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.