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Sample Materials:
Letter to Funders
Date
[Local Foundation Name
Address]
Dear [insert name],
On behalf of [your organization name],
I am writing to let you know about a new Building Blocks for Youth
report, “Dónde Está La Justicia” (“Where Is the Justice”).
This report, prepared by Francisco Villarruel and Nancy Walker of
Michigan State University, documents disparate treatment of Latino and
Latina youth in the juvenile justice system.
As you know, [your organization name]
serves [at-risk youth, including Latino/a children]. [Summarize your
organization’s work in one or two sentences.] In light of our work, we
found the Building Blocks for Youth report useful at highlighting the
needs of Latino and Latina youth. We would like to share the findings of
the report with you, and invite you to visit our program to see the
day-to-day implications of the report in practice.
The report’s major finding is that
Latino/a youth are significantly over-represented in the U.S. justice
system and receive harsher treatment than White youth, even when charged
with similar offenses. The report also finds:
- Failures in data collection. Current
means for collecting data are inadequate, resulting in
under-counting of Latino and Latina youth in the U.S. justice
system. No uniform definitions for the terms Latino and Hispanic,
and ethnicity is never separated from race.
- Failure in responding to Latinos’
needs. The juvenile justice system fails to provide adequate
bilingual services, and it fails to ensure cultural competency of
staff working with Latino and Latina youth.
- Bias in “objective” criteria.
Consideration of the immigration status of Latino and Latina youth
results in incarceration, deportation, and permanent separation from
families. Anti-gang laws result in harsh and unfair consequences for
Latino and Latina youth, and gang classifications may be made on the
basis of stereotypes.
The report urges Latino communities to:
(a) get organized at a local level to pressure the justice system to be
accountable to Latino communities and youth; (b) call for the inclusion
of youths in policy development and implementation; and (c) form Latino
advisory groups to guide policy-making and implementation in the law
enforcement and justice systems.
The Building Blocks for Youth report
offers several recommendations of particular importance to [your
organization name]. [Add one of the following sentences.]
- is your organization
prevention-focused? Add this sentence: Because the report
documents the cumulative effect of discrimination in the juvenile
justice system, it is more imperative than ever that we keep our
youth from coming into contact with the system. Our program has
been effectively diverting children from delinquency by doing X,
Y, and Z.
- is your organization educational?
Add this sentence: In the documented absence of bilingual services
for Latino and Latina youth, [organization name] serves a vital
need by educating Latino and Latina youth and increasing their
English language abilities.
- is your organization youth-led?
Add this sentence: As a youth-led organization, [organization
name] seeks to empower young voices. We strongly agree with the
report’s recommendation of including youth in policy development
and implementation. This is a model that we’ve adopted and that’s
worked well for us. We believe it would also be successful to
incorporate youth voices into juvenile justice policy.
- Tailor a sentence specific to your
organization.
We continue to serve our community at a
time of increased demand and need for our services. [Organization name]
invites you to visit our program and witness our activities firsthand as
we seek to remedy the problems identified by the Building Blocks for
Youth report. Please contact me at [contact information] for more
information.
I look forward to meeting you and
acquainting you with our work.
Sincerely,
[Your Name
Your Organization]
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