Youth Leaders in Law’s December edition is officially here! In this newsletter, you’ll find this month’s opportunities for students as well as an exclusive lawyer advice column!
Announcements
Here is what you may have missed from the past month at YLL Edmonton!
This month, YLL Edmonton hosted a special Famous Case event examining the Sean “Diddy” Combs case through an educational and unbiased legal lens. Led by NYU Acting Assistant Professor of Lawyering Trace Maddox, the session walked students through how lawyers analyze real-world cases. With support from the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton (SACE), we ensured the discussion remained trauma-informed and respectful, given the sensitive themes involved. Students also had the chance to participate in a live Q&A with Maddox, strengthening their skills in critical thinking, legal reasoning, and civic awareness. Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to a meaningful, engaging conversation.
We’re excited to share that YLL Edmonton will be opening applications for new executive positions in the coming weeks. This is a great opportunity for students interested in leadership, law, and youth advocacy to get involved and help shape our work for the year ahead. Stay tuned for more details by following us on Instagram and keeping up with our other platforms!
Sponsors: YLL now has one more sponsor! Thanks to the UofA Faculty of Law for sponsoring the venue for YLL’s annual regional conference! Check out their website below.
Ambassador Program: This year, YLL has also decided to launch an Ambassador program! From schools across Edmonton, we have chosen one representative to share YLL’s updates and promote our cause. If you would like to represent YOUR school, learn more below.
Access to Justice Competition: Registration is now open! This national competition challenges students to think critically about barriers to justice and propose innovative legal solutions. It’s a great chance to showcase your ideas, strengthen research and advocacy skills, and connect with other youth passionate about law. Scroll below for the submission form. The deadline is the end of February, but only 40 submissions will be accepted. Submit fast!
Blog Issue #2: The Impact of Social Media on Law
As society changes with the rise of social media, artificial intelligence, and new technologies, so does the law and how it impacts people's lives. In this edition of Youth Leader in Law’s monthly newsletter, we will be focusing on the impacts of social media on law.
Social media has acted as both an avid contributor and a harmful detriment in the courtroom, with it playing roles in evidence gathering and a rise in activism, as well as creating ethical challenges around privacy laws and public discourse.
On one hand, through social media’s prevalence, information is able to be spread at an astonishing rate. This means that many cases, especially controversial ones, tend to balloon up quickly and become widely covered, not only on the news but on social media as well. Posts can be rapidly shared and reshared on social media, creating vortexes of information and discussion, some of which do not always follow privacy laws.
For example, the Canadian laws protecting youth identities from being exposed after they have committed a crime have often been broken because of social media, as information can spread so easily and rapidly. A simple search will often yield you unending personal information, especially if the person has accumulated fame through incidents with the law.
However, social media has also been a great uplifter and megaphone in helping promote activism, encouraging people to vote and take democratic and legal action as well as making news so accessible and user-friendly for people who would rather not read an entire newspaper or sit for the whole duration of a news channel.
It often may be overwhelming to live in such a fast-paced world with the growing concerns that emerging technologies bring. Ultimately, social media platforms are a tool to be utilised to spread information–and we encourage you to use that for good. The controversial nature of social media is another medium for transmitting information, and with it, the law itself is reshaped.
Lawyer Advice: “What undergrad should you do?”
“When choosing an undergrad, pick something that interests you or relates to what you want to study. The JD covers the basics of law, elective classes that interest you, and practicums. After obtaining your JD, you article for a year where you work at a law firm. In Alberta, there is no bar exam, and you complete various assignments while working. The PREP program is mostly self-study and simulations, with no in-person components. If you want to practice in other provinces, you can apply to do so.”
Sponsorship Package:
Empower the next generation of young leaders—partner with YLL and make an impact today! 🌟 Your support helps amplify student voices, create opportunities, and shape the leaders of tomorrow. Become a sponsor now!
Sponshorship Package: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oDFuUAf_C7CltJALPWaqUG9LQunXOFeL/view?usp=sharing
Opportunities:
YLL AMBASSADOR PROGRAM
Youth Leaders in Law is an organization based in Edmonton that strives to make the legal field more accessible to young people through increasing accessibility and diversity in the law.
Apply to be part of our Ambassador Program to help spread its messages within your local school community. There is no deadline for applications; instead, they will be evaluated on a rolling basis. This means that early applicants are more likely to secure an Ambassador position with YLL Edmonton. Apply now!
Application Package: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yhPu-bwe0QaHrRkCSnK4GU99eDlJFx_Uvsbjb2fanf8/edit?tab=t.0
Application Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdocmc9axxO0znw5YE_5fO-iOXRzogoo02deM0ieoXz9CoG1Q/viewform
ACCESS TO JUSTICE COMPETITION:
Sponsors: Click the links below to check out our sponsors! Through their support, we can host events, create educational resources, and provide meaningful opportunities for students to engage with law, advocacy, and leadership. We are grateful to our sponsors for investing in youth voices and helping us expand our impact in the community.
