Youth-LED Justice

What Youth-LED Justice does

Youth-LED Justice (YLJ) is a Maine-based nonprofit that operates a youth-led restorative justice diversion program for young people ages 11-18 (up to 20 for juvenile criminal referrals) in Cumberland, Androscoggin, and Sagadahoc counties. The organization diverts youth from punitive outcomes — summonses, probation, adjudication, suspension, and expulsion — by receiving referrals from police departments, school resource officers, juvenile community corrections officers, district attorneys, school administrators, community organizations, and community members, and then running a voluntary restorative process.

YLJ's core product is a structured circle-based intervention comprising two offerings: Harm Circles, which address a specific incident of harm through intake, restorative circle facilitation, a collaborative Restorative Plan with SMART goals, monthly check-ins, and a checkout meeting over approximately 3-4 months; and Support Circles, a proactive variant that addresses unmet needs before conflict escalates. The methodology is rooted in Indigenous circle traditions. A distinguishing capability is the Youth-Led Facilitation Model, in which youth volunteers ages 11-18 complete 18 hours of training in restorative justice, juvenile justice, and facilitation before co-facilitating circles and supporting peers. A youth Advisory Council with voting power governs organizational policy. Operations are supported by two offices (Portland headquarters at 175 Lancaster Street and Lewiston at 124 Lisbon St.) and a 5-person staff led by Executive Director Nicole Lemay.

YLJ's business model is donation-based: the program is free to youth participants, and 100% of donations reach the organization through Zeffy, which processes donations with zero transaction fees. Go-to-market is entirely referral-driven, with no traditional sales or marketing motion; quarterly newsletters and a mailing list are the only direct outreach channels. Sustainability depends on the depth of its community partner ecosystem (Restorative Justice Project, Cross Cultural Community Services, LearningWorks, The Opportunity Alliance, Portland Public Health Division, Portland Outright, Maine Inside Out, Wabanaki Alliance Coalition) and on continued institutional trust from juvenile justice and school-system referrers.

Name

Youth-LED Justice

Legal name

Youth-LED Justice

Website

https://youthledjustice.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Youth-LED Justice is a Maine-based nonprofit that runs a youth-led restorative justice diversion program, using harm circles and support circles to divert youth ages 11-18 from juvenile justice and school disciplinary outcomes across three Maine counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restorative Justice & Youth Diversion Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Alternative Dispute Resolution & Restorative Justice Programs (BPAIAFAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wraparound Student Support & Case Management Services (At-Risk K–12) (EDAJAEAJ), Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM)

Keywords

• Restorative justice services
• Youth diversion programs
• Restorative circle facilitation
• Juvenile justice alternatives
• Youth mentorship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Youth-LED Justice is a nonprofit organization that relies on donations from individuals, organizations, and community members. The organization states that 100% of donations reach Youth-LED Justice through their donation processing partner Zeffy, which processes donations with zero transaction fees. Checks can also be mailed to their office.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Youth-LED Justice (YLJ) is a nonprofit organization that operates a youth-led restorative justice diversion program for young people ages 11-18 in Maine. Its core services are Harm Circles (community-based responses to specific incidents of harm) and Support Circles (proactive relationship-building circles addressing unmet needs), facilitated by trained youth volunteers alongside staff, connecting participants to mentorship, substance use education, clinical treatment, and pro-social activities. The program diverts youth from punitive juvenile justice and school disciplinary outcomes through a voluntary, hybrid in-person and virtual model typically lasting approximately four months.

Product overview

Youth-LED Justice (YLJ) is a single, unified restorative justice diversion program that operates primarily through two core circle-based offerings: Harm Circles (for addressing specific incidents of harm) and Support Circles (for addressing youth's unmet needs). The program also includes a Youth Volunteer Training Program where youth are trained as advocates and facilitators, and an Advisory Council that provides youth with governance power over the organization. All offerings center on youth leadership, restorative practices, mentorship, and community connection to divert young people from punitive justice outcomes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Youth-LED Justice Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Youth complete restorative plans within 3 months following the circle
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wabanaki Alliance CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth-LED Justice is a member of the Wabanaki Alliance Coalition. YLJ acknowledges they occupy the homelands of the Wabanaki people (Maliseet, Mi'kmaq, Penobscot, and Passamaquoddy Nations) and is committed to supporting Indigenous sovereignty. YLJ makes monthly donations to Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness as an act of land acknowledgment.
• Restorative Justice ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity collaborator listed on YLJ's website. Restorative Justice Project Midcoast is listed among YLJ's community collaborators, indicating ongoing partnership in restorative justice work.
• Cross Cultural Community ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity collaborator providing cross-cultural community services. Listed as a partner organization that works with YLJ in serving diverse communities in Maine.
• LearningWorkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity collaborator listed on YLJ's website. LearningWorks works with youth and families in Maine, aligning with YLJ's mission to support youth diversion.
• The Opportunity AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity collaborator providing community support services in Maine. Listed as a key partner organization collaborating with YLJ on youth diversion services.
• Portland Public Health DivisioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal public health partner collaborating with YLJ on community health initiatives and youth support services in Portland, Maine.
• Portland OutrightcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization serving LGBTQ+ youth in Portland, Maine. Listed as a community collaborator working with YLJ to support diverse youth populations.
• Maine Inside OutcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization using restorative justice practices in Maine. Listed as a community collaborator working with YLJ on restorative approaches to justice.
• Wabanaki Public Health and WellnessminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYLJ makes monthly donations to Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness as part of their land acknowledgment practices, supporting Indigenous health initiatives in the Wabanaki homeland.
• Maine Community ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYLJ maintains partnerships in the community so that youth respondents are able to access substance use education, clinical treatment, mentorship, community service, and other pro-social activities. These community partnerships provide wraparound services for program participants.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Restorative Justice Project Midcoast: Named YLJ community collaborator, this Midcoast Maine organization delivers restorative justice circle practices for youth and adults. Operates the same restorative-circle methodology in overlapping Maine geography, making it the closest directly comparable peer.
• Maine Inside Out: Named YLJ collaborator and Maine-based nonprofit using restorative justice practices with justice-involved youth. Same target population (justice-impacted youth), same circle-based methodology, same geographic region - the most directly comparable peer.

Broad incumbents

• CASEL: The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning advances SEL frameworks in K-12 systems. Overlaps with YLJ as a school-side intervention designed to build prosocial skills and reduce behavioral incidents that trigger disciplinary referrals.
• Roca: Massachusetts-based nonprofit serving court-involved youth through relationships, education, and workforce pathways. Operates at much larger scale but shares the focus on diverting high-risk young people from incarceration through intensive engagement.

Regional players

• LearningWorks: Named YLJ collaborator and Maine-based nonprofit serving youth and families through education, mentoring, and wraparound supports. Comparable as a complementary youth-service provider in the same Maine geography with overlapping referral pathways.
• The Opportunity Alliance: Named YLJ collaborator and Maine-based social services agency providing behavioral health and youth/family support. Comparable as a wraparound-services partner with overlapping youth-justice-involvement caseloads in the same Maine catchment.

Others

• National Juvenile Justice Network: National advocacy coalition advancing juvenile justice reform, including diversion and restorative practices. Not a service provider like YLJ but a sector-level ally and potential policy partner feeding referrals and funding into local programs.
• School-Justice Partnership Programs (via USDOJ): Federal initiative advancing school-justice partnerships to reduce the school-to-prison pipeline, overlapping directly with YLJ's school-based referral channel. Enables YLJ's market by funding the diversion infrastructure its model plugs into.
• Juvenile Law Center: National legal advocacy organization for youth in the justice system. Operates upstream of YLJ by litigating rights and promoting diversion policies, while YLJ delivers the on-the-ground restorative services those policies enable.

Emerging players

• Confer: Restorative practice platform serving schools and districts with structured conferencing tools. Comparable as a tech-enabled restorative justice provider for the same school-discipline referral channel that YLJ accesses, but commercially rather than mission-driven.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/youth-led-justice

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Youth-LED Justice