Philadelphia, PA – Congreso de Latinos Unidos, a leading provider of social services in Philadelphia, and convener of the Latino Juvenile Justice Network (LJJN), join efforts to educate parents and their youth about how the juvenile justice system works, and what they can do to ensure their civil rights are protected and to encourage positive partnerships with law enforcement.

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Latino Juvenile Justice Network
The Latino Juvenile Justice Network (LJJN) is a project of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR). NCLR is the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States which works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans through its network of nearly 300 affiliated community-based organizations (CBOs). LJJN is a long-term, multi-state juvenile justice reform effort based in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Washington, and Louisiana. It is a key partner of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s “Models for Change” initiative, which seeks to develop a comprehensive framework for a model juvenile justice system that can be replicated in other states. The formation of the LJJN allows NCLR Affiliates and other local Latino CBOs to collectively identify issues and approaches for juvenile justice reform specific to their county or state. Through its Affiliate Network and community partnerships, NCLR will build a Latino-specific model for reform that connects service providers to juvenile justice reform efforts.

Congreso de Latinos Unidos
Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Inc. (Congreso) is one of the leading community-based nonprofit Latino organizations in Philadelphia. Founded in 1977, Congreso began as a grassroots organization providing health services to the surrounding Puerto Rican community. Over the past 30 years, Congreso has responded to the community’s changing demographics and evolving needs by growing into a multifaceted, comprehensive provider of health, social, economic, and educational services. Today, Congreso serves individuals from more than 20 Latin American countries as well as the diverse population of North Philadelphia.

Congreso’s four multicultural and bilingual divisions (Children and Youth, Workforce Development, Health Promotion and Wellness, and Neighborhood and Family Development Services) employ more than 300 staff and volunteers, and work to provide more than 50 individual and family-oriented programs. The organization provided direct services to more than 22,000 customers in fiscal year 2006.

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