The mission of the Law, Youth and Citizenship Program is to facilitate and enrich the civic commitment, and involvement in democracy, of all New Yorkers.
The Law, Youth and Citizenship Program of the New York State Bar Association has four major goals:
GOAL 1 PROGRAMS -To further the LYC mission through programming such as Mock Trial, We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution,
GOAL 2 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT – To provide educators and attorneys with training and resources to teach civics and law to students of all ages. At little or no cost.
GOAL 3 PUBLICATIONS & RESOURCES – To provide a wide variety of publications and technological resources on topics such as the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, Supreme Court Decisions, the Justice System, the Legal System, International Law, and Human Rights for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.
GOAL 4 AWARDS & GRANTS – To promote and recognize law-related education and citizenship initiatives throughout the state and to further the expansion of such programs.
The award-winning Law, Youth and Citizenship Program is one of the largest civic and law-related education programs in the nation. It is the state administrator of the highly acclaimed national programs We the People: the Citizen and the Constitution. In addition, LYC administers the New York State High School Mock Trial Program, one of the oldest and largest in the nation. LYC conducts professional development opportunities for educators through in-service sessions, workshops, presentations, summer institutes and a statewide conference. LYC developed electronic publications and websites assist teachers in the classroom. LYC assists teachers in celebrating events such as Law Day and Constitution Day. The LYC network has grown to 5,000 teachers and over half-a-million students. The Restricted fund is designed to enable LYC to continue its strong commitment to teachers, students and attorneys. NYSBA has supported the goal of increasing civic engagement of all New Yorkers.