Online Training

The following online training lessons, audio teleconferences, and video teleconferences are designed to assist youth volunteers in youth courts in performing their youth court roles more effectively. Check out the lessons and be sure to let us know what you think!

Online Lessons

Getting the Most Out of the Deliberation Process!! 
Training jurors and judge panelists how to deliberate is an essential component to every youth court program. Recognizing that understands that sometimes it is not always feasible to conduct onsite training seminars for new volunteer jurors or panelists, these online lessons were created to educate youth court volunteers, especially new jurors and judge panelists, on issues they should consider to help them determine a fair, constructive, and restorative disposition for youth court defendants or respondents.

Important Note: Before a youth volunteer can take the lesson(s), he/she must obtain a volunteer access code from his/her youth court coordinator. For a youth court coordinator to receive a volunteer access code, he/she must register for an Administrative Access Area on the “Getting the Most Out of the Deliberation Process” main page. This Administrative Access Area will allow youth court coordinators to know which of their volunteers have registered to take the lesson(s) and view their lesson results.

Preparing for Your Case  
This section is designed to assist youth court attorneys in preparing for their youth court cases. It offers helpful information and resources to assist youth in gathering and analyzing case information, preparing questions to ask during hearings, and writing opening and closing statements. 

Web Search: What do Our Laws and Policies Say About Underage Drinking?

Street Law, Inc. has developed a new online lesson to provide youth court administrators with another option for helping to teach the young people in their courts about the effects of underage drinking. The lesson is geared to middle school and high school students. While it was primarily developed to be used as sentencing options for respondents, the lesson also can be used to train youth court volunteers.

This online lesson guides youth as they conduct research on the Internet about laws relating to:
     a) underage drinking and alcohol-related driving,

     b) other risks of underage drinking (not related to driving), and

     c) programs and laws available in their state that attempt to reduce underage drinking.

Each of the three sections of the online lesson prompts youth to record their answers and ideas on handouts provided in the lesson. They are instructed to take their answer sheets back to their youth court administrator, so the youth court administrator will know the young person has completed the assignment.
 

Audio Teleconferences

Making Evaluation for Youth Court Simpler Using Performance-Based Measures
All parts of government and private agencies are facing hard decisions on how to spend scarce dollars.  Therefore, the need to justify the value of the services that youth courts provide is becoming more important with each passing day.  The way to demonstrate the value of youth court is through meaningful evaluation.  Yet, evaluation doesn't always have to be time intensive or costly.  Using performance-based measures, youth courts can assess both process and outcomes without great expense and without employing outside expertise.

This audio teleconference gives youth court coordinators the knowledge to articulate and demonstrate, in an objective manner, what their youth court has to offer so that the public and funding sources will be willing to support and dedicate money to the program.  

Effective Strategies for Searching for Youth Court Funding and Writing Grants
One of the questions the National Youth Court Center is asked most often is "Where can I find funding for my youth court program?"  Unfortunately, there is no one 'magic' source of funds for youth courts.  However, because of the appeal and myriad benefits and services that youth courts provide, there are numerous potential funding streams to which programs can apply.

Fundraising can be a time-consuming task, and program staff often have many other responsibilities that compete for their time and energy.  To help facilitate the fundraising process, this interactive audio teleconference, with optional webcast, gives youth court coordinators information on how to locate possible funding sources and plan for program sustainability, as well as provide tips on how to write effective grants.

Video Teleconferences

Youth Court: A Legal Guide for Getting Involved
J. Robert Flores, Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention discussed the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Youth Court Initiative; John Duncan, Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York and William C. Pericak, Assistant U.S. Attorney, Supervisor, Albany Office, Northern District of New York discussed the role of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in youth courts; and John Grebert, former Chief of Police in Colonie, past President of the New York State Chiefs of Police and an executive committee member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police discussed the role of law enforcement in youth courts. Assistant Attorney General Deborah J. Daniels provided taped introductory remarks welcoming participants to the broadcast. Tracy Godwin Mullins, Director of the National Youth Court Center, sponsored by OJJDP and National Highway Traffic Administration and operated by the American Probation and Parole Association, served as moderator for the broadcast. 

Youth Courts: A National Movement
This teleconference examines the rapidly expanding youth court concept as a potentially effective strategy in a graduated sanctions model for juvenile offenders. Effective practices in youth court programs are highlighted including examples of several different youth court models from San Francisco, California; Odessa, Texas; and Colonie, New York.

The Youth Courts: A National Movement satellite teleconference was designed to: 

• Inform participants of the advantages to using Youth Courts in a system of graduated sanctions. 
• Identify effective practices and significant factors for youth court implementation. 
• Share national resources or initiatives to support youth court programs.