JustSpeak to launch in Auckland with Youth Offending
Forum
JustSpeak will officially launch in
Auckland on Wednesday 8 August with a forum on youth
offending in Aotearoa.
The forum will feature Dr
Ian Lambie, Director of Clinical Psychology Training at the
University of Auckland and a member of the Ministry of
Justice Youth Justice Independent Advisory Group; Dr Tracey
McIntosh, Head of Department of Sociology at the University
of Auckland and Board Member of Rethinking Crime and
Punishment; Fa’afete Taito, a University of Auckland
student; Dr Julia Ioane, Clinical Psychologist at Safe
Network Ltd who recently completed her thesis entitled "A
Comparison of Pacific Island Violent Youth Offenders with
Māori and Pālagi Violent Youth Offenders"; and Senior
Sergeant Mike Fulcher, District Youth Services Co-ordinator,
Counties Manukau Police District.
The speakers at
the Auckland launch will look to provide insight into youth
offending in New Zealand based on their interactions with
the youth justice system and areas of expertise. They will
also share their thoughts on the Government’s recently
announced review of the Youth Offending Strategy and look to
explore ways in which JustSpeak Auckland may contribute to
that review.
One of the organisers of the upcoming
forum, Diane White, says this is an important opportunity
for young people to be heard on an issue of direct relevance
to their generation. Ms White says, “Youth offending is an
area in which policies are often made without necessarily
engaging with the key stakeholders – young people
themselves. We see the review of the Youth Offending
Strategy as an important debate for all young people, given
the impact it may have on them and their
peers.”
JustSpeak is a non-partisan network of young
people who seek to encourage a new generation of debate
around criminal justice issues with the aim of achieving a
more just Aotearoa. The guiding ethos driving JustSpeak is
that young people have much to offer to the national
conversation on criminal justice: amongst other things,
young people bring an imaginative outlook; a feeling of
urgency; and a sense of hope.
The organisation was
formed in Wellington at the beginning of 2011 as the youth
arm of Rethinking Crime and Punishment. After attracting a
strong following there, JustSpeak officially launched in the
capital in April 2012 with the release of its position paper
on Māori and the Criminal Justice system. Since then
JustSpeak has gone on to make a number of submissions,
including on the inquiry by the Māori Affairs Select
Committee into the wellbeing of Māori children and the
Vulnerable Children Green Paper; organised consultations so
that young people can air their views, notably on the
Victims Code with the Victims Centre; and held monthly
forums.
Click here to see the
JustSpeakPoster.pdf
ENDS