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THE PESA POST
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Parents, Educators/Teachers & Students in Action

July 29, 2021
ENSURING ALL YOUTH RISE AT CAYC SUMMIT
PESA helps make annual gathering of California Association of Youth Courts a success
Anyone familiar with the inner workings of Parents, Educators/Teachers, and Students in Action (PESA) knows that helping at-risk youth and elevating their voices are key components of the nonprofit's mission. Recently, PESA had an opportunity to further advance that goal through its partnership with the California Association of Youth Courts (CAYC), an organization dedicated to increasing the number of youth courts in California and supporting those that already exist. CAYC defines youth courts on its website as a "restorative justice and trauma-informed" method of adjudication in which youth aged 12-18 have their trial heard by a jury of their peers. Unlike the formal juvenile justice system, youth courts greatly reduce youth recidivism and "help teen offenders be accountable for their actions, reflect on their poor choices, identify their personal strengths and commit to repairing damage done, while restoring relations with families, schools, and communities."
 
One way CAYC helps empower youth and support the formation and development of youth courts is through its annual Youth Court Summit, a youth-run conference that is open to all ages. According to Noah Block, special project manager for CAYC, “the goal of the Summit is to use our platform to engage the next generation, breaking the cycle of reinforced institutionalized discrimination.” Furthermore, he says, “we need a transformative discipline and juvenile justice system that is not contradictory to a struggling teen’s overall needs for acceptance and successful development.”
This year's summit was held virtually June 24-26 and featured a total of 20 workshops and keynote speakers covering topics such as racial equity and stopping sexual violence. More than 300 participants from the United States and international restorative justice communities were in attendance. 
 
PESA contributed to the programming by having two of its staff, Rosie Avetisyan and Melissa Santiago, each host a workshop during the Summit. Avetisyan’s workshop covered mental health and stress management while Santiago’s workshop informed its attendees about potential stressors in life and how to develop healthy coping skills. 

Avetisyan says that her workshop was received positively by its attendees. “The students [were] engaged,” she says. “[We covered] how important mental health is to every individual, and that improving your capacity to cope allows for better decisions to be made."

Santiago had similar feedback regarding her workshop, which taught that, "in some cases stress is inevitable," and that there are healthy and unhealthy ways to deal with it. “The attendees participated and were engaged throughout the presentation,” she says. “I could tell that they took something valuable from the presentation.”  
 
Overall, each presentation gave youth knowledge to better themselves and their communities. ■

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