Youth Leading Youth: Know-Your-Rights Training for SIJS Youth
On November 19, Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts (CLCM) partnered with End the SIJS Backlog Coalition to host a dynamic two-hour Know Your Rights training led by youth for youth. Close to 30 youth with Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) gathered in person, over pizza at a safe, donated community space and virtually from home, to learn, share and connect.
Two members of the Coalition’s SIJS Youth Leadership Council — young people who hold SIJS status themselves — facilitated the training. Blending lived experience with practical legal guidance and encouragement, the youth facilitators helped demystify key topics such as understanding SIJS status and navigating interactions with immigration authorities.
CLCM staff Claire Valentin, Jackie Gurany, Shauna King, and Nora Doherty gathered for a photo after the training. Out of respect for privacy and to ensure a safe space, we do not photograph youth participants.
Why this matters.
Youth with SIJS status face complex legal landscapes: visa backlogs, loss of deferred-action protections, rapidly shifting policies, and the very real stress of transitioning to adulthood without clarity about their future. Peer-led education helps to make rights tangible, to build confidence, strengthen self-advocacy, and to forge a network of support.
The event reflects CLCM’s commitment to centering the voices and leadership of youth most impacted by the systems we seek to change. By creating space for peer-to-peer learning, we support not only legal education but also community-building, empowerment, and leadership development.
We extend our gratitude to the youth leaders who stepped forward to share their knowledge and lived experiences, to every youth participant who showed up, to our partners at End the SIJS Backlog for their continued collaboration in uplifting youth leadership and advocacy, and to the broader coalition of youth, advocates, and legal professionals working toward a future in which the promise of SIJS is honored, meaningful, and accessible.