Voices of Youth Justice: Susie Rivera is Dedicated to Elevating Youth Voices
Voices of Youth Justice: Susie Rivera is Dedicated to Elevating Youth Voices
The Office of Youth and Community Restoration (OYCR) is creating a Youth Advisory Board (YAB), set to launch later this month. We spoke with Susie Rivera, who’s leading the development of YAB, to learn more about her journey to youth justice advocacy, the vision for YAB, and what makes her excited about the initiative.
Can you share what drew you to youth justice and the Office of Youth and Community Restoration?
My journey into youth justice advocacy is rooted in my lived experiences. Growing up, I experienced many of the same challenges as the youth and young adults who are system-involved. I witnessed too many talented and incredible people lose their lives to the streets and the system. Instead of being provided care and help when I was going through a lot at home that then affected how I behaved at school, I was pushed out of high school. I was even told by a school administrator that I’d be like the rest of my family. I’m glad I didn’t listen to them. I was the first in my family to go to college, and then I went on to work in the nonprofit space with youth for over two decades and as a lecturer in the Department of Justice Studies at San Jose State, where I’m still teaching today.
I have a very deep understanding of where young people who are system-involved are coming from because I went through a lot of the same experiences as they did. I know what it’s like to be let down by those who are supposed to help set you up for success.
Over the course of my career, I have met hundreds of brilliant individuals. I saw a difference when youth were given opportunities and when they weren’t.
When we provide young people opportunities to be their best selves and access to the resources they need, they will show up. A big part of this is creating space for them to speak up, to give them a say in the decisions being made about their life.
That is why I was so excited to hear OYCR was creating a youth advisory board within the office. I joined them as a consultant to help develop and launch this new initiative. We will be creating a space for youth to share their experiences and voice to be agents of change without causing more harm or trauma. OYCR’s Youth Advisory Board will have a huge impact in how we center and include youth voices in the work that we do.
For those who might not know about it, what is the Youth Advisory Board and how will it fit within OYCR work?
The Youth Advisory Board (YAB) will consist of a group of young individuals with lived experiences and expertise to help shift the narrative and improve policies and practices that directly affect them. The Board will meet regularly with OYCR staff and stakeholders in the youth justice system to shape decisions and provide insights and feedback from the beginning of the process. This bridge connecting young people to the adults making decisions about their lives will also provide a direct channel to voice any gaps in support and/or concerns.
The brilliant young people have already accomplished so much in the preparation for the YAB launch. We’ve put together focus groups across the state to understand and learn from all perspectives, interviewing more than 50 staff members and over 100 young people with lived experiences who have firsthand knowledge of how systems can cause harm and how we can move towards transformational healing. The youth working group is designing the framework for the board, including mission, vision, values, and by-laws.
OYCR is guiding California’s transition to a health and healing-focused approach to youth justice and is dedicated to achieving better outcomes and system improvements for youth. Who better to ask what changes or improvements are needed to better set youths up for success than the youths themselves?
With YAB, OYCR is prioritizing and centering youth’s voice. Not only will YAB help bring youth representation to the table and increase their engagement, I think this will be a really empowering experience for young people — to develop agency, to stand in their own power, and be heard and seen for who they are today instead of what they’ve done in the past. Being on the board and collaborating with all of us will hopefully also help them be more comfortable using their voice, develop their personal and leadership skills, and gain confidence through this experience.
What are you most excited about with the launch of the Youth Advisory Board?
I have a lot of excitement for YAB, it’s hard to know where to start. I’m excited for young people to shift and change policies in a way that sets them up for success, and for them to step into their brilliance.
What I care about most is for young people to be able to have a say in what happens in their life, and I think the more we listen to them, the better it’s going to get for them and our approach to youth justice.
We can’t incarcerate, jail, or medicate out of our problems. Deep healing is needed, and it can only happen if we look at the root cause, not manage the symptoms.
YAB is going to help us better understand the root causes so that we can successfully help them. Our hope is to also help youth before they become court-involved; so many of our youth and young people have asked, “why did I have to get locked up to be able to get help?”
This is going to make history. I hope YAB is celebrated, and stakeholders in the youth justice system continue to listen to youth more and continue to shift their perspective.