Heading into the new year we offer an image of hope created by youth artist Kasama Smith. Thank you, Kasama, for sharing your inspiring vision and art with us!
As I reflect on these years that make up a large and meaningful chapter of my life, I am full of gratitude for the community that has formed around me. My community is those clients, all of whom are full of potential and who are ready to be a part of this ever slowly bending arc toward justice.
TeamChild set out to build power and knowledge amongst incarcerated youth by working in partnership with young people at Green Hill School, to plan, develop, and begin building a law library at the Juvenile Rehabilitation facility.
TeamChild has been working for over a decade with individual clients, and with systems as a whole, to eliminate the harms the juvenile legal system creates for young people, their families, and communities. Much of this work has focused on post-conviction relief, which means helping a young person who has been through the legal system reconnect to a productive, inclusive, and supportive environment after that contact with court and incarceration.
At TeamChild, we are working to find new and creative ways to support each other across our statewide offices – and while I say “new,” in fact one of the most meaningful strategies is the most enduring one. It’s about making space for relationships and our own humanity.
There are two significant prosecuting attorney races happening in Washington state this November 8th, one in King County and one in Spokane County. For many voters, and especially young people, it may be difficult to meaningfully participate in this election because it’s hard to understand what the job of a prosecutor is all about.
TeamChild has been working very hard on creating a new Youth Education Law Collaborative (YELC). TeamChild, along with Northwest Justice Project, Washington Autism Alliance, Kids in Need of Defense, Disability Rights Washington, and Seattle University School of Law will provide accessible legal information and education advocacy to students impacted by COVID-19.
We hope to make an impact for youth in education, stable and safe housing, removing post-conviction burdens and barriers, and reducing the use of incarceration to respond to the needs of young people.
In our July blog, we want to highlight a few of the new laws, that are now in effect, that impact our clients and communities and help everyone prepare for the changes.
This June, as Pride Month commemorates the 53rd anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, advocates again face a critical moment in the development of an equitable, safe, and more-inclusive society.
1225 South Weller St, Suite 420
Seattle, WA 98144
TeamChild is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
Federal Tax ID# 91-1930194
Molly Costello