Announcing the #NoKidsInPrison Magazine

We are pleased to announce that we are officially in the planning stages of publishing our first-ever #NoKidsInPrison Magazine, set to launch in Spring 2026! This will be more than just a publication – it’s a powerful platform designed to amplify the voices and vision of directly-impacted youth artists, designers, journalists, activists and organizers. Our goal is to provide them with opportunities to contribute and curate published content, all while advocating for the end of youth incarceration nationwide.

We’re proud to share that the brilliant Karla Robinson will be stewarding this project as our Editor-in-Chief. Karla is a poet, cultural organizer, artist and teacher who hails from the Bronx. For more than 15 years, she’s used the power of art to transform communities and culture and to support the humanity and agency of people navigating challenges with various state institutions. We’re privileged to have her expertise on this project.

We’re also excited to announce our two new inaugural Curatorial Apprentices who will be working closely with our Editor-in-Chief: Philly’s own Care, Not Control youth leader Brit Christopher and Gabriel Arika, Youth Programming Lead for Legal Rights Center in Minnesota, home of the End Youth Prisons MN campaign!

Brit is a painter, poet, organizer and abolitionist from Philly, driven by a deep commitment to build and sustain healing spaces for young people, especially Black and Indigenous youth. Gabriel found his voice for justice in high school, where he first witnessed the power and impact of speaking up. He leads the Legal Rights Center’s Youth Network, coordinating youth programming and facilitating partnerships that empower directly impacted young people to shape policy and practice. Gabriel believes every young person deserves compassion and a chance to be heard.

Brit and Gabriel will play a critical leadership role in every stage of the publication process. They’ll assist Karla from the very start, helping with conceptualization and planning, managing our open community call for original writing and artwork, carefully reviewing and selecting submissions, and even overseeing the physical layout, design, and distribution of the magazine. We’re eager to see them bring this vision to life!

We’ll be announcing our official open call for submissions on social media very soon. Keep an eye out for details on how directly impacted young artists, writers, and organizers can contribute their powerful work to the #NoKidsInPrison Magazine.

The open call will also be open to families, loved ones, allies and the larger community committed to ending youth incarceration (e.g. a parent, a teacher with intimate knowledge of the school-to-prison pipeline, a sibling reflecting on the impact for them and their family, or a community member who is against a new jail being built in their neighborhood).