Tapped into Blue Voice

Keeping youth out of Juvie

The ACLU’S Howard A. Friedman First Amendment Education Project, in which students from all over northern California take part in a trip that explores the various civil liberties issues that pertain to youth including the death penalty, homosexuality, and racial injustice, have recently visited the Barrios Unidos prevention office in Santa Cruz.

This year their focus was the consequences of juvenile justice. Last August a group of students arrived at the Santa Cruz Barrios Unidos office. Shocked by the artwork portrayed on the walls as they walked in, they were eager to learn what Barrios Unidos stood for. They learned that Barrios Unidos is a multi-cultural, nonprofit organization with a mission to prevent and curtail violence among youth by providing them with alternatives.

Ben Alamillo, the coordinator of the juvenile justice outreach program, shared his work experiences as an employee at Barrios Unidos, as well as his excitement towards working with the ACLU’s education youth project.

“Barrios Unidos has given me the opportunity to follow and incorporate my own vision into my work,” he said. “I’m able to influence many young leaders who are struggling, have struggled, whether it is with drugs, gangs, or whatever their struggle might be, to make a positive change in their lives,” Alamillo explained.

When I asked him how he felt about working with the ACLU’s youth, he said, “I felt honored to have worked with such strong, intelligent leaders. It felt good to know that there [are] young people out there making a difference in this world.” However, not only did Alamillo feel honored to work with youth, but he encourages them to have their voices heard and spread awareness about the issues they are facing. “I want youth to know that we are like a network, with an objective to change this world for the better,” Alamillo said. “Youth are our future leaders, and therefore I encourage them to have their voices heard. Speak up and make a difference.”

Lindsay Waggerman, an ACLU youth advocate, gave us more information on the ACLU program and how it began. “The ACLU Freidman Youth Project started 13 years ago in San Francisco, when Howard A. Freidman donated money to begin the youth program,” she said. “This program opens the eyes of youth in a political sense. It makes them realize how the system really works and how many rights youth actually have,” Waggerman explained.

When I asked for her opinion on Barrios Unidos and the services they offer, she said, “I think it’s vital to see how issues play in different places, such as drugs, violence, and racial profiling.” The ACLU’s youth also shared their own experiences and the topics of what they've covered on their trip so far. Tynan Kelly, an 18 year old from Belmont,gave us a brief overview of his history with the ACLU's Youth Education Project.

“When I first joined I didn't know what to expect,” Kelly said. “My parents were members when they were younger and so I joined. All I knew is that I had tons of friends in jail. I was aware of the crime in my community, but I wanted to know how the system really worked.”

Tynan, like many of the youth from the ACLU project, changed as a person as the trip went on. “This program has changed my view on my own life and it has changed me as a person,” Kelly said. “I’ve learned so much about juvenile justice and I plan to spread my awareness in different schools and places in my community.”

Kelly wasn’t the only one to share their personal experience with us. Brianda Castro, a 15 year-old from San Francisco, expressed how she has grown and what she plans to do after their trip is over. “I’ve personally grown a lot, Castro said. “I’ve learned so much about criminal justice, a subject which I wouldn't normally learn in school. I’ve learned to become an activist. Now I’m aware of the unfairness in which many youth are treated when they commit [a] crime, and I’m ready to make a change,” she said.

Eveline Chang, the Director of the Friedman Education Project, explained the different opportunities the program grants to youth. “This program creates an opportunity for youth to add their voice and their knowledge to the issues we cover in every trip,” Chang said. “They are the ones who choose the topic every year, and are transformed into activists by the time the trip is over.”

Eveline strongly believes that youth should have more of a voice on issues that have an impact on them.