Year in Review: JFCY and the PLE Team!

Both JFCY and the PLE Team had a great year in 2012.

JFCY's work in 2012

JFCY lawyers assisted hundreds of young people this year with various legal issues, ranging from defending youth on charges under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, representing youth in family court in making claims for financial support, advocacy around entitlement to social benefits like Ontario Works, negotiations and defending youth facing school expulsions, representing youth victims of crime in applications to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board, and many other types of cases.

In addition to direct representation at court and tribunals in the Toronto-area, JFCY lawyers also provided legal advice and brief services to young people across the province.

JFCY intervened in two important cases at the Supreme Court of Canada, including one about children's rights to appropriate special education supports.  To read more, check out our related blog post here.

JFCY lawyers also conducted legal education workshops and seminars for other lawyers, social workers, teachers, guidance counselors, front-line support workers, social service professionals and, of course, youth themselves.  These sessions focused on a variety of issues, from youth criminal justice to school education law and were conducted across the province, including as far away as Thunder Bay.

JFCY did all of this despite a small staff of only six people!  A special thanks to our dedicated crew: Mary (Acting Executive Director), Samira (intake lawyer), Andrea (litigation lawyer), Johanna (street youth legal services lawyer), Karien (office manager) and Marie (admin).

Finally, a VERY big thanks to JFCY's many volunteers, from our Board of Directors to our law student interns to our committees, including the PLE Team, featured below.  The work of our volunteers is crucial in allowing us to be able to fulfill our mandate, while keeping connected to the communities that we serve.

The Public Legal Education Team ("PLE Team")- 2012 Year in Review

Launched in the summer of 2010, the PLE Team has grown and improved in the past two years.  Led by our litigation lawyer, Andrea, and supported each academic year by a law student volunteer from U of T's PBSC program, the PLE Team is responsible for this blog, as well as JFCY's Facebook, YouTube and Twitter presence.  Additionally, the PLE Team regularly publishes print and online newsletters, zines and other special projects. To read the Bullying 'Zine that we published in 2012, click here.

2012 saw JFCY's blog stats increase significantly, thanks in large part to the consistent and high-level effort of the PLE Team volunteers, who include high school students, post-secondary students, law students, lawyers and others. To read our most popular blog post written in 2012, click here.

The YouTube subcommittee of the PLE Team produced and uploaded four videos in 2012, including topics such as Leaving Home and Fake ID.

Thanks to the 20+ active volunteer members of the PLE Team, including 8 high school students, our PBSC law student voluntreers Leora Jackson (2011/12) and Lauren Grossman (2012/13), our YouTube coordinators Arif Hussain and Bianca Thomas and our video editor Terence Chen (a grade 12 student who was recognized as JFCY's Volunteer of the Year at our 2012 AGM.)

  


The PLE Team in 2013?

Around the corner in 2013, stay tuned for a new YouTube video on school expulsions.  We are also in the process of creating an interactive game that will be used at JFCY workhsops.  The Youth Action Committee members of the PLE Team have several plans up their sleeve, including some awareness raising initiatives and events to help encourage young people from diverse backgrounds to consider future careers in law. We are looking forward to another fun and successful year of PLE in 2013.

Behind the Scenes with the PLE Team

The YouTube subcommittee of the PLE Team was busy this week filming a video on school expulsions.  The video examines some of the consequences of getting caught selling and buying drugs on school property.

Here is a look behind the scenes at our youth volunteers:

Thanks to everyone involved:

Arif (writer and director)
Bianca (law student writer)
Andrea (JFCY staff lawyer supervisor)
Terence (actor, camera, editing)
Lucas (actor, camera)
Johnny (actor)
Genevieve (actor)
Mindy (actor)
Cydney (actor)
Marie (pizza!)

Stay tuned in early January for the release of this video.

JFCY in the courts: Special Education

Today the Supreme Court of Canada released its decision in Moore v. BC, a case about a student (Jeffrey Moore) with dyslexia who was denied appropriate accommodation of his disability, thereby preventing him meaningful access to an education in the public school system.

When Jeffrey was an elementary school student, his school board eliminated the remedial program that had been recommended to address Jeffrey's learning disability.  The Board failed to provided adequate alternatives.  Ultimately, Jeffrey went to private school (at the expense of his parents) where he received the appropriate accommodation that he needed in order to meaningfully access an education. 

JFCY intervened in this important case, providing argument to the court on various human rights legal issues around special education.  

JFCY is pleased to report that the court found in favour of Jeffrey, holding that the School Board discriminated against him on the basis of disability because he was not provided with adequate special education services in order to to develop his individual potential. Jeffrey and his family were compensated for the harm he experienced as a result of the discrimination, including the reimbursement of tuition costs that his parents had paid to the private school. 

With respect to the human rights analysis, the Court made it clear that the "service" to which Jeffrey was entitled under the human rights legislation was "education" generally, not "special education" specifically. This ensures that the analysis would not end up in a "separate but equal" approach, ie comparing kids with one disability to kids with another disability.  The access that students with learning disabilities have to an education must be compared to the access that the general student population has to an education.

To this end, the Court stated at paragraph 5 of the judgment: "Adequate special education, therefore, is not a dispensable luxury.  For those with severe learning disabilities, it is the ramp that provides access to the statutory commitment to education made available to all children."


To read the Supreme Court of Canada case, click here.

For news articles, click hereand here.

Fake ID and the Law: Video

Ever wondered about the potential legal consequences for getting caught with fake or borrowed ID?

Check out this video produced by the PLE Team.  Click here to watch the video!

Learn about the law around fake IDs in Ontario.  Watch these three teens as they learn about the possible consequences for getting caught with fake or borrowed ID.

A big thanks goes out to the YouTube Subcommittee of the JFCY PLE Team (Arif, Bilal, Christine, Lucas, Terence, Tracy, Brendan, and Andrea) for writing, planning, acting, filming and editing this video!







Click here to watch the video!

Staff profile: Andrea Luey

By Diana Rozo, JFCY PLE Team Member


Andrea Luey has worked as a lawyer at JFCY since 2009. She works with clients and also runs the Public Legal Education Team.

Andrea during the JFCY PLE Team filming of a legal rights video

Before she worked at JFCY, she worked for Kensington-Bellwoods Community Legal Services in Toronto and Kinna-aweya Legal Clinic in Thunder Bay. Andrea volunteers regularly at The 519 Church Street Community Centre, where she coordinates the free Legal Advice and Referral Clinic, geared towards assisting low-income queer and trans people with legal issues. What captivated her about being a lawyer was the ability to help people, while having an intellectually stimulating career. Nevertheless, before making her decision she had thought about different careers such as counselling and construction work. However, if she were to have a second career she would run a bed and breakfast which offers a fitness facility. 
 

Andrea at the 2011 JFCY AGM

Why does Andrea love her job at JFCY? She loves her job at JFCY because all of her clients are youth.  Even though fighting for youth rights may be challenging at times-it is also extremely rewarding. When Andrea is not in the court room or at her desk, she loves to spend time with her partner, go to the gym and hang out with friends after a hectic day at work. Her favourite TV shows at the moment are Parks and Recreation, The Good Wife, Parenthood, and of course... Seinfeld.  When asked what advice she would give to people considering a career in law, Andrea's advice is to be prepared to work hard, but remember not to doubt your own abilities!


This Profile was written by Diana Rozo, a volunteer member of JFCY's PLE Team.  Diana is a student at York University. 

How do I talk to a lawyer, and what do I say? FAQ about meeting a lawyer at JFCY

If you are under the age of 18 and have a legal problem that needs to be resolved, you can get in touch with JFCY. They will provide you with expert legal advice and ensure that you receive the legal protection that you are entitled to as a rights-holder. If you are unsure about how to contact JFCY, or if you would like to know what to expect when speaking to a lawyer, you may want to check out the answers to some of our frequently-asked questions:

How do people get referred to JFCY? Do they usually just walk in or call, or does another agency refer them?

JFCY resources (including our contact info and publications) are available at many schools (including the offices of school guidance counselors, social workers, child and youth workers and teachers), youth courts, shelters, community centres, youth drop-in facilities and other community agencies.  As a result, people who work at our use services at these places often refer young people to JFCY. Also, the Kids Help Phone has our contact info and gives it out when kids are calling with an issue that has a legal component.  Youth also contact us after finding our info on the internet, or learning about us from family and friends.

What are some of the most common issues that JFCY lawyers help with?

JFCY lawyers help with many different legal issues, including school problems (ie suspensions, expulsions), charges under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, social assistance entitlements (ie Ontario Works), and some family law issues. JFCY lawyers do their best to answer any legal questions that young people have, or provide referrals to other people or places to get more help. JFCY generally does not get involved in family law custody issues.  

Do my parents need to be with me when I speak to a lawyer?

JFCY lawyers always speak directly to the young person, NOT their parents. Everything that you discuss is held completely confidential. The information is kept between you and the lawyer (as well as other lawyers on staff, if necessary). The exception to this is for school problems: the JFCY lawyer will speak with the young person and, when they have the young person’s permission, they will also speak with their parent(s).  You can expect that the lawyer will keep whatever you tell them confidential, and wont talk to your parents about it unless you specifically ask the lawyer to do so. 

How long does it take to see a lawyer, and does the lawyer usually just talk to clients on the phone, or do clients come into the office?

When a young person calls JFCY for assistance, they first speak with a trained intake worker, who is usually one of our administrative staff, a law student or a social work student.  The intake worker will ask the young person for their contact info, birth date and details about their legal issue or questions. The information is then passed along to a lawyer and that lawyer will call the young person back within 2 business days, or 48 hours.  For example, if someone called on Friday at lunch time, they can expect a call back no later than Tuesday at lunch.  Using this timeline as a guide, the lawyer will try and get back to the young person as soon as possible, especially if their situation is urgent.  Once the lawyer phones back, they will try and answer all of the young person’s questions over the phone.  Occasionally, they will need to meet in person at the JFCY Office. Many legal questions can be answered over the phone.  Other issues may involve the need for representation. This is when the lawyer will attend court with the young person or advocate on their behalf to other people.  

If I need to set up an appointment with a lawyer, are there any forms or documents that I should bring with me? Do I need to prepare for the meeting in any way?

When you talk on the phone, the lawyer will tell you if you need to bring anything with you.  You should be ready to talk about your legal issue with the lawyer.  Remember that any conversations you have with your lawyer are confidential, which means that the lawyer will not tell anyone what you have talked about (unless you specifically ask them to do so).  Your lawyer is not there to judge you in any way, but to represent you and give you advice on legal issues. 

Can I see what the JFCY office looks like before arriving to meet with a lawyer?

You can check out our office tour on our Facebook page!

When does a legal issue require going to court? How long do court cases usually last?

Sometimes young people must to go to court or to a tribunal to solve a legal issue.  A tribunal is like a smaller "court" that deals with specific legal problems.  Sometimes it is less formal than a regular court.  Some examples of tribunals are the Landlord and Tenant Board (for housing issues) or the Discipline Committee of a school board.  If a case requires attendance at court/tribunal, this often means that the young person must meet with their lawyer more frequently, and that the lawyer will be doing additional work to prepare for the case. There is no strict time-frame that applies to all legal cases. Some require more of a time commitment than others, depending on the complexity of the issue.  Since cases can last for a long time, it is important for clients to tell their lawyers if they are moving or their contact information changes.  

Other than court cases, how do other legal issues get resolved?

Many legal issues do not require attendance in court and instead are resolved through information sharing, phone calls or meetings.  Many times, a young person’s legal questions will be answered directly by the JFCY lawyer and no trips to court are necessary.  Other times, JFCY lawyers will help to resolve a legal issue by writing a letter on behalf of a young person or by negotiating a resolution to their legal problem with someone who is on the other side of the legal disagreement.

The entrance to the JFCY office

Thanks to PLE Team member Stefan Venier for writing this post, and JFCY lawyer Andrea Luey for providing the information about talking to a JFCY lawyer.

Behind the Scenes with the PLE Team

On December 20 some members of the YouTube Subcommittee of the PLE Team shot a public legal education video. The topic: Age of Consent for Sexual Activity, an area of law that is commonly misunderstood. The volunteers worked with Andrea to come up with a script and plan. Stay tuned for the release of this short video in January 2012. Thanks to everyone who helped: Tracy, Terence, Lucas, Christine, Arif and Andrea

To see more photos, check out our Facebook album FACEBOOK ALBUM