(WXYZ) — It's safe to say that most 17-year-olds aren't thinking of issues from a global scale, except for one Walled Lake teen who's hoping to change the world one person and one case at a time.
Walled Lake Central Principal Kyle Meteyer says senior Cayden Brown is special
“I’ve invited Cayden to be part of our Principal’s Advisory Committee because I valued his opinion on things," Meteyer said.
But Cayden's journey began well before high school when his parents divorced 11 years ago.
“Every question I had for my parents, 'why is this happening? Why am I not allowed to go to your house when I would like to, etc. Their response was always this was the judge’s decision," he said.
He discovered purpose through trauma.
“I never say I got into law. Law got into me because of a childhood experience where I noticed the imbalances of a court room and of the legal system," Cayden said.
The Oakland County Prosecutor's Office holds teen court. They can transfer certain misdemeanor cases into the program.
Judge David Law oversees teen court at the 52-1 District Court in Novi.
He said the program helps teens, "avoid the formal court process depending on the type of charge, come into our teen court program, and be judged by a jury of their peers."
Teens can also be appointed through the program as defense lawyers or prosecutors. Cayden hasn't lost a case as a juvenile defense attorney.
They're real cases with real outcomes. Sentences don't go on a juvenile's record and it helps prevent youth crime.
“I hope that we inspire people to look at careers in law. But, not everything in the courtroom, or not everything in the legal process is bad or a cloud, that there’s some positive things that can come out of it," Law said.
“After I stepped in here and I stepped out, I knew that I had to share that with others and hand over that artillery to other children," Cayden said.
He also founded a nonprofit organization called The Trespass Project in 2023 which helps underprivileged youth worldwide increase their legal literacy.
He is considered by some the world's most influential juvenile justice advocate.
Cayden even received the U.S. Presidential Academic Achievement Award in 2020, becoming the youngest-ever youth justice advocate award recipient from the Michigan Center for Youth Justice.
He also recently spoke before the United Nations on Global Child Rights.
“He is a teenager. He knows how to have fun, how to be a high school student, that sort of thing. But, his maturity and his experiences and his knowledge are far beyond what our typical teenager would have," Meteyer said.
Cayden said he's not only speaking for the 6-year-old boy in him, but "now, when I come to court, it’s kind of me getting to say my piece on behalf of others who can’t.”
Cayden has become a major difference-maker and a voice for others around the world.
After he graduates, he tells us he wants to attend college in Washington D.C. because that's where laws and policies are made.
