Rethinking Youth Safety and Justice Systems: Supporting Youth, Reducing Violence, and Increasing Resilience

Across numerous jurisdictions, youth – and the communities that surround and support them – increasingly face a series of poly-crises that are, potentially, quantitatively, and qualitatively different from those faced by previous generations. Youth across the globe, under a variety of systems and circumstances, have become exceptionally disaffected within their societies. Dissecting current youth violence trends to discern how they may differ from past patterns will help policymakers and practitioners understand whether underlying causes have evolved, suggesting the need for new responses.

The best available scientific evidence and research can identify what causes youth violence and what interventions can best interrupt cycles of violence and adverse outcomes for youth in different circumstances and jurisdictions. But understanding whether the fundamental context in which young people are growing up has materially changed is essential. If so, what does that mean for how youth are supported, how to build up their resilience, and how to effectively address the factors that lead to unsafe and/or violent behavior?
This program examined whether and how youth safety and justice systems need to be rethought and reconceived. Problems may differ (or not) depending on the circumstances, and solutions may therefore vary, so taking a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach is crucial to determine options. Government is also not always the solution provider, as communities can address issues themselves and must under any circumstance be involved.

This initiative utilizes an international, interdisciplinary, and intergenerational network of experts to help shape future approaches to ensuring youth safety and justice. It pools diverse knowledge, perspectives and ideas from jurisdictions with significant youth populations to articulate the poly-crises youth face; propose pathways to create more resilient systems and responses that prioritize youth; identify research gaps; and, seed future leadership with the capacity, evidence, and networks needed to shape future approaches to youth justice and safety.

Date

Dec 15 - Dec 20, 2024

Session no.

S875-01

Location

Schloss Leopoldskron, Salzburg, Austria

Contact

Charles Ehrlich

Director, Peace and Justice

Kateryna Anselmi

Program Manager, Peace and Justice

Content overview

ADDITIONAL INFO NEWS Fellows Salzburg Global Staff Partners

ADDITIONAL INFO

BACKGROUND

Since launching this initiative in 2021, we have brought together a diverse group of innovative practitioners and researchers to develop actionable recommendations and a robust call to action for policymakers focused on enhancing youth safety. Key outputs have included an interactive multimedia report, enhanced public engagement through various content forms, and a vibrant international network of practitioners and researchers.

KEY ISSUES

We co-created the next phase of this initiative with partners and participants. We analyzed in greater depth case studies that have surfaced so far in this initiative as well as tried to seed some of the most innovative global ideas into new jurisdictions, with active collaborations among Fellows and their teams and local networks within the communities and stakeholder groups in which they work.

Key questions included:

What do we know and what we don't know about the drivers of youth violence? How do we interpret research data? What are approaches from a variety of disciplines that are working or could be working to reduce youth violence and to build resilience? Are there markers, real and perceived (perceptions may not match reality, but perceptions matter)?
What are structural barriers affecting youth? How can societies address systemic injustices which might exacerbate difficulties faced by youth, including economic, educational, and social disparities? What groups are particularly marginalized, and what strategies would ensure their inclusion and reduce disparities in treatment?
How can community engagement be enhanced to support system-wide transformation? How can we design community engagement strategies (including families, schools, local civil society organizations, and businesses) that promote youth advocacy and participation?
How might we need to rethink approaches to youth justice? Recognizing there may be multiple possible answers and challenges in different circumstances, how can societies deal with violence and justice issues outside the narrow lines of justice systems, for example through public health or education? What could work, from a variety of disciplines, to form some conclusions about the applicability of some solutions in other jurisdictions?
What technological innovations can support more effective youth justice processes?

These questions were refined further in a participatory way with Fellows ahead of the in-person meeting.

FORMAT

Virtual meetings:
In November 2024, Fellows met virtually to ensure ongoing dialogue, assess progress, and co-design the goals of the in-person meeting.
These virtual meetings will continue into 2025 in smaller focus groups to monitor progress, share findings, and iteratively refine strategies and outputs.

In-person convenings:
Fellows came to Salzburg from 15-20 December 2024, for a in-depth workshop.
This in-person program was highly interactive and structured around a mix of thought-provoking presentations, curated conversations, informal interactions, knowledge exchange, and practical group work. The in-person program also allowed for Fellows participating in different working groups to intersect and to increase interchange and knowledge-sharing. The process sought to combine theory, policy, and practice across sectoral silos, opening up new perspectives and opportunities. Fellows also worked more intensively in their focus groups, allowing for in-depth group work on key issues.

Another in-person workshop will take place in late 2025 to synthesize insights, finalize recommendations, and plan for dissemination and implementation of strategies.

PARTICIPATION

While we wished to continue to engage with our existing network of Fellows, the majority of participants coming to Salzburg as part of this next phase was new to the initiative. This is to allow the initiative to build on the work of the Fellows so far and to extend the network outwards. This approach ensured a blend of continuity and fresh perspectives, crucial for adaptive and forward-looking solutions.

Recognizing the need for the next stages of this project to be specific and concrete, this meeting brought in more practitioners, both those in a position to share their own experiences and those able to design new implementation strategies in their own jurisdiction.

We welcome policy leaders and innovators to join us as we expand the initiative’s reach and impact. We would in particular seek those public officials who are in instrumental positions to implement reforms and who are seeking ideas that could be adapted for their own jurisdictions. We also welcome cutting-edge researchers – from academia and other institutions – who can test outcomes scientifically. Participants will continue to include representatives from affected stakeholder communities, in particular formerly incarcerated persons.

NEWS

During our 2024 session, “Rethinking Youth Safety and Justice Systems: Supporting Youth, Reducing Violence, and Increasing Resilience,” several participants offered reflections on the session's subject matter. We published these on Instagam, which you can see here.

At the same session, we were delighted to welcome ORF Salzburg to report on the discussions. ORF Salzburg spoke to participants Mary Belof and Mariama Diallo. In addition, they also spoke with Charles Ehrlich, Director, Peace & Justice, at Salzburg Global. A radio feature aired on the December 19 edition of "Ihr Vormittag," which you can listen to here.