The Project will be delivered during 2009-2010. 25 young Londoners will be provided with a youth-led skills development programme focusing on rights and justice, to enable them to achieve justice for themselves, and promote social justice for others. Need for the Project All young people need to be able to solve problems with a legal dimension, to live confident and independent lives. However, young people that lack the knowledge, skills and confidence to deal with law-related events find themselves either being or becoming detached from the social mainstream and unable to access the basic services they need in order to combat the cycle of exclusion. Facing mounting law-related problems is a factor in entrenched disadvantage, for example, the loss of a home renders people more visible to law enforcement agencies and at a greater risk of crime, whilst less able to manage the bureaucracies of daily life such as receiving post, keeping records and dealing with benefits. The Young Justice Champions Project will work directly to improve 25 disadvantaged young Londoner’s legal capabilities through a unique type of public legal education. It will also provide a much needed evidence base and policy recommendations on how best to deliver public legal education to young people, that will engage and provide them with the right skills and knowledge to live independent and fulfilled lives. The need for this project can therefore not be overstated. Outcomes: * 25 disadvantaged young people more aware of their rights and responsibilities of citizens and more skilled up to deal with criminal justice matters. * 25 disadvantaged young people feeling more confident in themselves and the justice system. * 25 disadvantaged young people reporting more hopeful about their future and willing to explore avenues that will allow them to help others (including education in the legal profession). * Confident Young Justice Champions presenting their work to decision makers (for example Department for Children, Schools and Families, Ministry of Justice etc…). * Decision makers who take on board the Young Justice Champions’ recommendations for improving young people’s legal capability. * Young people informing policy makers first hand of their economic and social disadvantage caused in part by their inability to deal with legal problems. * A strengthened voice of the grass roots level youth sector dealing with London’s disadvantaged young people. * An evidence based report that will allow others to adopt the Young Justice Project Champions Project model.