JLC

Section I: Organization Information

Agency Mission: Juvenile Law Center (JLC) ensures that the child welfare, juvenile justice and other public systems provide vulnerable children with the protection and services they need to become healthy and productive adults. With an approach grounded in knowledge of adolescent development, JLC uses the law on behalf of youth in the child welfare and justice systems to promote fairness, prevent harm, and create opportunities.

Name/Title of Contact: Jenny Pokempner, Supervising Attorney for Youth in Transitions Project

Address: 1315 Walnut Street, 4th Floor, Phila, PA 19107

Phone Number: 215-625-0551

Website: http://www.jlc.org/

Email: jpokempner@jlc.org

Total number of agency staff members: 20

Agency Budget: approx 2.1 million

Section II: Community Need

Please state in measurable and quantifiable terms the specific community need that the Philly Fellow will address, including the number of people in the community directly affected by the problem.

Every year in the United States about 20,000 youth “age out” of the foster care system; Pennsylvania accounts for more than 1,500 of those aging out youth. Research has confirmed that these youth face tremendous challenges when they leave the foster care system. They often struggle to support themselves and to further their education and acquire skills they will need to obtain and hold a job with a living wage and insurance. A report, Aged-Out and Homeless in Philadelphia, confirms that there are many Philadelphia youth who are aging out and need assistance. Each year approximately 100,000 youth are arrested in Pennsylvania. For those youth who had a juvenile justice placement during their school years, school drop-out rates are extraordinarily high. According to Unfulfilled Promise: The Dimensions and Characteristics of Philadelphia’s Dropout Crisis 2001-2005, a report by Project U-Turn, for example, approximately 90% of youth in Philadelphia in this situation dropped out of school. This leaves youth who have been in the juvenile justice system at risk of joblessness and related risks as adults.

Describe how your agency addresses this need, and how the new capacity created by this fellow will help alleviate the problem.

The Philadelphia Fellow will work on an array of JLC policy and practice issues and strategies, but much of their work will be devoted to our efforts to ensure that the child welfare system promotes the successful transition to adulthood of teenagers in foster care and juvenile justice systems, and that youth themselves are involved and engaged in the development of positive policies. The Philadelphia Fellow will assist JLC’s efforts to involve youth by 1) supporting youth participation in Pennsylvania’s Youth Advisory Board to child welfare agencies (mandated by federal legislation) and 2) engaging in JLC’s work with youth who are in or have been in the foster care system, including providing “know your rights” trainings for youth and participating in meetings our new youth advocacy group Youth Fostering Change (YFC), which our current Fellow has been instrumental in getting off the ground; 3) becoming familiar with and participating in some meetings of JLC’s Juveniles 4 Justice (J4J), which gives youth from the juvenile justice system a chance to speak out and become advocates for positive change in within their communities; and 4) responding to intake calls of youth and produce community education materials on issues of importance to youth as identified through intake calls and consulation with youth.

Describe the level of community involvement in the fellow’s project.

The Philadelphia Fellow’s core charge is promoting youth engagement and developing community education materials are responsive to the needs of youth. Young people who enter and then leave systems of state care have very few opportunities or outlets to express their feelings about the positive and negative experiences they had along the way. The Fellow will promote the civic engagement of dependent and delinquent youth gives youth to provide them with a sense that they can effect positive changes. At the same time, hearing youth voices allows all children’s advocates to better shape our understanding of the problems and possible solutions. Involvement of and contact with youth in the community will be central to the Fellow's work.

Section III: Job Description

Please outline in list form the fellow's duties and responsibilities.

• Recruit youth for YFC and J4J
• Prepare and modify JLC’s child welfare and juvenile justice Know Your Rights Curricula (as needed)
• Co-train Youth on JLC’s Know Your Rights Curricula and modify as needed to respond to youth's views
• Organize and facilitate meetings of Youth Fostering Change (YFC)
• Participate in youth meetings on juvenile justice issues
• Gather, analyze and organize information about resources of youth emerging from state care Write youth friendly publications (e.g., fact sheets, reports) about resources and services
• Respond to intake calls from youth and analyze patterns
• Produce community education materials

Please outline in list form the skills/qualifications a fellow should have to succeed in the position.

• Strong interest in and commitment to furthering JLC’s mission.
• Ability to work independently (e.g., define and manage tasks, set and meet deadlines, determine when to seek additional help and guidance)
• Strong interest and some experience working with adolescents
• Strong research and writing skills
• Skills in working with quantitative data, including basic analytical skills and the ability to develop and manipulate graphs, charts and spreadsheets
• Computer skills, preferably the ability to help with website updates

Please describe your agency's plan to orient and train the fellow.

The Fellow will be provided training upon his or her first month on the core areas of the law that JLC works on. The materials taught in these trainings will be reinforced throughout the fellowship. The Fellow will also be oriented by attending trainings done by staff in the community as well as attending other relevant trainings offered by the legal and social service community. The Fellow will also meet with all the staff attornys in the office to discuss their area of expertise. We are always looking for training opportunities for staff, including the fellow, and will provide these opportunities as they arise.

Section IV: Project Plan

Please describe the proposed project goal(s) you expect the fellow to achieve. These should relate to your community need and reflect the long-term impact of the fellow’s project.

1.Increase engagement of youth in (and emerging from) state systems of care in policy making and program development related to these child-serving systems. 2.Increase knowledge of youth about the state systems of care that affect them and their rights within these systems 3. Improve the advocacy abilities of youth impacted by the identified child serving systems. 4. Increase the number of accessible resources for youth to educate themselves about their rights. 5. Further develop JLC’s structures for engaging youth in the formulation of policy and the evaluation of practice.Increase JLC’s responsiveness to youth and families calling for advice and information.

Section V: The Nitty Gritty

Will fellow be working at the same address listed above?

Yes

Please describe the fellow's work environment.

Fellow will have a shared office.
Fellow will have their own desk.
Fellow will have their own computer.

Please list the name and title of the fellow's immediate supervisor.

Jenny Pokempner, Supervising Attorney for Youth in Transitions Project

Please approximate the percentage of time fellow will work:

Independently: 60%
As a team member in a group setting: 30%
As a team leader in a group setting: 10%

Travel:

Will the fellow be expected to travel as part of the position?

Yes

If so, how often and where?

Limited travel will be required for youth presentations, but will generally be in Philadelphia and in locations that can be accessed through public transportation. Some travel to other PA counties may be required, but the Fellow would be provided transportation.

Will the fellow need the following to carry out the position?

A driver’s license: No
Their own car: No

Section VI: Supervision/Resources

Please briefly describe plans for supervision of fellow:

The Fellow will be supervised by Jenny Pokempner, who will meet with the fellow bi-weekly and more often if needed.

What methods, information, or data will you use to evaluate the fellow’s success in their position and your agency’s success in meeting your community need?

1. Increase in the number of youth participating in YFC from year one.
2. Consistent attendance and participation of YFC youth members.
3. Achievement of policy goals set by YFC
4. Number of intake calls responded to
5. Number of Know Your Rights Trainings completed