Anthem and Street Law Launch Six New Legal Life Skills Sites

Street Law’s Legal Life Skills Program targets those who are most vulnerable to racism and injustice to provide them with practical legal knowledge and skills.

By participating in this unique program, local organizations can provide the people they serve the knowledge and confidence necessary to advocate for themselves, address challenges, and become active changemakers within their community.

Additionally, by ensuring that every Legal Life Skills partner organization or instructor is trained and equipped to lead lessons by themselves, we ensure that Street Law continues to impact communities well past our direct involvement. Thanks to a generous grant from the Anthem Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Anthem, Inc., Street Law Inc. has expanded our Legal Life Skills Program to partner with six new community-based organizations in three diverse regions including:

• Los Angeles, California
  Together with Safe Place for Youth and the Los Angeles LGBT Center, Street Law is partnering to serve youth who need housing, support, and social services.
• Atlanta, Georgia
  In collaboration with The United Way and Family Promise Hall, Street Law working to reach adults who are facing financial and housing hardships.
• Washington Metropolitan Area
  Street Law is partnering with the Latin American Youth Center/Maryland Multicultural Youth Centers and Maryland Department of Juvenile Services Evening Reporting Center, serving youth in the juvenile justice system and youth in alternative education.

Jacob Newman, managing director of LAYC said, “Latin American Youth Center/Maryland Multicultural Youth Centers are thrilled to be partnering with Street Law to bring the Legal Life Skills curriculum, which provides resources pertaining daily living skills and an orientation to rights and protections, to our youth and young adult participants.”

Each participating organization provides workforce development skills that are in direct alignment with the four major areas of Street Law’s Legal Life Skills curriculum: Housing & Employment Law; Financial Literacy; Personal & Public Safety; and the Court System & Civic Engagement.  These program lessons, offered in both English and Spanish, ensure that participants know their rights and build key life skills to help them advocate for themselves and their communities.

Because of the Anthem Foundation’s support, Street Law is able to train and coach staff members from each organization to implement and facilitate Legal Life Skills at their organization. A major part of the project will be assisting each organization to develop a sustainability plan to ensure the impact of Street Law’s Legal Life Skills lasts well beyond the life of the grant.

“Our partnership with Anthem Foundation and community-based organizations is a prime example of cross-sectoral collaboration for systemic change,” said Ashok Regmi, Street Law’s executive director. “At Street Law, we believe in impact sustainability. We achieve that by building capacity of community organizations to integrate Street Law methodology and content in their programming for years to come.”

Stay tuned for more about participating organizations and updates on this project.