Young Scholars for Justice

Young Scholars for Justice Program is dedicated to the development of youth and young adults of color to address education, environmental, economic, and social justice issues affecting them and ensure gender, racial and resource equity. The project promotes youth and young adult integration in all areas of PODER's program work. 

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The Young Scholars for Justice Program (YSJ) provides linguistically and culturally relevant programming that relies on the strengths and assets of the community.  The program is overseen by staff with considerable experience in youth development and supported by college interns with experience in program design for diverse populations. In addition, the program itself is largely driven by the interests and needs of the enrolled youth, which will assist in ensuring that programming not only effectively engages youth, but also reflects the culture of youth.

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The YSJ is specifically designed to assist youth ages 14-18 residing in East Austin. The YSJ builds the emotional, behavioral, and social needs of youth while providing opportunities for the development of 21st century skills that build employable skills. Participants work collaboratively with staff to determine scope and sequence of activities with consideration to the goals of the program, building and extending communication, teamwork, decision-making, and conflict resolution skills.