CO-DESIGNING WITH SYSTEM INVOLVED YOUTH

Racial disparities in the juvenile justice system are growing even as youth arrest rates decline overall, and black youth face particularly egregious disparities. Inequity in the provision of mental health services on the basis of race before, during, and after incarceration negatively impacts the health, well-being, employment opportunities, educational attainment, and relationships of individuals of color who are or were system-involved. 

With a grant from the William T. Grant Foundation, iThrive is undertaking a project to increase understanding of the lived experiences of youth of color within juvenile detention centers. The project uses iThrive's co-design approach to authentically engage with youth and explore opportunities and barriers to supporting their mental health within "the system." 

For the original study design, iThrive planned to host co-design workshops in person with youth who were detained in Georgia.  Due to COVID-19, this work is being rescoped, as access to detained youth is not currently available. Updates will be available once work proceeds.