CCC’s YouthAction Members recently conducted research on the School to Prison Pipeline, which is a nationwide trend of school safety and discipline policies that push youth out of the education system and into the juvenile or criminal justice systems. As they learned more about the forces at play in New York City and State, the group decided to create an animated explainer to shine a light on this issue and the variety of interventions necessary both within the education and justice systems. They plan to use the video as a tool for advocacy, and encourage all New Yorkers to join the effort to improve the lives of youth.

YouthAction members created the script, storyboard, animations, and narration for the video. A special thanks to Kings County Productions for filming and editing the piece.

Background research and statistics for the film came from interviews with advocates at Children’s Defense Fund and Citizens’ Committee for Children and from a variety of publications, which can be read in their entirety by clicking the links below:

• Safety with Dignity, Complete Report by the Mayor’s Leadership Team on School Climate and Discipline (2015)
• Final Report of the Governor’s Commission on Youth, Public Safety and Justice (2015)
• Student Safety Act Data on Suspensions and In-School Arrests and Summons  (2011 – 2015)
• Report: A, B, C, D, STPP: How School Discipline Feeds the School-to-Prison Pipeline (2013)

YouthAction NYC is an after-school program for New York City high school students interested in learning to advocate on behalf of themselves, their schools and their communities. Students research and discuss the issues that matter to them- and then graduate from the program with the skills they need to make positive changes for children and youth. Learn more about CCC’s YouthAction NYC programs.