NATIONAL GIRLS INITIATIVE
The National Girls Initiative (NGI), with funding from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), focused on catalyzing change for girls in and at-risk of entering the juvenile justice system from 2013 to 2019.
PROJECT DETAILS
Training and Technical Assistance
Through use of a diverse array of training and technical assistance (TTA) methods — including direct assistance, convening roundtables, hosting webinars, conducting research, releasing briefs and reports, giving Innovation Awards through a public/private partnership, and creating peer-to-peer learning opportunities — NGI and its many partners were able to increase awareness, support jurisdictions, and build momentum for change across the country.
In total, NGI provided TTA to jurisdictions and advocates in over 24 states. Additionally, NGI provided resources and tools on the needs of girls, shared information on evidence-informed, evidence-based, and promising practices that are gender- and culturally-responsive, trauma informed, and developmentally appropriate; and created opportunities for girls and their families to engage as active partners for change. In 2015, OJJDP released its policy guidance on “Girls In the Juvenile Justice System” which continues to provide direction on justice reform for girls and gender-expansive young people impacted by the juvenile justice system.
Innovation Awards
Through a partnership with the NoVo Foundation and American Institutes for Research, NGI provided Innovation Awards in nine states to address the needs of girls and young women in, or at risk of entering, the juvenile justice system. Funds were used in eight states to support girls' alliances, coalitions, and other collaborative efforts to advance changes in policies and programs designed to meet the unique needs of girls in one or more priority areas identified by OJJDP.
