PLEI program empowers racialized, justice-involved youth
OJEN’s Public Legal Education and Information (PLEI) for Racialized Youth program wrapped up in March after completing its 4-year funding cycle. Funded by the Department of Justice Canada’s Justice Partnerships and Innovation Program (JPIP), the program was designed for youth who identify as African, Caribbean, Black (ACB), and Indigenous, ages 14–29, living primarily in urban areas across Ontario. The multi-session program provides participants with information about their rights and how to access legal support, while developing the legal life skills necessary to navigate a range of legal issues. Since its launch in 2023, OJEN has delivered the program across the province in partnership with schools, community organizations, after-school programs, and youth justice facilities.
In 2025, the program was adapted for racialized, justice-involved youth following several requests from program partners and feedback from the project’s core Youth Leadership Team (YLT). Throughout the year, 12 PLEI programs were delivered to 100 youth participants in open and closed custody, as well as in one diversion program, in Ottawa, Brampton, Scarborough, West Toronto, and Petersburg/Waterloo. Programming continued through March 2026.
More than information
For racialized, justice-involved youth, the legal system often seems intimidating and inaccessible. From where they are, the future can be unclear, and the difficulties can feel insurmountable. Demystifying the system with basic information and developing legal life skills to navigate challenging circumstances can make a real impact. The PLEI for Racialized Youth program equips participants with the tools and knowledge necessary to advocate for themselves and make informed decisions about legal issues they may encounter.
For youth in custody, the program is more than a source of information; it is a roadmap for navigating legal challenges after release and a way to build confidence in their future.
Youth-centered, responsive program design
What makes the program so impactful? According to OJEN’s Outreach team, an important aspect is its youth-centered program design that is culturally relevant and responsive to participants’ needs, experiences, and priorities.
As Enisoné Kadiri, Director of Outreach Programs, explains, “We engage young people directly and make sure the program reflects their realities. We also share information about the legal system honestly, while encouraging youth to think critically about how it could work better for them.”
This approach is strengthened through close collaboration with the program’s Youth Leadership Team (YLT) and local Youth Project Officers (YPO) in custody. Their input helps shape the content of the programs to ensure that they address the participants’ legal needs. YLT members who share similar lived experiences are invited to participate in sessions. As role models participants can relate to, they help youth see themselves reflected in the program.
Applying legal life skills to real life situations
Sessions use an interactive, dialogue-based approach to share practical legal information and build legal-life skills such as communication, legal-issue spotting, and self-advocacy. As Program Manager, Kassandra Thompson, explains, “We want youth to reflect on how legal life skills can apply to their real lives and feel empowered to apply what they’ve learned when faced with legal challenges.”
Youth also connect directly with community and justice-sector professionals. Through their interactions, misconceptions about the justice system are addressed, they expand their support networks in community, and space is created for them to share how the justice system and community can better support them.
As rapport builds within the group, participants become more engaged and contribute more actively to discussions. They demonstrate growing comfort with legal professionals and confidence by expressing their views and asking questions. Participants tell us how much they appreciate the chance to ask questions openly and discuss real-life situations that affect them.
Kassandra notes, “By creating a space where youth feel heard and taken seriously by justice and community professionals, they gain the confidence to engage with justice-sector professionals in the future.”
Next chapters
At the completion of the program, participants have increased their knowledge of their legal rights; know how to access reliable legal resources and supports; understand what legal life skills are and can apply them in real -life situations; and are more comfortable communicating with legal and community professionals when needed.
In most cases, the end of the program concludes OJEN’s contact with the participants. They move on to the next chapter of their lives better equipped to navigate some of life’s challenges, and that is usually how the story ends for us. Occasionally, a former participant reaches out to share what the program meant for them – like the youth who sent us an email at the end of last year. He expressed how much he had appreciated taking part in the program and let us know that he had been accepted into university. In the future, he said, he plans to pursue a career as a lawyer, adding that it is his dream to work with youth involved with the justice system and to give back to the community.
The PLEI for Racialized Youth program is an example of OJEN’s commitment to empowering youth who are often overlooked in our society. Legal knowledge, life skills, and comfort with legal professionals, while important for everyone, can be especially impactful for racialized, justice-involved youth. The program provides tools that support both immediate, concrete outcomes and long-term benefit. For many vulnerable youth, this is what access to justice looks like.
More stories about OJEN’s PLEI program for racialized youth will be published in the coming months.