2019 NLADA Annual Conference-Innovative Justice

We will gather to quip and enable leaders of the client community and the nation, with a discussion of topics that will be explored in depth over the several days of the conference. These areas address the current issues that justice system leaders must address, acknowledge, and absorb. We will discuss the nuances of implicit bias, tenets of leadership, and the response to the grave issue of immigration. We will focus attention on LSC and the client voice, the board track for client leaders, and the tools of technology. Whether subtle or direct, these issues will be central to leadership development, social consciousness, and service to those who depend on us.

How do we support the percentage of our vulnerable general population (1 in 4) who experience trauma-related or mental health challenges in their efforts to get their voices heard or their rights represented? People with lived experience are too often overlooked when it comes to advocacy issues. How do we, as partnering advocates, help individuals in their self-advocacy plights? As people who have been on both sides of the table, we know the necessity of having the option of advocating for oneself. It is also important, at times, for the individuals to work with others and receive assistance, but the person’s goals should stay front and center. This workshop will help us partner with a person, relying on inner strength, and work on our self-advocacy skills. It will highlight the importance of letting the person take the lead while an advocate offers their expertise and support. Learn how you can, as a client, advocate for and be an ally to an individual in their own self-advocacy.

An annual conversation among the client community, LSC President Jim Sandman, and LSC Board Member Julie Reiskin. This is an opportunity for discussion on policy issues that affect client board members, a place for the client community to give direct input to LSC leadership, and for LSC to report to the community on what it has been doing and how it has engaged clients over the past year. This is also an opportunity for client board members to ask questions.

Hear about the top issues our group is addressing now.