This award will invest in TNOYS’ Youth Voices program, which annually uplifts dozens of YYA perspectives through video campaigns, blog posts, press features, listening sessions, and more. In collaboration with youth and young adult partners who have systems lived experience, TNOYS will kick off youth-led, youth-centered listening sessions and storytelling as part of ongoing work to build positive change in systems of justice.
“Youth and young adults’ voices are invaluable to the work of preventing youth justice involvement and building support systems that equip them to achieve their goals,” explained Fedora Galasso, TNOYS Chief Executive Officer. “Alongside the Texas Bar Foundation, TNOYS is grateful to shine a light on the unique experiences of these young people as we work to educate stakeholders and ensure supports and services are guided by lived expertise.”
Since its inception in 1965, the Texas Bar Foundation has awarded more than $27 million in grants to law-related programs. Supported by members of the State Bar of Texas, the Texas Bar Foundation is the nation’s largest charitably-funded bar foundation. To learn more about TNOYS’ collaboration with TBF and other youth-adult partnership work, please email Director of Communications Mary Bergeron at mbergeron@tnoys.org.
About TNOYS
For over 40 years, Texas Network of Youth Services (TNOYS) has worked tirelessly to build better outcomes for Texas’ most vulnerable yet resilient youth, young adults, and families. TNOYS represents and partners with a diverse network of over 80 Texas organizations across seven system areas: housing and homelessness services, child welfare, justice, survivor services, health and behavioral health, education, and workforce. Together with their partners, TNOYS has shaped numerous policies and initiatives to prevent systems involvement, strengthen and improve systems that serve youth, and ensure that young people are best equipped to make the transition out of systems and into adulthood.
TNOYS’ work is guided by a deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion; youth-adult partnership; and cross-systems collaborations. In every aspect of our work, TNOYS engages a diverse range of youth and youth adults with lived experience in systems. We provide young people with opportunities to amplify their voices, shape systems-change, and grow as leaders.
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