Founded in 2006, Youth Represent offers free legal services to hundreds of young people each year across NYC to address their diverse and unique issues. Youth Represent is particularly dedicated to improving the lives and futures of young people of color affected by the criminal legal system. In addition to civil and criminal legal representation, Youth Represent offers Know Your Rights workshops for youth services organizations and advocacy training to help youth become their own agents of change. It advocates for bold city and state youth justice reform to reduce the involvement of youth in the criminal justice system. Youth Represent also files strategic individual and class action lawsuits to secure financial settlements and changes in hiring practices against employers who illegally discriminate against young applicants with criminal histories. This grant provides general operating support for this essential legal services agency.
