Newsletters

Strategies for Youth celebrates its 16th birthday in June! That marks 16 years of transforming the way young people and law enforcement interact. And like any birthday, this is a time for SFY to look back and reflect, while sharing new goals for the upcoming year.

As I relinquish my Reign as Executive Director, I want to share some uplifting and affirming updates on Strategies for Youth’s accomplishments as we close the year and I transition into a new role as Founder and Strategic Policy Advisor.

Strategies for Youth is stepping boldly into its next chapter! We are thrilled to welcome Anthony V. Pierro as our new Executive Director. Anthony will build on the foundation the team has built for the last 15 years.

Last week, we shared an update on the work Strategies for Youth has been leading nationwide to protect young people and strengthen interactions between youth and law enforcement. Whether you had a chance to read that message or not, I wanted to follow up briefly because the need for this work has never been clearer.

Since our founding in 2010, your support has enabled Strategies for Youth to work across 28 states, training thousands of police officers and young people, advocating in state houses and city halls, and advancing a science-based approach to safer, more developmentally appropriate interactions between youth and law enforcement.

Newsweek recently published Strategies for Youth Board Co-Chair Geordie Mcclelland’s piece about the risks military deployments to American cities pose to young people and their communities.

Two weeks ago, officers in Concord and Pittsburg, CA participated in Strategies for Youth’s Policing the Teen Brain™ training. This program equips law enforcement with practical tools for engaging youth in ways that reduce conflict, build trust, and keep communities safer.

After two successful pilot programs at Concord Community College’s DCYF Youth Summit and the Sununu Youth Services Center, we’ve been rolling out our Juvenile Justice Jeopardy (JJJ) programming statewide in New Hampshire.

We’re excited to share our Summer Spotlight Series with you! This summer, we’re going to be sharing our work in the community more regularly to highlight the impact we’re able to make with your support. You’ll have a front row seat to our JJJ trainings and community work, updates on media coverage supporting SFY, new policy rollouts, and more. We hope this will help bring a positive light in an otherwise tenuous time for our country.

President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order (E.O.) on April 28th which makes clear that law enforcement has this Administration’s support to respond with violence to any “crime”—regardless of how serious or how much it threatens public safety.

Recent changes in the U.S. Department of Justice will lead to less oversight of how law enforcement agencies interact with communities. This means less focus on federal protections of civil rights and the end of policies that prohibited chokeholds and no-knock warrants. Arrests by ICE agents stoke a common fear heard echoed in communities across the country: are we next?

Well, January has certainly proved to be…interesting.

It started out promisingly.

Last month, Strategies for Youth traveled 7,920 miles to Guam.
Guam — a U.S. Island territory in Micronesia since 1898, was never on Strategies for Youth’s radar. But thanks to Sgt. Magdalena Naputi, the SFY team touched down at the Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport on September 23, 2024.

SFY regularly enjoys learning from and sharing our work with summer interns. This year, we were blessed with two students. (You met Kenny Clayton in the prior email.) We had the good fortune of working with rising third year Northeastern University law student Meghan Leong. Her experience at SFY further inspired her to advocate for youth when she graduates next year. Below, Meghan, tells her story.

Strategies for Youth is pleased to announce the launch of our updated and improved website.

It’s SFY’s birthday! We’re 14 years strong and growing. Join me in celebrating SFY’s remarkable team of thinkers, trainers, writers, advocates and organizers.

We work in many different parts of the country, with a wide array of people — some hostile, some open to our ideas — in many time zones. What unites us: caring for youth and making sure they experience the best possible outcome from interactions with law enforcement.

This month, SFY welcomes Kim B. Simon as our new Director of Law Enforcement Training.
Kim brings an extraordinarily rich and diverse background and set of skills to her new position at SFY.

From guidance on interactions with law enforcement officers to helping young people understand and process trauma to developing life skills before leaving foster care, Juvenile Justice Jeopardy—in all of its iterations is making a real impact in the lives of young people across the country.

With the return of students, the debate over whether law enforcement officers should be placed in the nation’s public schools continues to rage. SFY offers parents and school decision makers practical resources to help them keep the schools safe and productive for all students.

Strategies for Youth is sending you a Big Thank You for supporting our Keep Kids Safe This Summer campaign in June. Your generosity has enabled us to customize different versions of Juvenile Justice Jeopardy games for youth living in different regions of the country.

With the return of students, the debate over whether law enforcement officers should be placed in the nation’s public schools continues to rage. SFY offers parents and school decision makers practical resources to help them keep the schools safe and productive for all students.