Unit 01
Foundations
Weeks 1–2
What law is. Reading legal text. Introduction to the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Youth Justice Education Project
Teaching young people the law that governs their lives — before the system reaches them.
The Youth Justice Education Project (YJEP) is a legally rigorous, developmentally aligned curriculum for students in grades 6–12 — covering constitutional rights, school discipline, courts, and civic advocacy. Developed by Margina, J.D., Ed.S.
Classroom Not Courts.™ From justice-impacted to justice-informed.
Origin
Why the Youth Justice Education Project exists.
Every child in an American school is touched by some system — special education, immigration, child welfare, housing, juvenile court. We do not get to choose whether the system reaches them. We get to choose whether they are ready when it does.
Founded by Margina, J.D., Ed.S. — a lawyer and educator with nearly two decades of K–12 public education experience — the Youth Justice Education Project (YJEP) treats legal literacy as a core civic competency, not an elective. Students learn to read the actual statutes, cases, and policies that govern their day: IEPs, discipline codes, arrest procedures, school searches, First Amendment protections.
The program is trauma-informed, developmentally aligned, and delivered by trained facilitators who understand both the law and the classrooms in which it lands. Classroom Not Courts.™
Curriculum
The Youth Justice Education Project.
A 13-week after-school program organized into six units, delivered in K–12 and community settings by Margina™ Certified Facilitators. Watch below to hear about the curriculum in Margina's own words.
The six units.
Unit 02
Know Your Rights
Weeks 3–5
The Fourth, Fifth, and First Amendments. Police interactions. Speech, assembly, and petition.
Unit 03
School Discipline
Weeks 6–8
School rules vs. student rights. Due process. Special education, IEPs, and Section 504.
Unit 04
The Court System
Weeks 9–10
How courts work. Reading a court opinion. Juvenile court and the arrest-to-disposition process.
Unit 05
Advocacy
Weeks 11–12
Self-advocacy. Writing to decision-makers. Capstone showcase for families and community.
Unit 06
The Law & Social Media
Week 13
Free speech online. Digital footprints and the legal consequences of what students post.
Certification
Margina™ Certified Facilitators.
The credential that authorizes an educator to deliver the Youth Justice Education Project.
Educators who complete the required professional development for the Youth Justice Education Project become Margina™ Certified Facilitators — trained and licensed to teach the YJEP curriculum, and eligible to teach any future curriculum released by Margina, LLC.
The certification is earned through a two-day professional development institute grounded in trauma-informed instruction, mandated-reporter protocols, and the disciplined delivery of legal literacy in K–12 and community settings. The credential authorizes the holder to implement the YJEP curriculum with fidelity to its design, along with every future revision and new program Margina, LLC releases.
Leadership
Your Professional Development Facilitator.
Every Margina™ Certification is delivered personally by the founder of the Youth Justice Education Project.
Margina, J.D., Ed.S.
J.D. · Educator · Executive Consultant · Founder
Margina is a J.D., educator, and executive consultant with nearly two decades of K–12 public education experience — from classroom teacher through interim superintendent — and a Juris Doctor from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School. She is the founder of the Youth Justice Education Project and creator of the Classroom Not Courts.™ approach.
She leads every professional development institute personally. Facilitators trained by Margina receive not only the curriculum but the practice — modeled, rehearsed, and refined over two days of hands-on instruction — before they are certified to bring it to their own classrooms and communities.
MARGINA
Founder · Margina, LLC
Verification
Verify a Margina Certified Facilitator.
Every Margina™ Certified Facilitator holds a unique credential number (MCF-YYYY-XXX). Districts, schools, and organizations can verify any certified facilitator's credential through our verification directory.
Access the Verification DirectoryOpens in a new tab. Access is granted by Margina, LLC upon request from verified institutions.
Contact
Bring the Youth Justice Education Project to your community.
Whether you are a district administrator, a nonprofit leader, a school board member, or an educator ready to become certified — we would love to hear from you.
Direct Contact
Program
Youth Justice Education Project
Organization
Margina, LLC
Web
Let's talk.
Every partnership begins with a conversation. Reach out and we will schedule a discovery call within one week.
Email Margina