Giving children a voice.
“Advocates for Children and Youth is a statewide public policy organization ? we accept no government funds ? whose purpose is to advocate on behalf of children across a broad spectrum of issues that affect them,” Sharon Rubinstein, ACY?s communications director and staff lobbyist, said.
“We try to give a voice to the voiceless,” Rubinstein added, noting that ACY?s target issues include child poverty, child welfare, early childhood issues, education, health and juvenile justice. “We try to ensure that the children?s agenda is well-researched and known and acted upon in Annapolis.”
Organized in 1987 by a group of Maryland child advocates, the downtown Baltimore nonprofit, which often operates in partnership with a flurry of related child and youth support groups uses such tools as citizen mobilization, media advocacy, policymaker education, data analysis and research, and partnership promotion to carry out its mission.
“Our purpose is to discover what it is that children need,” Rubinstein explained, “and then promote it. We try to gather as much information about best practices as possible ? and in every area, including in Baltimore City and the other counties … move indicators of child well-being in a positive direction.”
According to Rubinstein, Maryland, which ranks fifth in the nation in median family income, runs only middle of the pack ? at 23rd ? in terms of child welfare indicators, down from 19th last year.
“ACY is doing a great job in bringing together a coalition of advocacy groups concerned with child and youth welfare issues,” said Margaret Williams, executive director of the Baltimore-based Friends of the Family Inc., a nonprofit that focuses on very early childhood and family issues and is a member of a coalition shepherded by ACY.
“In the juvenile justice system,” Rubinstein noted, turning to another ACY focus point, “issues of over-institutinalization, inadequate staff ? in terms of numbers and training ? and the overuse and misuse of detention have been perennial [in Maryland], as well as what is called ?disproportionate minority confinement.? ”
ACY is seeking to publicize such troublesome youth-related indicators and ? through its own efforts and those of its coalition partners ? educate and lobby to correct them.
