Youth Advocacy and Policy Lab (Y-Lab) was born out of two long-standing programs at Harvard Law School: the Child Advocacy Program (CAP) and the Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative (TLPI). Leadership transitions in 2021 made it the right time to reconfigure these child-focused academic and experiential programs. CAP and TLPI teams combined and expanded their approach to child and youth advocacy, producing Y-Lab — a premiere educational experience for students seeking to become leaders in careers that improve the lives of children and youth.
Y-Lab was designed with input from eight law student advisors, who interviewed other Harvard Law School students, faculty, staff, and alumni and researched best practices at child advocacy programs at other law schools nationally. These components are incorporated into the new model in a number of ways, including the Y-Lab Fellows Program.
TLPI and the Education Law Clinic were founded in 2004 and directed by Susan Cole, who passed away in May 2021. Cole was a Lecturer on Law and focused her life’s work on helping schools and policymakers understand trauma’s impact on learning. She pioneered an innovative approach to education reform to ensure students reach their full potential in a safe and supportive learning environment.
The Child Advocacy Clinic, Art of Social Change, and the Writing Program began as part of the Child Advocacy Program (CAP), which was founded in 2004 by Elizabeth Bartholet, the Morris Wasserstein Public Interest Professor of Law, Emeritus, and Jessica Budnitz. The Child Advocacy Program (CAP) was phased out upon the Bartholet’s retirement in 2021. In her 44 years on the faculty, Bartholet deeply influenced child welfare law while teaching and mentoring new lawyers in the areas of family law and civil rights. Information about CAP’s work, reflecting its academic, policy, law reform, and other activities from 2005-2021, is archived and remains available on Bartholet’s website.