YLD Past Initiatives
Access to Education 2016-2017
The ABA YLD dedicates its resources to underserved and often overlooked communities. To combat the crisis of unequal access to education in these very populations, ABA YLD is investing in education through its 2016-2017 Access to Education public service project, Blossom.
World Wise Web 2015-2016
World Wise Web: Protecting Our Youth From Internet Predators provides resources to help defend against online predatory activity. New technology emerges every day, and young people are at the forefront of using such technology in novel ways. This fast-paced environment creates prime hunting grounds for cyber predators.
Project Street Youth 2014-2015
There are over 1.7 million homeless youth in the United States, and the population grows each year. Almost 40% of the homeless population is under 18 years of age. With these statistics in mind, the ABA YLD’s Public Service Team has partnered with the Center on Children and the Law and the Commission on Homelessness and Poverty to create Project Street Youth, with the goal of providing access to justice to this extremely underserved population
Bullyproof
Lawyers Educating and Empowering to End Bullying is a comprehensive initiative that provides education and resources to help empower Parents, Educators, Students, and Young Lawyers make bullying a thing of the past.
American Voter
Curriculum-based project for educators and high school students.
Project Salute 2011-2012
During the 2011-2012 bar year, the ABA YLD extended our commitment of public service to supporting our veterans. The Division partnered with the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law (UDM) to implement Project Salute: Young Lawyers Serving Veterans. Through the year-long partnership, volunteer attorneys educated veterans on available benefits and assisted them with obtaining these benefits.
Serving Our Seniors
The ABA Young Lawyers Division, along with the Chicago Bar Association Young Lawyers Section, the Chicago Bar Foundation, and Illinois Legal Aid Online, developed the Serving Our Seniors program based on a clinical project created by the Center for Disability and Elder Law. Serving Our Seniors provided a comprehensive multi-media package including educational outreach, training, and implementation materials to assist young lawyers in providing low-income seniors with legal advice regarding the creation of basic estate plans, including powers of attorney for healthcare and property, living wills, and simple wills.
They Had a Dream Too 2009-2010
The project centered on a 28-minute film that highlights the Civil Rights Movement and the courageous acts of young people that made a profound impact on history. The film, narrated by renowned civil rights leader and NAACP Chairman, Julian Bond, features historic events such as the Sit-In Movement, freedom rides, marches, protests, and voting rights. A written curriculum guide was provided to assist educators in implementing the project and includes discussion questions and activities for educators to use with their class.
Voices Against Violence 2008-2009
The program was designed to educate lawyers about the epidemic of domestic violence, particularly among the teen population. It was our goal to engage lawyers in efforts to respond to and prevent domestic violence in their communities by taking part in legislative advocacy, handling pro bono cases involving domestic violence, providing support to existing domestic violence shelters and programs, delivering presentations to the public about domestic violence or holding local roundtable discussions for domestic violence advocates.
Wills for Heroes 2007-2008
During the 2007-2008 bar year the ABA Young Lawyers Division partnered with the Wills for Heroes Foundation, a not-for-profit organization providing basic estate planning services to emergency first responders free of charge.