OJEN’s community-based public legal education initiatives are designed to address the specific legal needs of youth aged 12 to 29. By partnering with community groups across Ontario, OJEN delivers engaging programs and workshops that build knowledge, develop legal life skills, and empower youth to navigate legal challenges in their own lives and drive positive change in their communities.
Workshops and programs cover various legal topics and focus on four main outcomes:
Most of OJEN’s programs are available in-person, online or in a hybrid format. Check out our Menu of Program Options for Community Organizations to learn more.
If you are interested in delivering a program to a youth group in your community, contact OJEN’s Outreach department at programs@ojen.ca or fill out the program request form.
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“Futures in Justice / Avenirs en justice” is now in its fourth year! Organized by members of the local bench, Regional Senior Justice Dumel and Justice Loignon, this bilingual, day-long event encourages female-identifying, gender-fluid, and non-binary youth from racialized and/or marginalized backgrounds to explore careers in the justice sector. Ottawa-area students aged 15 to 22 […]
PLEI for racialized communities is a new, interactive, culturally relevant and responsive program designed for youth who identify as African, Caribbean, Black (ACB), or Indigenous, ages 14–29, living primarily in urban areas across Ontario. Using scenarios, games and experiential activities, these programs use a collaborative, interactive, dialogue-based approach. Over 8-9 workshops, PLEI programs inform racialized […]
For many young people, a career in law may feel out of their reach. Futures in Justice (previously named Braiding Diversity into Justice) and other OJEN career modelling programs help young people of all backgrounds “see themselves in law” by introducing them to legal professionals with whom they share similar experiences. The goal of these […]
The OJEN Youth-Police Dialogue (YPD) program is an interactive justice education series designed to promote positive interactions, build knowledge, challenge perceptions and enhance skills to foster greater relations between youth and police in communities across Ontario. Over the course of this project, youth will meet with Youth Police Dialogue Facilitators, police officers, and lawyers to […]
Newcomers often experience unique legal challenges. Faced with unfamiliar laws and legal processes, and potentially unaware of their legal rights or mechanisms for enforcement, many newcomers also experience language barriers when seeking access to legal help. Newcomer youth often have a special and trusted relationship with their parents and other adult family members. They speak […]
Everyday Law uses simplified classroom activities to introduce legal concepts to young people in an accessible way. Because they were originally developed for Ontario’s Grade 11 Workplace level law course (CLU3E), they are easily adapted for use in community or ESL contexts. When we run Everyday Law workshops, we connect the audience with a legal […]
The Family Law for Young Parents (FLYP) program empowers young parents by equipping them with the knowledge and skills they need to handle legal challenges confidently. The workshop series uses experiential learning to address common legal issues they may face. Over the course of 3-5 sessions, lawyers work with young parents to build legal life […]
Talking Law is a series of workshops that teach ESL students about the law. It can be adapted for a range of language levels. The Talking Law series helps ESL students build skills for dealing with legal issues at the same time as developing their vocabulary and confidence. In a Talking Law workshop, a lawyer […]
OJEN on the Air invites students to research a legal topic, interview an expert, and record a radio segment or podcast about their topic. Sometimes, we partner with a local radio station to get students into a professional studio, where recording experts can coach them on their work. But even if you don’t have a […]
Active Citizens is a flexible program that helps youth build the skills they need to effect change in their communities. Active Citizens contains a set of workshops or modules that you can mix and match to create a program that fits a specific youth audience. With modules that focus on advocacy skills, local issues, and […]
