Looking Back in Thanks

Posted in Announcements

As we look back at 2025, we just want to say: thank you! We are filled with gratitude that we have the opportunity to work with such amazing people, focused on helping kids and families in both their personal and professional capacities. The work that we do together is about impacting real lives, and we appreciate all of our partners with whom we collaborated this year. To those we did not have a chance to work with directly, thank you for all that you do for youth, families and communities. We see the work you do day in and day out, and hopefully we can partner soon.

Though this year had more than its share of challenges–at times feeling like we’re taking two steps back for every step forward–we persevered together, and the mission pushed forward nonetheless. That’s the joy of working with such dedicated people: even when the din of the world makes one think progress is impossible, we look to those who are able quiet the noise, center on what matters, and lead positive change on behalf of those who need it most. Let’s celebrate a few of our accomplishments this year.

New Name, Focused Mission

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6vC-JHBXSQ

One of our biggest joys this year was seeing so many of you at our Janet Reno Forum in Washington, DC and celebrating not only the lifetime achievements of our founder, Shay Bilchik and the work of Denise Herz, recipient of the inaugural Shay Bilchik Award for Innovation in Youth Justice, but also announcing our transformation into the Center for Youth Justice. We took the opportunity to dive deep into refining our mission, which you can read about here. You can also watch the video announcement of our name above.

Our Multi-System Work Expands

With respect to CYJ’s multisystem work, 2025 was a year for greeting new jurisdictional partners with excitement, bidding adieu to communities ready to set out on their own, and renewing partnerships with old friends. CYJ is proud to have overseen the implementation of the CYPM in Shawnee and Montgomery Counties in Kansas, and supported the rollout of a statewide toolkit. Fortunately, our time in Kansas continues through our collaboration with EmberHope Connections, the foster care provider for Wichita.

We checked back in with long-time CYPM community, Clackamas County, OR, to conduct an intensive on-site quality review process as well as listening sessions with system-involved youth and families. Our team has also had the pleasure of renewing a partnership with Travis County, TX for whom CYJ provided a training to build on their existing CYPM practices. Further, we embarked on new collaborative journeys with Iowa, Mississippi, and Washington, D.C., each of whom CYJ is supporting in their respective adoption of the CYPM.​

We also had opportunities to engage with a variety of audiences, including presenting at the Cook County Juvenile Justice Cross-division Trauma Speakers Series and conducting a training for the Prosecutor’s Alliance.

Finally, our multi-system integration pilot program in Pennsylvania, led by our Center’s founder and Stoneleigh Fellow, Shay Bilchik and former CYJ and Stoneleigh Emerging Leader Fellow Meg Ogle, continued, culminating in a three-part webinar series highlighting the innovative work being led on the ground, as well as a final report capturing the efforts in Delaware County, PA.

Local System Transformation

In 2025, CYJ partnered with 17 jurisdictions and engaged over 200 professionals to advance their local system transformation efforts. Leaders and practitioners participated in a combination of team-based learning, tailored jurisdictional and organizational support, and virtual workshops, building skills in workforce development, diversion practices, executive leadership, project management, and evaluation. These experiences connected professionals from across youth justice and allied youth-serving systems, reflecting a shared commitment to improving outcomes for young people and families.​

Throughout the year we supported youth-serving organizations, such as those who participated in our Pathways to Organizational Excellence Certification and we also highlighted promising practice examples emerging from our jurisdiction partners. These included diversion innovations led by our Fellows, featured in our Diversion in Action series, as well as insights from the Reimagining Youth Justice Workforce Innovation Network initiative, which showcased Ohio DYS’ data-driven approach to supporting staff and strengthening organizational culture. Together, these stories demonstrated how teams across the country are translating CYJ-supported tools and training into real improvements for their communities.

Looking ahead to 2026, we will continue offering our in-person, team-based Certificate Programs on topics such as youth in custody, probation transformation, executive leadership development, advancing racial justice and equity, and supporting crossover youth. The Leading Change in Youth-Serving Systems for Lasting Impact series will also grow to include new workshops, starting with one on stakeholder engagement strategies in Spring 2026. These training opportunities provide multiple pathways for practitioners and leadership teams to build the skills needed for sustainable system transformation.

Our Scholarship on Dual System Youth Deepens

Alongside our work with communities, our research and scholarship deepened and grew. We strengthened our national leadership in scholarship on dual system youth. CYJ’s Karen Kolivoski joined the editorial leadership of the Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal as an Associate Editor and, with Senior Deputy Director Macon Stewart, delivered the 2025 Raymond Webb Endowed Lecture at the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work. They also presented Aligning Systems to Improve Outcomes at the Coalition for Juvenile Justice conference in DC, sharing CYPM-informed strategies for system collaboration and improved outcomes for dual system youth.

​We also contributed new research illuminating the experiences of multi-system-involved youth. A manuscript written by Sherri Simmons-Horton, Abigail Williams-Butler, Camille Quinn, and CYJ’s Karen Kolivoski—Perceptions of Professionals of Anti-Black Racism of Crossover Youth in Congregate Care—was published in Race and Justice. Finally, we expanded our evaluation portfolio with an 18-month assessment of CASA DC’s Family-Based Alternative Justice Program, supporting youth with incarcerated parents and pregnant/parenting youth. ​​

CYJ Director Michael Umpierre presented on family engagement in youth justice at CJJA’s Facility Director/Superintendent Training in Columbus, Ohio, facilitated a session on “Rethinking Justice” at YAP’s national conference in Philadelphia, PA, presented on the state of restorative justice in the field at Arnold Venture’s Bridge Day event in Houston, Texas and participated in a roundtable on alternatives to youth transfer at McCourt’s Capitol Campus in DC. 

This year, the Center was honored to be represented at Harris County’s 2025 Mindful Justice Conference in Houston, Texas, where CYJ’s dr. chris bijoux delivered a powerful keynote address. The conference convened justice system leaders, practitioners, and community partners with a shared purpose: to envision the community as co-producers of safety. His remarks challenged participants to critically examine systems, practices, and decision-making processes, while also equipping attendees with concrete approaches to translate insight into impact. 

The Training and Technical Assistance Center for State Compliance with the R/ED Core Requirement

In 2025, our TTA Center for State Compliance with the Racial and Ethnic Disparities (R/ED) Core Requirement assisted states in completing Year 2 updates to their three-year R/ED plans. The Center, which we host in partnership with the Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ), continues to support states and territories through individual technical assistance and has been working behind-the-scenes to develop trainings and materials to support new and seasoned R/ED coordinators alike. Over the past year, members of the Center gathered in the spaces offered to R/ED Coordinators, including CJJ’s Youth Justice in Action Conference in October 2025, where they listened for the current challenges and successes that coordinators are facing. The Center’s Youth and Family Advisory Council (YFC)was also heavily represented at the conference. The YFC met monthly throughout 2025, using the time to share how they have connected to their state’s SAG, to review and discuss their state’s R/ED plans, and to develop projects that further support R/ED coordinators and R/ED efforts at the local and state levels. 

Working with Innovative Leaders

Finally, we were proud to host innovative leadership networks, such as the Public Information Officers Learning Collaborative (PIOLC) and the Juvenile Justice Leadership Network (JJLN). Our monthly calls with the PIOLC–a national group of PIOs and communication directors in youth justice and child welfare–have been enormously inspiring. These deep monthly discussions culminated in our annual in-person convening that brought the group together at Georgetown for collaborative learning and guest speakers. Meetings with the JJLN–a group of youth justice agency directors–on our new capitol campus also proved to be incredibly enriching. With CYJ’s facilitation, these leaders explored topics such as youth violence prevention and intervention, adolescent legal comprehension, supporting dual-system youth, diverting youth from the justice system, leading organizational culture change efforts, and advancing system transformation.

In Gratitude

Thank you again for all that you do for kids, their families, and our communities. We’re looking forward to working with all of you next year. If you’d like to support our work, please contact us or consider supporting us through a gift using the link to the right. 

In the meantime, we wish you a warm and happy holiday season!