LA County Launches “LA Youth: Know Your Rights” Campaign to Empower Youth and Strengthen Civic Participation

LOS ANGELES — Young people across Los Angeles County are speaking up, organizing and shaping the future of their communities. To help them do so safely, clearly and with confidence, the Los Angeles County Department of Youth Development or DYD Sept. 14 launched “LA Youth: Know Your Rights,” a countywide education campaign that gives youth practical tools to understand and exercise their rights during protests, walkouts and encounters with law enforcement, school security or immigration authorities.

Born out of the July 2025 Empowering Youth Through Know Your Rights Education for Civic Engagement motion authored by County Supervisors Hilda Solis and Janice Hahn, the campaign addresses a need to empower marginalized youth in the wake of heightened immigration enforcement, ICE raids, the “No Kings” movement, and other national and local policies that continue to affect the safety of immigrant communities.

A focal point of the campaign is the newly released KYR Youth Toolkit, a youth-friendly, digitally accessible guide with tips and information designed to clarify the boundaries of civic engagement. The toolkit provides practical, real-world advice on:

• Protesting safely and understanding your First Amendment rights.
• Knowing what to do if stopped by police, school security, or federal immigration agents.
• Legal protections, emergency planning, and local resources available for undocumented and mixed-status youth and families.

The campaign also included a series of five direct-engagement youth workshops held across all county regions in the summer of 2026. This collaboration between the Department of Youth Development the Public Defender’s Office, the Alternate Public Defender’s Office and the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights or CHIRLA provided hands-on, community-based training to 144 youth regarding their constitutional rights during protests, walkouts, and law enforcement encounters. DYD providers were also trained on youth civic rights to strengthen their capacity to serve youth and integrate the campaign into their existing programming.

Details: Access the Know Your Rights Youth Toolkit and connect with free legal and immigrant support resources at dyd.lacounty.gov/kyr.