What is the name of your organization?
Peer Defense Project
What is the name of your solution?
Youth Legal Chat Bot
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Design the first tech tool to get legal education, referrals, and tools to young people faster than a tik tok reel.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
New York, NY, USA
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
United States
What type of organization is your solution team?
Nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
Young people—especially those who are low-income, LGBTQIA+, or youth of color—are on the frontlines of social change, yet remain the most under-resourced when it comes to legal protection and digital safety. As they mobilize for racial justice, climate action, and trans rights, they are increasingly targeted by online harassment, surveillance, and censorship. These threats not only endanger individual activists but also undermine youth-led movements at large.
Despite the urgent need, over 90% of low-income youth in the U.S. lack access to legal support. Traditional legal services are slow, costly, and out of reach—especially in moments of digital crisis. Existing AI tools are not tailored to the realities of youth activists or the legal landscapes they must navigate.
Peer Defense Project seeks to close this gap by building the first AI-powered legal chatbot specifically designed for young people facing systemic injustice. By providing real-time guidance on digital rights and legal protections, this tool empowers marginalized youth to stay safe, advocate effectively, and continue building the future they deserve.
What is your solution?
Our solution is an AI-powered legal chatbot that delivers real-time legal information and digital safety tools to young people ages 14–25, especially those from low-income, LGBTQIA+, and BIPOC communities. This chatbot will live within Peer Defense Project’s Youth Legal Help Desk and provide 24/7, youth-friendly, rights-based guidance to address harassment, censorship, surveillance, and other legal barriers that youth activists face online and in their communities.
Unlike generic legal bots or AI tools, this solution is co-developed with youth legal fellows and fine-tuned using anonymized data from our existing consultations. It will answer urgent questions like “What are my rights if my school blocks my protest?” or “How do I respond to online doxxing?” while also connecting users to live help, legal templates, and community resources.
The chatbot will be free, mobile-first, and multilingual—designed for scale and equity from the start. It transforms the Help Desk from a once-a-week service into a 24/7 lifeline for youth leaders navigating complex digital and legal threats.
This is not just tech for efficiency—it’s tech for empowerment. We’re turning legal knowledge into a superpower for the next generation of changemakers.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Our solution serves young people ages 14–25 who are system-impacted, low-income, LGBTQIA+, and youth of color—those most often on the frontlines of social movements and most often excluded from legal systems designed to protect them. These youth face disproportionate exposure to surveillance, online harassment, doxxing, and censorship for speaking out on racial justice, gender equity, climate change, and more.
The chatbot will meet youth where they are: on their phones, in moments of crisis, with actionable guidance they can trust. It will demystify legal language, offer clear steps to respond to digital threats, and connect users to live legal help and peer support when needed.
For many, this may be the first time they receive legal information that is culturally responsive, youth-centered, and affirming. The chatbot will empower users to assert their rights, protect themselves online, and stay active in the civic work they care about—without risking their safety or well-being.
By equipping youth with the legal tools to defend themselves and their movements, this solution transforms isolation into agency and makes legal access a reality, not a privilege.
