This week, THREE Youth Leaders – Micaela Baca, DeAngelo Montoya, and Shantell Gallegos – received Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Excellence Awards for their efforts to lead positive change for young people impacted by systems, and Ezra Spitzer was recognized for his leadership at the 2019 New Mexico Children’s Law Institute (CLI) at Hotel Albuquerque. Each year, this statewide conference attracts over 1,000 child welfare/juvenile justice workers, judges, lawyers, advocates, foster parents, young people, and lawmakers, providing them with the latest information on the law, best practices, and local and national trends.

Youth Leaders also facilitated two conference workshops – one was led in partnership with Think of Us, a national organization that is using technology to bolster social capital for those aging out of foster care. The second workshop featured a panel with Youth Leaders – some have been partnering with NMCAN for over five years while others began their advocate journey earlier this year. It means so much to see young people with a range of experiences coming together to support their peers, harness their power, and provide meaningful input about improving systems.

Thank you to Rochelle Alvarado, Micaela Baca, Alyssa Davis, Krystal Goolsby, DeAngelo Montoya, Andrew Salazar, and Margie Villegas for their leadership at CLI! You ROCK!

See more images from CLI on our Facebook page.