Unsettling youth justice and cultural norms: The Youth Restorative Action Project.

Source: (2006) Journal of Youth Studies. 9(1):47-66.

In a cultural milieu where adult views predominate, youthful voices are silenced and frequently invalidated. While the ‘otherness’ of young people renders them unique, it also justifies their exclusion as decision-makers in institutional arrangements that fundamentally impact their lives. Nowhere is this condition more evident than in the youth justice system. Youth are subjects of justice sanctioning without being its authors. In recent months the Youth Restorative Action Project (YRAP), a grass-roots youth organization based in Edmonton Alberta, has challenged this hegemony. As a Youth Justice Committee created and administered entirely by youth, YRAP forces state actors to revisit how the youth justice system should function. However, as this paper argues, the group must guard against co-option by the state through engaging in ongoing self reflexivity. (author’s abstract)