Volunteer Training

Youth Court Volunteer Training Package
By: Margaret E. Fisher
(Published in 2001)

Based on the National Youth Court Guidelines, these instructional resources for youth court staff offer high-quality materials for training youth court volunteers. They provide trainers with the opportunity to model the qualities inherent to effective youth courts and to examine some of the universal moral principles and common codes of behavior that underlie legal systems - honesty, respect, responsibility, and compassion.

The complete training package includes:

• Guide for Trainers with lessons for all youth court models on topics such as the American justice system, balanced and restorative justice, conducting a hearing and deliberating on a disposition.

• Youth Volunteer Handbooks for adult judge, youth judge, youth tribunal, and peer jury program models.

• Changing Lives: America’s Youth Court, a short video introducing the concept of youth courts.

• CD to tailor materials to local needs.

The Youth Volunteer Training Package materials may be purchased as a packaged set or individual items can be ordered. Specify Product Code Number (PC#) when ordering. Discounted rates available for bulk orders on volunteer handbooks.

To order, contact:

American Bar Association Service Center
1-800-285-2221

Or, click here to download a brochure/order form

“Getting the Most Out of the Deliberation Process” - Video and Facilitator Guide

(Produced by the American Probation and Parole Association/Council of State Governments in April 2002; Video features two 20-minute segments; Facilitator Guide, 13 pages)

This interactive video features two 20-minute scenarios designed to help educate youth court volunteers, especially new jurors and judge panelists, on some issues they should consider to help them determine a fair, appropriate, and restorative disposition (i.e., sentence) for youth court defendants/respondents. The deliberation process is one of the most important components of a youth court hearing. The disposition recommended by youth jurors or judges should have components that will help the defendant/respondent understand his/her actions; offer opportunities to make amends and appreciate and repair the harm that he/she caused; and increase his/her skills, competencies, and ties to the community. 

The video comes with a Facilitator Guide that includes a lesson that youth courts can follow when using the video to instruct and educate their volunteers.

To order a copy of the Deliberation Video and Facilitator Guide, click here.

To download a copy of the Facilitator Guide, click here.

To download copies of the Group Deliberation Activity Sheet or the Individual Deliberation Activity Sheet (which are included in the facilitator guide) in Microsoft Word or WordPerfect click here. 

Street Law for Youth Courts: Educational Workshops

By: Lena Morreale Scott
(Published 2001; Revised 2002; Revised 2006)

Developed by Street Law, Incorporated, through a subcontract with the National Youth Court Center and OJJDP, Street Law for Youth Courts: Educational Workshops is designed as an information resource for youth courts when establishing their educational workshops/programs.  These interactive lessons focus on the most frequent offenses for which youth are referred to youth court: theft, possession of alcohol, possession of marijuana, vandalism, and traffic violations.  The lessons include instructor's guides, lesson plans, and handouts for youth participants.  The lessons are designed to initiate a law-related education program as sentencing options for youth court offender.  The lessons also may be used to train youth court volunteers.

To download a copy of this publication, click here

Giving Back: A Community Service-Learning Manual for Youth Courts
By: Charles Degelman 
(Published in 2002; 92 pages)

Developed by the Constitutional Rights Foundation in Chicago and Los Angeles, through a subcontract with the National Youth Court Center and OJJDP, this manual gives youth courts tools needed to apply school-based service-learning methods to community service dispositions for youth courts. The manual presents strategies that youth courts can use to introduce youth court defendants/respondents to basic concepts about community, community problems, and ways to address them, as well as skill- and awareness-building activities to introduce the community service learning options. Finally, the manual outlines three community service learning options and methods that youth courts can choose from when developing their community service component. 

To order a copy of this publication, click here.
To download this publication, click here.

2002 Public Awareness and Service Campaign Calendar

Youth courts already provide or facilitate service to their communities – most often through community service hours that many youth court respondents are required to complete. The National Youth Court Guidelines recommend that youth courts implement a community service component for their program that will help respondents make a meaningful contribution to their community and/or victim, develop needed life skills and competencies, and feel a sense of accomplishment, while still holding them accountable for their actions. Creating community service options for respondents that relate to the 12-Month Public Awareness and Service Campaign is one method by which youth courts can work toward meeting this guideline. The benefits to youth courts that participate in some (or all) of the campaigns include, but are not limited to, the ability to:

To download a copy of this calendar, click here.

2003 12-Month Campaign: Empowering Youth Through Education and Service Calendar

The 12-Month Campaign provides another tool for youth courts to use when educating and building competencies in youth volunteers and respondents of youth courts and when planning community service opportunities and projects. We encourage you to view and use this campaign calendar and the ideas that are presented to augment and enhance the services that you currently provide. For example, most youth courts already provide educational workshops for respondents (i.e., defendants) or in-service training workshops for volunteers on a variety of topics. This campaign gives you alternative issues around which to develop these types of workshops and training programs. Also, almost all youth courts require respondents to perform community service. Therefore, this package can be used to stimulate ideas on different types of meaningful community service activities that youth can be engaged in within their communities. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and the National Youth Court Center (NYCC) designed this12-Month Campaign to encourage youth courts across the country to engage their volunteers and respondents in educational and service activities around a common social issue each month. The benefits to youth courts that participate in some (or all) of the monthly-featured social issues include, but are not limited to, the ability to:

To download a copy of this calendar, click here.

Youth Court Training for Results

Technical Assistance Bulletin

To download a copy of this publication, click here.