This year has created challenges for everyone in many different ways. The public health situation and necessary precautions resulted in big changes for the 2020 Court Improvement Project Annual Conference.

Traditionally, CIP holds Regional Conferences in 3-4 locations across the state in order to reach all regions of the state and bring juvenile justice and child welfare professionals together. This year, the CIP team held one in-person conference at UNL’s Innovation Campus Conference Center and live-streamed the speakers and presentations to over 300 virtual attendees.

The 2020 program was “Seeing the Youth, Action Through Perceived Options” presented by Lisa Thurau, Executive Director of Strategies for Youth with presentations from Nebraska Education Commissioner, Matthew Blomstedt; Omaha Police Department Deputy Chief, Greg Gonzalez; and mental health therapist, Jessica Kroeker.  Stakeholders learned to identify underlying issues related to trauma and adolescent development, to meet youth where they are, and build relationships for positive outcomes.

Strategies for Youth is a non-profit organization, advocating for youth in juvenile justice and providing evidenced-based training for law enforcement for interacting with youth. They describe themselves on StrategiesForYouth.org as follows: “Strategies for Youth actively engages police, youth, and youth-serving community-based organizations in an interdisciplinary approach to addressing several problems: the proliferation of contentious encounters between police and youth, unnecessary arrests of youth for minor offenses, and disproportionate police contact with youth of color.”

More information, including available documents and link to the recorded conference playlist can be found here: https://supremecourt.nebraska.gov/programs-services/court-improvement-project/events/cip-2020-conference

Top Photo: Attendees socially distanced.
Middle Photo: Corey R. Steel, State Court Administrator
Bottom Photo: Chief Justice Michael G. Heavican