Since our founding in 1972 – and incorporation as the ECDO in 1981 – the James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy has been a champion for thousands of disinvested youth in need of an advocate. As the challenges and needs of our clients have evolved over time, so have our programs and services.
Read more about how the Moran Center has responded to the needs of our clients and of our community, and our progress in building a more just, equitable, and restorative community.
TW: racial violence, suicide, injustice
Seeing too many young people referred to court for possession of small amounts of cannabis, the Moran Center advocated in 2011 for decriminalizing possession of cannabis under 10 grams in Evanston. Upon passage of the local ordinance, the Moran Center stepped up to coordinate community service hours and provide counseling…
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In representing children with special needs in the schools, the Moran Center saw up close our local schools’ over-reliance on exclusion as a consequence of misbehavior. In 2011, the Moran Center started the first alternative-to-suspension program at Evanston Township High School to keep kids in school and off the streets. …
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In July 2018, the Moran Center’s Board of Directors raised the age of our criminal defense services from 22 to 26 years old to comport with emerging brain science, finding that young men’s prefrontal cortex does not fully form until the age of 25.
In September 2019, resolved to “put ourselves out-of-business” the Moran Center launched the Roger Pascal Restorative Justice Initiative with the goal of promoting restorative practices and policies that work in concert across government, schools, nonprofits, and businesses – ensuring a racially equitable, just, and peaceful community. Pictured: A centerpiece in…
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The Moran Center operations continue virtually during the COVID-19 Pandemic, including restorative justice programming focused on providing healing spaces for front-line providers.
In 2021, the Moran Center and Evanston Collective partners launched the “My City, Your City, Our City” safe summer initiative with the City of Evanston. Free events, like community block parties, are hosted all summer with the goal of reducing youth violence and providing relief for youth under stress.