Youth justice institute (2021–2025)

Youth Justice Institute (2021–2025)

The Youth Justice Institute (YJI) was born from a simple but powerful belief: that young people are not just the future of their communities — they are active, vital voices in the present. Rooted in youth voice and action, YJI brought together teenagers across Albany County to build community, deepen their civic understanding, and imagine new possibilities for themselves and the places they call home.

At the heart of YJI was the conviction that young people deserve spaces where their experiences are taken seriously. Through community-building gatherings, civic education, and collaborative resource mapping, YJI created those spaces — places where teens could name the issues shaping their lives, sit alongside adult community leaders to explore them together, and channel their visions into art that spoke back to the world.

A Week That Changes Things

Each year, youth participants came together for an intensive week-long experience designed to weave learning and creating into something inseparable. Facilitated workshops introduced young people to art making as a form of social justice, restorative justice practices, storytelling as a tool for advocacy, and the fundamentals of community organizing. These weren't lectures — they were conversations, collaborations, and invitations to think critically about power, justice, and belonging.

The week culminated in something tangible and communal: a large-scale public art installation, designed and built collaboratively by participants. These works weren't just projects — they were declarations, made by young hands and shaped by young minds, meant to be seen and felt by the broader community. Each installation was celebrated at a community gathering that brought together participants, families, local artists, and neighbors for a roundtable conversation — a moment to reflect on the work, share perspectives, and honor what had been created together.

Growing Networks, Opening Doors

One of YJI's quieter but lasting gifts was the way it expanded what young people understood to be possible — and who they understood themselves to be in relationship with. Participants left not just with new skills, but with wider networks of peers, artists, educators, and community leaders invested in their growth.

For some, those doors opened even further. Three YJI alumni went on to become Rural Youth Leaders, joining a national cohort of young people committed to justice and civic life. They represented their communities on a remarkable stage — performing at the Partners for Rural Impact Summit in both Raleigh and Anchorage, bringing Albany County voices into a national conversation about rural youth and equity.

These alumni also traveled to Alex Haley's farm outside of Knoxville, Tennessee, for a retreat that connected them with other young people across the country who share a deep commitment to social justice. On the grounds where Haley wrote Roots, they built relationships, exchanged ideas, and renewed their sense of purpose alongside a generation of peers working toward a more just world.

Why It Mattered

YJI understood that civic engagement isn't something young people need to wait to grow into. Given the right support, tools, and relationships, they are already equipped to be advocates, artists, organizers, and bridge-builders. Over four years, YJI helped hundreds of Albany County teens find their footing in that truth — and leave a visible, lasting mark on their communities and beyond.

Partners included: Wyoming Community Foundation, Wyoming Humanities, Laramie Plains Civic Center, Laramie High School, University of Wyoming Art Museum, Clear Creek Creative, Partners for Rural Impact, and mentor artists: Conor Mullen, Ashley Quick, Sienna Hawk, Rhiannon Jakopak, Bella Pope