunity for the SYLS lawyer to network. The meetings are invaluable in assisting the SYLS lawyer in providing brief advice and referrals to his clients.

LAWS Program
Justice for Children and Youth is a partner with The University of Toronto, Faculty of Law and the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) who have established Canada's first law-and-justice-themed high school program, in two downtown Toronto high schools - Central Technical School and Harbord Collegiate Institute.  The LAWS program is expected to increase high school completion rates among students and encourage them to go on to college or university. Many of the high school students participating in the LAWS program are from diverse backgrounds and opportunities, and will be the first in their families to have an opportunity to consider a higher education.   Justice for Children and Youth has provided training workshops and public legal education materials for law students participating in the program as well as students at the participating high schools.  More information can be found at www.law.utoronto.ca

Ontario Project for Inter-Clinic Community Organizing (OPICCO)
JFCY is an active member of the Ontario Project for Inter-Clinic Community Organizing (OPICCO). OPICCO was created in 2002 to ensure that community organizing becomes more central to the work that legal clinics across Ontario do.  OPICCO’s mandate includes the promotion, strengthening and maintaining the capacity of the clinic system to work with communities to empower, educate and organize for social and economic justice.  JFCY is also a member of the Toronto area working group of OPICCO and two of OPICCO’s committees (Learning and Lobbying Committee and Community Development Strategic Planning Committee). While OPICCO membership is limited to legal clinics, the website offers information and resources to also help community agencies, activists and low-income people become better community organizers:  www.opicco.org

Sexual Exploitation Education and Awareness Coalition of Toronto (SEEACT)
SEEACT is a network of local organizations and government agencies that work together to abolish commercial sexual exploitation of children and youth in the city of Toronto.  Their mission is to eliminate commercial sexual exploitation through education and awareness.  Justice for Children and Youth is a member of the coalition.

Toronto Coalition for Equity in Education
JFCY is an agency member of the Toronto Coalition for Equity in Education.   This coalition has been working to address issues of systemic racism in the education system and developing strategies to facilitate the full and active participation of ethno-racial, religious and cultural communities. One priority of the Coalition is to focus on the Safe Schools Act where students of racialized groups are being suspended and expelled in disproportionate numbers for "disciplinary infractions".  One component of JFCY’s involvement is to provide written resources and legal education sessions to students, parents and community members about students’ rights in relation to the Safe Schools legislation.  More information is available at:  www.urbanalliance.ca/RacismInPublicEd/index.html

United Nations North American Consultation on Violence Against Children
The United Nations Secretary General appointed an Independent Expert, Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, to lead a global study on Violence Against Children. The Study, rooted in children’s human rights to protection from all forms of violence, aims to promote action to prevent and eliminate violence against children at international, regional, national and local levels. The Study is a UN-led collaboration, mandated by the General Assembly (UN GA Resolution 57/190), to draw together existing research and relevant information about the forms, causes and impact of violence which affects children and young people (up to the age of 18 years). A major report will be published in 2006 and recommendations presented to the UN General Assembly. A staff member of JFCY participated on the steering committee for the North American consultation which took place in May, 2006 and organized the juvenile justice roundtable session.  For more information go to the study’s site: www.violencestudy.org