In March and April, CAP is hosting a series of Writing Program presentations. During the talks, each participant will present their research and writing project, and attendees will have the opportunity to provide feedback and suggestions.
All of the presentations will be from 12:30-1:30 PM, in WCC 3015. A takeaway boxed lunch will be provided. Please RSVP at the links next to each session below to ensure that we have enough food available.
The CAP Writing Program Presentation series is open to Harvard Community members only at this time due to the school’s COVID safety guidelines.
Contact, [email protected], with questions.
Shifting the Paradigm: Developing a Framework for Systemic Change in Education
Discussion with Patrick Cremin, Harvard Law School J.D. Candidate
Tuesday, March 1, 2022
12:30 – 1:30 PM
WCC Room 3015
Harvard Law School
Click here to RSVP for Patrick’s Talk
Paper Topic: The American education system operates under a set of core assumptions about schools and learning. For example, children are viewed as deficient, and schools exist to fix them. In this paper, I assess how these dominant mindsets about schooling create conditions for adults to exert control over young people through punishment and exclusion. I focus on the persistence of the school-to-prison pipeline to illustrate how students from marginalized backgrounds are increasingly subject to carceral control. Despite systemic advocacy efforts to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline, these reform efforts often fail to dismantle the dominant mindsets about schooling, ultimately leaving the system intact. Therefore, I conclude by discussing alternative educational paradigms emerging from youth voices and grassroots movements.
Biography: Patrick Cremin is a J.D. Candidate at Harvard Law School (Class of 2022). Prior to attending law school, he worked in social policy research assessing early child care and education programs. At HLS, Patrick has pursued studies in education and civil rights law and participated in the Education Law Clinic. After graduation, he will continue youth and education advocacy work in his home state of California.
Understanding the Motivations Behind Western Governments’ Decisions on the Repatriation of their Citizens from Iraq and Syria: A Focus on Children
Discussion with Maria Asensio Velasco, Harvard Law School LLM Candidate
Tuesday, March 8, 2022
12:30 – 1:30 PM
WCC Room 3015
Harvard Law School
Click here to RSVP for Maria’s Talk
Paper Topic: This research seeks to propose an alternative solution to push European states towards the repatriation of their national ISIS foreign fighters and the members of their families, with a priority over children and their mothers. International law provides a compelling response to the repatriation dilemma, but European states have failed to comply with their legal obligations and European citizens remain detained in camps in Syria and Iraq. Therefore, from the recognition of the failure of legal institutions, and building on the example of pro-repatriation strategies undertaken by Western Balkan countries, the paper provides a legal-political compromise that places the emphasis on national political and security interests and focuses on protecting first and foremost those in the most vulnerable situation: the children.
Biography: María Asensio Velasco is an LL.M. Candidate at Harvard Law School, studies that she is undertaking with a full scholarship from Fundación La Caixa. A human rights lawyer, María has specialized her practice in the area of children’s rights. Before joining HLS, she has worked for International Organizations such as the Council of Europe and UNICEF, as well as for various NGOs, combining her professional undertakings with volunteer projects with children in vulnerable situations. She has also lectured and tutored at the Human Rights Clinic of ICADE Law School. María graduated valedictorian from both an LL.B. and a Bachelor’s in International Relations from ICADE Law School. She also holds an LL.M. in Legal Practice from UNED University.
Identifying Youth Sport
A Discussion with Dionne Koller Fine, Harvard Law School LLM Candidate
Wednesday, March 9, 2022
12:30 – 1:30 PM
WCC Room 3015
Harvard Law School
Click here to RSVP for Dionne’s Talk
Paper Topic: While millions of children participate and it is often assumed to be part of a “good” childhood, youth sport gets very little legal scholarly attention. The paper that will be discussed brings together the law of sports and the law of the child to explain what U.S. youth sport is. In doing so, this paper argues that U.S. youth sport is a particular model, reflecting its historical moment, that generates important and often unseen distributional consequences.
Are Child Soldiers At Stake in The Relationship Between International Humanitarian Law, International Human Rights Law, and International Criminal Law in Colombia?
A Discussion with Juan Felipe Wills Romero, Harvard Law School LLM Candidate
Tuesday, March 22, 2022
12:30 – 1:30 PM
WCC Room 3015
Harvard Law School
Click here to RSVP for Juan’s Talk
Paper Topic: This paper aims to contribute to the academic debate regarding the relationship between International Humanitarian Law, International Human Rights Law, and International Criminal Law by using a case study that involves child soldiers in Colombia. It intends to show how each of the three legal frameworks can be used strategically by specific actors to address the issue of child soldiers, sometimes at their expense. The Colombian case is of particular relevance, given that IHL, IHRL, and ICL are alive in the public debate and governmental discourse.
Biography: Juan Felipe Wills is an LL.M student from Colombia. He has previously worked in the Colombian Defense Ministry, where he collaborated actively with the military, police, and international organizations to promote human rights and international humanitarian law policies in the Armed Forces. His legal interests are public international law, human rights, laws of war, and transitional justice. At Harvard, he is part of the Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program, the Harvard Human Rights Journal, the Program on International Law and Armed Conflict, and the Colombian Students Society.
Re-Thinking Diversion For Indigenous Youth in Western Australia
A Discussion with Chloe DSouza, Harvard Law School LLM Candidate
Wednesday, April 6, 2022
12:30 – 1:30 PM
WCC Room 3015
Harvard Law School
Click here to RSVP for Chloe’s Talk
Paper Topic: Indigenous youth (aged 10 – 17 years of age) are being removed from their communities to be placed in detention at alarming rates. This cycle is detrimental to the livelihood of Indigenous youth and the broader social, health and economic outcomes of Indigenous people and communities. Despite restorative justice programs being available under the Young Offenders Act, Indigenous youth experience disturbingly high rates of unsentenced time in detention, racial profiling, and over-policing in communities. This Paper reviews the pathways to restorative justice under the Young offenders Act and sets out reform proposals that center on early intervention and prevention.
Biography: Chloe is an Aboriginal woman from Western Australia, currently completing the LLM Program at Harvard. Chloe is a qualified lawyer in Australia and has worked in energy law and regulation, and most recently native title and Indigenous land rights in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. After completing the LLM Program, Chloe intends to return home to Australia and continue researching better governance structures to create platforms for Indigenous self-determination.