YJAM 2021 Action Kit
The YJAM Action Kit consists of graphics and captions for social media to raise awareness of youth justice plus a letter template to write our lawmakers. It is a tool to empower you to take action during and after Youth Justice Action Month and activate your network to advocate for youth justice.
Youth Justice Posts
Instructions:
1
Download an image by right-clicking it and selecting “Save image as...” On mobile, press and hold the image to save it to your camera roll.
2
Copy and paste the associated caption.
4
Upload the #YJAMBmore2021 image saved onto your desktop or phone.
5
Paste the caption you copied—feel free to customize the caption but be sure to use the #YJAMBmore2021 hashtag.
6
Post your message and encourage others to join the #YJAMBmore21 conversation.
Youth Justice Social Media Frame
Social Media Frame
Use our #YJAM social media frame and join other young people who are helping to raise awareness of youth #injustice in our city and state and activate peers & friends to advocate for #youthjustice.
Download the second frame to use with your photo.
Youth Justice Social Media Posts
Introduction Post
When #mybmore youth have access to the opportunities they need to thrive, we all thrive. We're not there but #yjambmore21 can move us closer.
Use our #YJAM action kit at [link] to help raise awareness of youth #injustice in our city and state and activate peers & friends to advocate for #youthjustice.
Childhood Development Post
Our babies’ earliest years are the most important when it comes to making sure they get a strong, healthy start to life. We’re marking #yjambmore21 to fight the injustices that prevent too many #mybmore parents from accessing the resources their babies need to succeed.
Share a #YJAM story of your own or someone you know who has experienced injustice in the comments or DM us a video.
Food Post
1/3 of #mybmore youth lack steady access to healthy food is NOT OKAY. We’re marking #yjambmore21 to throw a light on the barriers that create this injustice—and work to remove them
Write our stake lawmakers a #YJAM letter (example here [link]) to urge them to push for youth justice during the 2022 legislative session.
Housing Post
How is it that 1 in 25 #mybmore youth lack safe, stable housing? We’re marking #yjambmore21 to keep that question front-and-center and to fight for access to quality housing for all
Use our #YJAM action kit at [link] to help raise awareness of youth #injustice in our city and state and activate peers & friends to advocate for #youthjustice.
Literacy Post
No #mybmore high school student should start high school at a disadvantage because they didn’t get access to the academic supports they needed to succeed. We’re marking #yjambmore21 to make sure all students go through and graduate school positioned for success.
Share a #YJAM story of your own or someone you know who has experienced injustice in the comments or DM us a video.
Trauma Post
Our children and youth need the safe spaces and trauma-informed supports to heal. We’re marking #yjambmore21 to raise awareness about the unjust odds #mybmore youth face because of the traumas they experience day-in and day-out—and to become a @healingbaltimore
Write our stake lawmakers a #YJAM letter (example here [link]) to urge them to push for youth justice during the 2022 legislative session.
Youth Diversion Post
Maryland leads the nation in incarcerating young Black men—many of them sentenced at age 18-24 and many from #mybmore. We’re marking #yjambmore21 to change this unacceptable statistic and to fight for more, better, true youth diversion.
Use our #YJAM action kit at [link] to help raise awareness of youth #injustice in our city and state and activate peers & friends to advocate for #youthjustice.
Boys & Young Men of Color Post
Our boys and men of color are our most underutilized #mybmore asset. We’re marking #yjambmore21 to raise awareness—and outrage—about the injustices young Black men face every day in Baltimore and to make sure they access the opportunities they need to thrive.
Share a #YJAM story of your own or someone you know who has experienced injustice in the comments or DM us a video.
Opportunities Post
Unacceptable.
Write our stake lawmakers a #YJAM letter (example here [link]) and ask them to push for youth justice during the 2022 legislative session. #yjambmore21 #mybmore
Systemic Inequities Post
Unimaginable.
Use our #YJAM action kit at [link] to help raise awareness of youth #injustice in our city and state and activate peers & friends to advocate for #youthjustice. #yjambmore21 #mybmore
Write Lawmakers
Your voice can go a long way to making youth in #mybmore a reality.
Share a #YJAM story of your own or someone you know who has experienced injustice in the comments or DM us a video #yjambmore21
Let Your Voice Be Heard
Write Lawmakers
Instructions
To write your local state lawmakers, feel free to copy and paste the below email. Be sure to:
Insert the name or names of the law makers you are contacting
Replace the first paragraph of the email with a personal story of you or someone you know being involved in the criminal justice system
Insert your name at the end of the email. Feel free to send the email to one or all the lawmakers listed below and to CC us at childrenandfamilysuccess@baltimorecity.gov.
Persons to write:
Delegate Luke Clippinger luke.clippinger@house.state.md.us
Senator Will Smith, Jr. will.smith@senate.state.md.us
Dear [Insert Names]
[Start the letter with a personal story of you or someone you know being involved in the criminal justice system. How was this experience? What could have been different or better?]
I am writing to encourage you to pass the Juvenile Justice Reform Council (JJRC) recommendations during the 2022 legislative session. These recommendations are important to me because I, like you, am a Baltimore City resident and I know what injustice looks and feels like. We need laws in place to ensure justice for all Maryland youth. Youth justice is when we all thrive.
By implementing the recommendations of the JJRC, fewer youth will be arrested, and our communities will be safer. These recommendations are vital to the success of youth in Baltimore and around the state.
Thank you for your participation on the Council and for making sure we pass juvenile justice reform in 2022.
[Signature]