October is Youth Justice Action Month, an annual campaign enabling mentors to raise awareness and inspire action on behalf of young people impacted by the justice system.
On any given year in the US, over 700,000 teens are referred to the juvenile justice system. Some will be sentenced to a corrections facility; others will be placed in a community-based alternative, and many will receive probation. The unfortunate reality is that for many of those incarcerated, a detention center may be the only place they feel safe, have reliable meals and stay sober.
Youth For Christ’s (YFC, www.yfc.net) Juvenile Justice Ministry is uniquely positioned to respond to this ongoing crisis.
Navigating Life With Healthy Relationships
Karly Wymer, National Juvenile Justice Ministry Specialist, said, “In Juvenile Justice Ministry, our goal is to build relationships with youth while they are in Detention Centers and anywhere that justice-involved youth may be. This means that we are helping young people as they navigate the different aspects of the juvenile justice system: Community, Courts, and Corrections.”
According to Wymer, these mentoring relationships play a critical role in breaking the cycle of incarceration that often develops within families.
“Our holistic ministry approach plays a critical role in the mentoring that we provide to justice-involved youth,” Wymer added. “Our mentoring relationships with young people help them understand that their past does not need to define their future. We are not only investing in the lives of young people, but in their families too. We want to help young people know that they do not need to be stuck in this cycle of incarceration.”
Ultimately, Wymer says, the aim of Juvenile Justice Ministry is to present the hope found in Christ.
Bringing Hope And Life Into The Dark
Wymer commented, “Although we love to help meet the holistic needs of young people, we also know that we would not be here without Christ! We have experienced life-change from our relationships with God and we want young people to experience that too. We bring the hope and light of Christ into some dark places. Young people in the justice system are craving emotional connection like never before. When we meet with them, they know that we are there because we care. They can sense when we are being genuine. Because we are consistent and we continually show up for them, they trust us.
“This allows us to not only help them with their needs, but better is to invite them into a 3Story relationship with Christ. We tell our young people that they can experience an absolutely loving relationship with Christ and in that relationship, they can experience hope. The hope that is found in Christ. That is what makes this ministry so special—we get to show Jesus to justice-involved youth.”