Lehigh County Youth Justice Advisory Board

06/20/2025

YJAB at the 2025 Permanency Conference 💙

06/10/2025

Community Service Monday 😎

We started working on our tile art project to gift to Lehigh County Juvenile Probation 🎨🖌️

Next Monday, we’ll be back over at Cedar Beach Park around 12pm. We’ll be creating positivity posters to zip tie onto the basketball court fences. Please feel free to join us 😃 we’ll have plenty of supplies!

06/03/2025

YJAB kicked off Community Service Mondays at Cedar Beach Park yesterday. We made new friends, played some basketball, and of course we came with food to share! Our group picked up the trash left behind and worked with the community to identify needs. 😎🏀🍕

Some of the insight they obtained:

“Allentown needs a community center for kids” -Mcquis

“We need more places for kids to feel safe” -Celida

“Cops that protect and not project. Making sure they don’t use their bias against kids” -Tim

“More activities for the youth” -KAC

“Change the school food” -Junior

“More programs like this for youth ages 11-13” -Ebony

“School food and funds for more programs for youth” -Jenna

“Lower pool price, filtered water fountains, more bathrooms, more activities for kids to teens” -Jazmine

“More park clean-up, cleaner restrooms and more trash cans” -Christine

City of Allentown
lehighvalleylive.com
Lehigh Valley with Love
JusticeWorks Family of Services
Allentown Police Department

05/18/2025

A huge thank you to Promise Neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley for inviting us to your Open House! 🙌

It was awesome to see the amazing work you’re doing and to meet such a welcoming and passionate team. Your programs are truly making a difference 🧡

We are excited about the opportunity to build a meaningful partnership and look forward to supporting each other’s work in the future. Thanks again for having us!!

05/18/2025

We had an incredible day at the Lehigh Valley Zoo for our Youth Justice Advisory Board’s very first Family Engagement Event! 🦓🦒

👏 A huge thank you to our dedicated youth board member, Gio, for organizing such an impactful and fun-filled day — and to all the families who joined us in making it special!

In youth justice, family plays a critical role in healing, growth, and advocacy. For youth involved in or impacted by the justice system, having their families actively engaged provides support, stability, and a stronger sense of belonging.

This family engagement event was held in a space where families and young people can connect outside of an office or home setting, build trust, and collaborate on solutions that center youth voice. It also reminds families that they are partners in change, not bystanders.

When young people lead, and families are welcomed in, real transformation happens ❤️

05/14/2025

Words have power—and so does your journey. 💬

Whether you're prioritizing self-care, challenging stigma, or simply trying your best, these reminders are for you.

Let's keep the conversation going.

05/08/2025

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Our personal experiences are going to shape how we see the world & foster care is no exception. Whether you lived it, worked in it or have watched from the sidelines; each of us carries just a piece of the picture so our understanding is filtered through our own lens. & I think that’s pretty normal.

But growth happens when we stop clinging too tightly to our own version of the story instead of seeing the full picture. Foster care is complex. It’s full of beauty, love & resilience but also brokenness, loss & pain. No single experience can capture it all.

Now we don’t have to have everything figured out to make a difference; but if we want to advocate for better outcomes for the kids, for families & parents—we have to listen with the willingness to learn, even when it challenges us or feels uncomfortable.

Because in the end, it’s not about being right. It’s about doing right by the kids, the families & everyone who genuinely wants to turn “good intentions” into real change.

05/03/2025

The group held it down on their own during Community Outreach Day!

✅ Networked with other community organizations
✅ Spoke with youth about the YJAB program
✅ Played fun games with event attendees
✅ Identified changes that would benefit the community

So proud of the work they put into this!

05/03/2025

Come say hi! Here until 1pm. It’s a beautiful day to engage with the community ☀️

04/24/2025

The YJAB hosted an event at the Iron Pigs game tonight and it was 🔥

We are so grateful for everyone that came out. We made new friends, had great conversations and the weather was absolutely PERFECT ☀️

Attendees collaborated on risk factors that may lead youth to become involved with the juvenile justice system, brainstormed ideas to benefit the community and highlighted local organizations/individuals making a positive impact on youth. 👏🏻🎉

03/17/2025

Seven Springs Mountain Resort for a YJAB convening this weekend! A few fun highlights from the trip 🎿😂

Shoutout to Tanazia for creating this 👏🏻

01/16/2025

Meet one of our speakers for the Crossover Youth: At the Intersection of Child Welfare & Justice Systems A Panel Discussion on Tuesday February 4, 2025. 6:00-8:00pm EST.

Tanzia Reid
Allentown, Pennsylvania

I was a youth involved with the child welfare system up until early adulthood. I faced challenging obstacles as a child and that lead to my involvement with the juvenile justice system during my teenage years. With resiliance and support, I was able to turn my life around and emerged as a passionate advocate for change. For work, I provide supervision and support to youth that are facing similar struggles. I’m also the President of the LehighCounty Youth Justice Advisory Board. I enjoy speaking publicly about my journey to inspire youth and raise awareness about the challenges faced by youth in the system. Through advocacy work, I aim to dismantle stigma, promote understanding, and create a supportive environment where every young person has the opportunity to thrive.