2015 is here… and so is the Maryland Legislative Session!
Excitement is in the air this month with the beginning of a new year and a new legislative session.
CLIA’s Just Kids team is looking forward to working with new and returning members of the Maryland General Assembly to pass two legislative bills. One bill ensures that youth charged as adults are held safely and securely in juvenile detention centers and not adult jails. The other bill requires the Department of Juvenile Services to study how they can absorb the number of youth automatically charges as adults into the juvenile justice system.
During trainings and community events, Just Kids youth leaders have been working all year to hone their advocacy, organizing, storytelling and public speaking skills. These skills will be vital when they meet with state legislators and speak at bill hearings later this session. Youth Leader Derrick W. is ready:
“We have our chance to go [to Annapolis] and share our stories and see the reaction from lawmakers. We’ll have that experience under our belts. I think that they’ll be surprised when they see such a young group and we will show them that youth are capable of change.”
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