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OJJDP News @ a Glance

This issue highlights a Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention meeting, OJJDP’s lineup for Youth Justice Action Month, the new Pride Justice Resource Center, and a youth who approaches research through an Indigenous lens.
Message From the Administrator: YJAM Is All About Listening to Youth and Heeding What They Say
OJJDP Administrator Liz Ryan - News @ a Glance

Upcoming Events

Preventing Youth Hate Crimes and Identity-Based Bullying Virtual Symposium: October 17–18, 2023

Preventing Youth Hate Crimes & Bullying | An OJJDP Initiative

OJJDP’s Youth Hate Crimes and Identity-Based Bullying Prevention Initiative will host its second virtual symposium, focusing on how to prevent extremist hate groups from radicalizing youth and providing bullying prevention strategies for youth. Topics to be addressed include current research and trends, how best to support vulnerable youth, and how to mitigate the influence of media and technology to recruit and radicalize youth, as well as best practices and how communities can protect youth while helping them disengage from hate groups. Registration information is available online.

Improving Youth Interactions Through Fair and Impartial Justice: October 23–24, 2023

National Criminal Justice Training Center logo

The National Criminal Justice Training Center will lead this classroom training in Beaumont, TX. Designed for professionals in law enforcement, juvenile justice, and community-based organizations, the course aims to help improve procedural justice efforts in juvenile justice systems. The curriculum will emphasize the use of evidence-based principles to foster strong community relationships, enhance interactions with youth, and create effective interventions to divert young people from the juvenile justice system. Registration information is available online.

Initial Response Strategies and Tactics When Responding to Missing Children Incidents: November 2, 2023

The National Criminal Justice Training Center will lead this no-cost training in Huron, OH. Intended for first responders, the training will address investigative activities that occur during an endangered missing or child abduction investigation and consider how first responders’ actions influence the short- and long-term response of law enforcement. Discussion topics will include how families are impacted when a child is missing or abducted, and how families’ responses can impact first responders and their work. Participants will also learn how to deploy effective search and canvass techniques. Registration information is available online.

Forensic Interviewing of Children Training: November 6–9, 2023

National Children's Advocacy Center logo

The National Children’s Advocacy Center will offer this in-person training in Huntsville, AL, for professionals who conduct forensic interviews of children. Presenters will introduce evidence-based literature supporting the National Children’s Advocacy Center’s structure for such interviews. Other topics include the dynamics of abuse, child development, memory and suggestibility, forensic conversations, preinterview planning, and courtroom testimony. Participants are expected to complete 6 hours of prework prior to the first day of training. Registration information is available online. The training will also be offered virtually December 4–7.

Opioid Affected Youth Initiative Webinar Series: November 14, 2023 

Logo for the Opioid Affected Youth Initiative

OJJDP’s Opioid Affected Youth Initiative continues its webinar series exploring challenges associated with opioid and other substance use disorders among children, youth, and families. Sessions focus on understanding the specific needs of vulnerable communities while building an evidence-based, holistic, and targeted approach that enhances family supports and provides a framework for data-informed, collaborative decisionmaking. The November 14 webinar will focus on workplace wellness. A webinar planned for February 2024 will emphasize partnerships to promote public health and safety. Registration information is available online.

What Are They Running From? Youth Trauma and Addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences: December 4–5, 2023

This virtual, instructor-led training hosted by the National Criminal Justice Training Center will address the reasons young people run away and dangers they may encounter. Attendees will discuss how to approach youth during traumatic events, strategies to interrupt chronic runaway behavior, and a tool for assessing and documenting youth behaviors and options for intervention. Registration information is available online.

Date Created: October 3, 2023