National Center for Youth Law

The National Center for Youth Law (NCYL) believes in the incredible power, agency, and wisdom of youth.

We advocate to improve the lives of children and youth.

For more than 50 years, we have worked to center the voices and experiences of youth blocked from educational, health, and social well-being opportunities, particularly Black youth and youth of color, LGBTQ youth, disabled youth, immigrant youth, and youth in child welfare and juvenile justice systems.

We are transforming systems – classrooms, courts, the justice system, and health care spaces – to extend equity, dignity and care for children and youth.

Our vision is a world in which every child thrives and has a full and fair opportunity to achieve the future they envision for themselves.

Our purpose is to amplify youth power, dismantle racism and other structural inequities, and build just policies, practices, and culture that center youth.

Our mission is to center youth voices and experiences through impact litigation, policy advocacy, collaboration and research that fundamentally transforms our nation's approach to education, health, immigration, foster care, and youth justice.