Junior Advocacy is an empowerment program designed to develop youth through legal education, mental health counseling, and career development.
The program will accomplish this through a series of legal workshops, guest speakers from various career fields, field trips, and mental health sessions. The program is also designed to help youth, ages 14-18 in the following areas:
· Public Speaking
· Critical Thinking
· Conflict Resolution
· Social-Emotional Development
· Team Building
· Leadership Skills
Junior Advocacy Program
Through my unique Junior Advocacy Program, we will see improvements in areas of civic responsibility and increased numbers of minorities working in and around the legal system. The goals of this program are to:
- Reduce gun violence
- Engage high school students in community service
- Promote social activism
- Equip participants to become agents of change in their own community
- Prevent contact with the criminal justice system
Junior Advocacy Program
At the heart of this advocacy program is a goal of bringing students’ dreams of becoming politicians, lawyers, police officers and other civil servants to life. I will show them how to become active citizens, how to use their voices for change, and how to become agents of change in their own right.
An integral part of this program is a mock trial. Based on my own education and involvement in an award-winning trial team at Chicago-Kent College of Law, I will teach all components of a trial. At the end of the program, the students will perform the mock trial for the community.
There is a lot of mistrust between the police and citizens of our community. The police are there for our safety; they should be an institution that we respect. But unfortunately, we do hear about how some policemen disrespecting minorities. This must stop. The best way to do this is from the inside out. Through this program, I will educate and empower minority youth to bring their dreams of fixing our broken system to life.
The inaugural Junior Advocacy Program kicks off Summer 2022 Applications are available for youth ages 14 to 18 who live in or around the West Side. Request your application by contacting me, Kendra Spearman, online or by calling my Chicago law firm at 312-788-2602.
