Pages of Change: how a group of high school students are tackling legal information disparity

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( Dora Chen - The Founder and President of The Justice Blueprint )

Amid rising concerns over legal awareness, a team of high school students have sparked into action. In a survey conducted by CTV news [https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/people-are-confused-survey-suggests-canadians-need-education-on-charter-rights-1.6681317#:~:text=The%20survey%20asked%20respondents%20whether,cent%20answered%20that%20they%20had.], only 33 percent of respondents answered that they have read the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Justice Blueprint (thejusticeblueprint.com [http://thejusticeblueprint.com/]), a youth-run federally registered non-profit, aims to tackle the legal information disparity, making the law more accessible. Founder and President Dora Chen started the organization four years ago, fueled by her passion for law.

Spearheaded by Dora Chen, the team partnered with local experts and law firms, to write "A Blueprint to Canada's Consent Law" - a guidebook that deconstructs the law into digestible information focused on ensuring youth understand their rights. Recently, The Justice Blueprint held their "Pages of Change: Blueprint Launch" event to launch the physical version of the formerly only digitally available Blueprint.

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(Copies of A Blueprint to Canada's Consent Law)

Statistics Canada reported [https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/231121/dq231121b-eng.htm] that, in 2022, almost 78% of police-reported intimate partner violence victims were women and girls. The team has tackled these alarming statistics one Blueprint at a time. "Knowledge is power, and that is precisely the point of our Blueprints: to give the reader the power of the law." Dora Chen said, "But, it is important to note that it is never the victim's fault, regardless of whether they knew about the law or not. However, I think that knowing one's rights certainly makes it more difficult for others to manipulate or coerce them. If our Blueprint helps even one person recognize the warning signs earlier or feel less alone, then we have achieved our goal."

The Blueprint starts by debunking different myths about consent, such as "only no means no", explaining that, instead, the framework should be "only yes means yes". It then goes on to explain generally about the law: the difference between common law and statutory law, and consent as stated in the Criminal Code. It provides a concise, understandable, summary on the landmark Supreme Court case of R v. Ewanchuk , a case credited for the "only yes means yes" model. The Blueprint also gives resources as to what to do if one thinks they have been assaulted, and what to do if someone else shares that they have been assaulted. The Blueprint ends with a variety of resources about consent law and hotline services.

At the launch, this was all relayed to the public, where a crowd gathered to learn more.

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(Blueprint presentation at Pages of Change)

Originally the Blueprint was released digitally, but feedback from local youth shelters and women resource organizations was not what the team expected. They explained that while the blueprints themselves are very helpful, the fact that they were only available digitally meant that a lot of people, who did not own their own device, could not access them. Thus, the team began their donut fundraising tour - partnering with Krispy Kreme's fundraising program to sell the donuts across The Justice Blueprint's Chapters (The Bishop Strachan School, Havergal College, Upper Canada College, St. Michael's College School, Crescent, Branksome Hall, etc.). Raising over $3000 in revenue, the team professionally printed, bound, and re-released the physical copies for shelters and youth-oriented organizations.

At the event, those organizations were invited to attend and received copies of the Blueprint, while the public was also encouraged to take one. Pathways to Education, an organization dedicated to breaking down barriers to education, The Second Chance Foundation, a women's organization and networking group, and Eva's Initiatives for Homeless Youth were in attendance. They each expressed their support for The Justice Blueprint's mission and project, and their admiration for the students' passion.

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(The Justice Blueprint team and representatives from Pathway to Education. The Justice Blueprint team from left to right: VP of Events and Coordination Ava Comisarow, VP of Public Relations and Marketing Jane Atkins, Founder and President Dora Chen, Pathways to Education team, VP of Logistics and Director of Chapter Heads Rutvi Vora, and Social Media Director Liv Schneiderman)

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(The Justice Blueprint team with The Second Chance Foundation)

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(The Justice Blueprint team and Eva's Initiatives for Youth representative)

The Justice Blueprint team also hosted other community organizations and student organizations at the event. They had their own booths and explained their mission and recent projects to attendees, providing a networking opportunity for attendees to learn about other pressing concerns in the community.

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(The Justice Blueprint team at The Second Chance Foundation's Booth)
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This release was published on openPR.