Juvenile Justice Forum Day 2026 with Guest Speaker Kent Mendoza

“My story saved my life,” shared political advocate Kent Mendoza during Crossroads’ Juvenile Justice Forum Day on April 16. Mendoza was the keynote speaker for the event, giving a speech to Upper Schoolers about his journey from incarceration to political activism.

Crossroads Upper School has held the event every year since 2014, featuring speaker panels, art shows with images of and by incarcerated youth, lectures by nonprofit leaders and screenings to help educate, inspire and foster empathetic understanding among Crossroads students. The nonprofits and panelists invited are advocates for the education, health and support for minors in foster care and juvenile incarceration systems.

English teacher Nika Cavat founded Juvenile Justice Forum Day at Crossroads after volunteering to teach English to two units of female inmates at Central Juvenile Hall through the nonprofit InsideOut Writers.

“In moving between these two radically different worlds—that of Crossroads and of juvenile hall—what became immediately apparent were the huge gaps in economic opportunity, education, and physical and mental health,” said Nika. “Along the way, what also emerged was how much these two groups of students also had in common, specifically the need for mentorship, laughter, creativity and love.”

This year’s event was facilitated by 11th graders Sebastian Gonzales, Lilah Zwelling, Nadav Brandes and Lauren Sasaki. They are members of Crossroads’ Equity & Justice Institute Student Advisory Board, overseen by the Institute’s director, Cassandra Chase. Student ambassadors were assigned panelists to welcome to different learning spaces throughout the morning. 

Sebastian explained, “I reached out to who I was assigned to, Jaren Sorkow [executive director of the Children’s Defense Fund], and we had a quick chat over email and LinkedIn. Getting involved was definitely a good idea. If any other students want to, you can email Cassandra Chase or Noah Alemania. This amazing opportunity is just one or two emails away.”

Upper School students and faculty watched the short film “A Million Dollar Cage,” detailing Kent Mendoza’s life story, beginning with his experience as an immigrant and incarcerated minor before becoming an advocate. He is now a national activist for marginalized youth and has made countless efforts to reform the juvenile justice system. Mendoza co-produced the film along with KYNA Media Films and Represent Justice.

Shortly after the screening, Kent shared with the audience the vital themes of the film before participating in an activist panel alongside Jaren and DCFS/Probation Liaison for Safe Place for Youth Elyse Moya. Jaren shared that students could help change policy through online research and familiarizing themselves with minor-related issues, emphasizing “information is power.” 

The Crossroads community was encouraged to get involved with the participating nonprofits. All the panelists stayed throughout Community Time to answer questions. Elyse advised them, “Don’t be afraid to make changes and do the right thing.”

This event gave students insight into the communities most impacted by incarceration, providing information on the vastly different lives many minors lead. Past Juvenile Justice Forum Days have featured speakers from nonprofits including Saving Innocence, which supports sexually trafficked youth, and Street Poets, which provides mentorship in songwriting, poetry and music production for young people in juvenile detention facilities or underserved schools.

Moving forward, the next Juvenile Justice Forum Day will be organized by Upper School science teacher Billy Abdallah. The event is now a permanent, community-building aspect of Crossroads. Cavat explained, “It is our ardent hope that this event will continue in perpetuity and that students will keep learning, regarding and partnering with those who have experienced incarceration.”