Youth Court Alliance

The goal of the Youth Court Alliance is to re-engage truant students in school and divert these students and their families from entering the Magisterial District Court for truancy hearings. Currently, Youth Court Alliance is in York City School District. Red Lion Area School District and Northeastern School District. Student volunteers go through months of training to serve as lawyers, judges, bailiffs and most importantly, as jurors who will provide dispositions aimed at reconnecting the truant youth to their school. Dispositions include jury duty, community service, research papers, and tutoring.

York County Youth Court Alliance is a program of United Way of York County in partnership with the York County Truancy Prevention Initiative and York County Office of Children, Youth, and Families. Download the Youth Court Alliance brochure (English) (Spanish).

Youth Court Alliance Scholarships

Applications for Spring 2022 due by December 10!

The Youth Court Alliance Scholarship is available for a Successful Participant or Volunteer from Northeastern, Red Lion Area, or York City school districts that will be attending an institution of higher education in the spring of 2022. The Youth Court Alliance Scholarship is $1,000 for a college freshman through senior and $500 per course (two courses maximum) for dual enrollment for current high school students.

Application and supportive materials for Spring 2022 are due by December 10, 2021.

CLICK HERE to review and download the application.

Congratulations to Youth Court Alliance volunteers Isha Patel and Nichelle Sykes, who were each awarded a $1,000 scholarship provided by United Way of York County in 2019.

Youth Court Alliance wins international award

Congratulations to York County Youth Court Alliance, which has received the Program of the Year Award from the International Association of Truancy & Dropout Prevention (IATDP)!

The IATDP Program of the Year Award recognizes one outstanding, emerging, or best practice program that meets the four criteria of innovation, across system, replication, and response to mission.

View the full press release here.

United Way of York County hosted its 2017 Campaign Victory Celebration with over 350 guests at Wyndham Garden York. A highlight of the evening was a spoken word performance by Youth Court Alliance President, Shaniece Wilson (pictured left). Shaniece has served as a mentor for the Youth Court Alliance over the past four years and has been so inspired by her time with the program that she crafted a custom poem specifically for United Way of York County. Many in the audience were quite moved by her words, and we are proud to share them. CLICK HERE to view Shaniece's poem in its entirety.

Watch the videos below to see how YOUR donations are changing the lives of our inner city youth.

Youth Court Alliance Students Tackle Community Issues

Community service is a major aspect of the Youth Court Alliance program. Our youth have taken the intiative to serve the community in various ways. Recently Youth Court students were featured in an article published by the York Daily Record about the positive impact they are making in the community through service. Students in the program also worked together to form a social action project.

This project focused on working with senior citzens from Cripus Attucks and creating hand made blankets for those in need. The blankets created will be donated to animal shelters, homeless shelters, and a hospital. View photos from the Social Action Project HERE.

For more information about Youth Court Alliance, contact Elizabeth Richard, Senior Director of Education Initiatives, at 717.843.0957, ext. 823, or richarde@unitedway-york.org.