Youth Advocacy Leadership Center
Uplifting the next generation of leaders in victim services
Victim Advocacy Corps: In Their Own Words
Click above to watch the video featuring VAC Student Fellows’ reflections on the program
NOVA’s Youth Advocacy Leadership Center (YALC) advances youth engagement in victim services by providing youth and youth-serving organizations with training, technical assistance, and professional development that empower young leaders and those who support them.
Youth Engagement Summit
In July 2025, we convened youth leaders and advocates from youth-serving organizations in Washington, D.C. to talk about the future of youth in the victims’ rights movement. At this convening—our Youth Engagement Summit—we considered the ethics of engaging young survivors, strategies for fostering youth leadership, and new directions for the field to explore.
Our findings from the Youth Engagement Summit inspired us to keep the conversation going and to keep youth at the center of it.
NOVA’s new Youth Advocacy Leadership Center—as a resource for young leaders and those that support them—aims to build a better future with and for young people in victim services.
Youth Leadership Council
The Youth Advocacy Leadership Center would be nothing without youth leaders—and that’s why we’re putting them in the drivers’ seat. Our volunteer Youth Leadership Council is composed of Youth Advocate Leaders (ages 13 – 25) who have experience with or are interested in the field of victim advocacy.
The Youth Leadership Council, which convenes quarterly via Zoom, advises NOVA’s Youth Engagement Team on new initiatives, trends, and goals for youth engagement in victim advocacy. Youth Advocate Leaders on the Council also have the opportunity to support YALC initiatives as speakers, consultants, and facilitators.
All Youth Advocate Leaders (ages 13 – 25) who have experience with or an interest in victim advocacy are encouraged to apply. Applications and nominations for youth
advocates will open in the Fall of 2025.
Meet our Youth Leadership Council Founding Members:
Thanh Nguyen
Sabrina Javellana
Kaylyn Ahn
Abrianna Morales
Anna Bellows
Ray Epstein
“It is important to have young voices at the forefront of our movement. As a survivor of sexual and domestic violence, advocacy has been a form of healing; activism is a way for me to take back agency after experiencing so much trauma and violence.” – Kaylyn Ahn, Survivor-Advocate, NOVA Board Member
Training & Technical Assistance
The Youth Advocacy Leadership Center empowers young leaders and those that support them by offering training and technical assistance to youth and youth-serving organizations. For more information on TTA offerings email [email protected]
Professional Development
The Youth Advocacy Leadership Center connects young leaders with careers in victim services by offering specialized training, credentialing, and professional development opportunities.
Victim Advocacy Corps
NOVA’s Victim Advocacy Corps aims to elevate the next generation of youth leaders in victim services by providing college students with victim advocacy training, credentialing, mentorship, and paid field-placement opportunities at local victim service agencies.
Learn more about the Youth Advocacy Corps
Young people (ages 13 – 25) who have experience with or an interest in victim advocacy can get involved by applying to be a member of our volunteer Youth Leadership Council (YLC). YLC members, which meet quarterly via Zoom, will have the opportunity to advise NOVA on new initiatives, trends, and goals for youth engagement in victim advocacy. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
The Youth Leadership Council (YLC), which convenes quarterly via Zoom, advises NOVA’s Youth Engagement Team on new initiatives, trends, and goals for youth engagement in victim advocacy. YLC members are Youth Advocate Leaders between the ages of 13 and 25 who have experience with or an interest in victim advocacy.
If you’re interested in getting involved, you can subscribe to our mailing list to learn more about upcoming events and opportunities. If you have questions or would like to request more information, please contact NOVA’s Youth Engagement Team via email at [email protected].
You can direct all questions and media inquiries to [email protected].
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