Leading Through Tension: Communicating Fairness in Practice in Today’s Youth Legal Systems

Title of Workshop

Join us March 12th and March 26th for this new virtual workshop on how to communicate effectively and practically on issues of fairness while avoiding pitfalls that trigger polarization.

Leaders in youth legal systems are navigating an increasingly complex environment where conversations about race, ethnicity, disparities, and equity are often politicized, misunderstood, or met with resistance. Yet the responsibility to ensure fair, effective, and Community-responsive practice has never been greater.

This two-day virtual workshop equips leaders with practical communication strategies grounded in Fairness in Practice approaches that focus on decision-making, consistency, transparency, and outcomes for young people and communities. Rather than debating ideology, participants will learn to reframe equity work through shared values, professional standards, and everyday practice, enabling critical improvement efforts to continue in constructive, credible ways.

Participants will leave with strategies to communicate clearly and confidently about fairness, accountability, and system improvement, whether speaking with staff, policymakers, community members, or the media, while maintaining integrity, trust, and forward momentum.

What You’ll Learn

Fairness in Practice as a Communication Framework

  • Understand Fairness in Practice as a values-neutral, practice-focused lens rooted in consistency, proportionality, and decision-making quality
  • Learn how to shift conversations from labels to lived experience, impact, and system responsibility

Communicating About Disparities Without Triggering Polarization

  • Explore language and framing strategies that address unequal outcomes while avoiding defensive or politicized responses
  • Learn how to connect disparities to system design, discretion, and process, not individual blame
  • Anchor messages in shared commitments: public safety, youth development, community trust, and fiscal responsibility

From Data to Dialogue

  • Translate fairness data into accessible narratives that support reflection and improvement
  • Learn how to present findings in ways that invite curiosity and problem-solving rather than resistance

Leading Critically Necessary and Productive Conversations

  • Build skills for navigating challenging questions, pushback, or misinformation
  • Practice responding to skepticism while maintaining clarity, professionalism, and purpose

Sustaining the Work in Shifting Political Contexts

  • Identify strategies for protecting long-term fairness efforts amid changing leadership or policy climates
  • Learn how to institutionalize practice-based language that outlasts political cycles

Target Audience

This workshop is designed for:

  • Youth legal system leaders (e.g., probation administrators, court leaders, prosecutors, defense leaders)
  • Mid-level managers responsible for policy implementation and staff guidance
  • State and county officials overseeing youth justice systems
  • Community-based organization leaders partnering with youth legal systems
  • Policy and system reform leaders seeking durable, practice-focused equity strategies
  • Anyone responsible for communicating about youth justice improvement in complex or politically sensitive environments

Workshop Details:

Dates: Thursday, March 12, 2026 & Thursday, March 26, 2026
Time: 1:00PM – 3:30PM ET

Cost: Early Bird rate of $125 is available through February 1, 2026; the Regular rate of $150 applies through February 22, 2026; and a Late rate of $175 begins on February 23rd. Registration will close one week before the first session or sooner if capacity is reached—be sure to register early!

Format:

  • Virtual, highly interactive sessions
  • Case examples drawn from youth legal systems
  • Small-group discussions and applied framing exercises
  • Real-world communication scenarios and message testing
  • Guided reflection and peer learning

Key Takeaways

By the end of this workshop, participants will:

  • Have a clear, practical framework for communicating Fairness in Practice without relying on politicized terminology
  • Gain strategies for reframing difficult conversations with staff, policymakers, and community stakeholders
  • Increase confidence in responding to resistance while maintaining credibility and trust
  • Walk away with adaptable language, messaging templates, and conversation guides for immediate use
  • Be better equipped to sustain fairness-focused work in evolving political and organizational climates

Registration and FAQ:

You can find more information, including a FAQ, on the workshop’s registration page.