Ending Punitive and Discriminatory Practices in the U.S. and the Fight for Rights-Based Reforms
Every day, young people in the U.S. are harmed by school punishment, housing insecurity, immigration enforcement, incarceration, family separation, and institutionalization.
Youth experts will connect their lived experiences to racial and economic inequities, criminalization, and violations of international human rights standards. The conversation will illustrate how current U.S. policies—for example, zero-tolerance discipline and expanded immigration detention—cause lasting harm and reinforce racial disparities. Speakers will call for an end to discriminatory and punitive practices and for supportive, rights-based reforms driven by youth-led advocacy.