National Council of La Raza

1126 16th Street, NW

Washington, DC 20036

• Phone (202) 785-1670
• http://www.nclr.org

The National Council of La Raza—the nation’s largest Hispanic civil rights, advocacy, and community development organization—was established in 1968 to reduce poverty and discrimination and improve life opportunities for Hispanic Americans. In 2000 NCLR adopted criminal and juvenile justice issues as a priority, and in 2006 it established the Latino Juvenile Justice Network. The Network has four goals:

1. to build juvenile justice advocacy capacity among Latino community-based organizations;
   
2. to heighten awareness and contribute a Latino perspective to reform efforts in Models for Change sites;
   
3. to promote opportunities for local and state-based groups to learn from each other;
   
4. and to complement and inform NCLR’s existing federal-level justice advocacy work.
   

Partners and clients

The Network brings together state and local community-based organizations to form advocacy coalitions for juvenile justice reform.

Strategies and services

NCLR/Network activities include:

• Building community partnerships. Tapping into its extensive affiliate membership, NCLR surveys potential Network partners in Models for Change states, establishes an advocacy coalition in each state, and identifies a coordinating agency. NCLR assists the coalitions in organizing public education and advocacy events and activities, including town hall meetings, visits to juvenile facilities, and media contacts.
• Providing technical assistance and training to the statewide coalitions. Participants take part in workshops and have access to materials, resources, and telephone consultations in three areas: advocacy strategies and tactics, media out- reach, and resource development. NCLR brings coalitions from different sites together to facilitate the exchange of information and lessons learned, and links the coalitions to the Models for Change initiative and its National Resource Bank.
• Providing policy analysis and research through statistical reports, policy briefs, fact sheets, and other resource material, often drawing on the National Resource Bank. In return, it offers the National Resource Bank first-hand knowledge and information about the experiences of Latino youths involved in the juvenile justice system and the delivery of services in Latino communities.

Areas of expertise

Community Organizing and Advocacy