SAVING OUR YOUTH VA

Facts: It cost an estimate of $232.31 a day to detain a youth in a detention center.  So it costs taxpayers over $20,000 to detain a youth for 90 days.  Without help, youth tend to repeat their mistakes over and over again, destroying their lives, destroying the communities and costing the taxpayers a lot of money.

 

The Saving Our Youth Juvenile Re-Entry Program (JRP) promotes social economic independence of disadvantaged youth 14 through 22 years of age who are adjudicated and at risk for lifelong dependency.  Our mission is to provide a comprehensive set of services designed to assist juvenile offenders in achieving and maintaining a positive transition to their home community.  For those not of age to leave their parental environment, an intensive program will be established for them but they will still reside in the home of their parent(s) or guardian(s).

 

The program will focus on providing assessment, vocational skills training, independent living training, individual and group counseling, as well as other skills needed to help stop the trend of young adults going from juvenile detention to jail and rather become productive citizens for the communities.  We will also use outsourced programs to assist in areas such as remedial education, GED preparation, substance abuse services, work experience and job placement.

 

When someone enters the positive re-entry program, they will meet with our Juvenile Case Manager to establish a unique customized program for each one based on their needs in accords to the following areas:

 

Counselor & Probation Officer meetings

Mandatory counselor meetings 1 day per week and according to the judge’s ruling.  Many times the judge requires us to set up a counseling schedule for the youth through Richmond Behavioral Authority. 

 

Anger Management

For those that have problems with controlling their anger, anger management counselor meetings are mandatory.

 

Education

Those who have not graduated from high school will be set up to finish school or get a GED.

School tutoring will be available for those who need it.

 

College Preparatory.  It is our preference for them to go through our higher education program and attend college but we know that college is not the thing everyone.  Since it will probably be harder for people with GED’s to be accepted into the better colleges, we will write referral letters and speak directly with administration to assist with their acceptance.  Getting them around people that have high goals will help to build their goals in life and help to keep them permanently on the right path.  We would like to have a problem….a problem of having too many college graduations to attend.

 

Faith Based Education

Faith base education for those who want it.  We will give them transportation to and from church and other faith based programs.   We have established counseling availability with faith counselors from area churches.

 

Mental Health Care

Adjudicated youth with mental health problems are at an overwhelming risk of re-offending once they return to their home environments.  Those that have been diagnosed with mental or emotional disorders will have routinely schedules with therapist and other medical services to help them grow mentally.

 

 Other Training and Classes

Computer training will be available for those who need it.

Typing classes will be available for those who need it.

 

Vocational training will be mandatory for those who speak broken English.  The rap music has created a vocabulary that is not inductive to the business world.  Many people use phases such as “is you” rather than “are you” and this has become common practice, mostly in the African American communities.  For people that just want to work at fast food restaurants or clean up nursing homes, that language is ok.  But we want to give them better chances at getting better jobs and learning to speak proper English is one way to do that.

 

Vocational training for public speaking.  Educating them to be able to speak to or with a crowd without fear.  This type of training helps in many ways, most importantly building ones confidence.

 

Nutrition counseling will be mandatory.

 

Mocked job interviews or marked college interviews, whichever pertains to their situation. 

 

They will receive proper clothing to attend business affairs which we will set up twice a month.  They may be meetings with companies we hope will employ some of them in the future, college lectures, etc.

 

Parents participation

Parents will be encouraged to take a part in their Youth’s growth during their stay with us if they are not substance abusers or have been established to be physical abusers to the Youth.  We would like parents to participate in some of the individual counseling sessions and a group meeting once a month.

 

 

Mentors

Set the participants up with personal mentors.  This mentor will help with some of the above items such as help them get their drivers license, class work tutoring, restoration dialog, etc.

 

 

Restorative Justice

Restorative Justice begins with the understanding that crime harms victims, offenders, their families, and communities in very real and often lasting ways.   Restorative Justice holds offenders accountable to right the wrongs they have inflicted on their victims and the community.  This will not only help to make the ex-offender understand how wrong their actions were but it could also help to bring closure for the victims.  

 

The Restorative Justice process attempts to:

- Focus on the harms of wrong doing and the consequences to the victims.

- Assist victims and address their needs in the justice process.

- Show equal respect for victims, offenders and communities, involving all in the process of justice.

- Provide opportunities for dialogue between victims and offenders and those affected by crime.

 

Exercise

Physical activities are as important as mental activities.  Therefore, exercise activities at a local gym will be available.

 

Outside Activities

Church and leisure activities will be allowed with approved supervision.

 

 What are the qualifications to get into our program?

• Must be a juvenile being released or recently released (within last 60 days) from the juvenile facility

• The decision will be made after speaking with the juvenile facility director to help determine which juveniles should enter the program.  The juvenile facility director will know the character of the proposed participants so he/she will be more likely to be able to determine their ability to succeed in the program.

 

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Free Thinking Workshops

 Dedicated to Inspiring and Mentoring Youth with a

Message of Prevention to Stop the Cycle

 

                The Positive Freethinking classes consist of motivating the youth to reconsider their present mindsets if that mindset is negative and self-destructive.  We are attempting to motivate them to consider their minds as weapons.  Any weapon can turn on you if you don’t know how to use it, but if you learn to use it, believe in its power, nothing can conquer you.
 

                We believe that most of these lost children are essentially good inside.  Potent forms of negative indoctrination seduce them and encourage them to live and act like animals in our troubled communities.  They possess no respect for themselves or other people.  They act as though it is a badge of honor to kill or maim for a few dollars or just for fun.  This is not normal.  We will not preach or attempt to indoctrinate these children in any form.  The Freethinking teachings will only help in giving them their minds back.  This means that they are exposed to mind lessons to aid them in feeling totally comfortable in thinking for themselves; considering the consequences of following the crowd, an early death, life in prison, being poor, etc.

 

                The Freethinking Workshops are thoroughly dedicated to helping the youth to free their minds through an innovative series of mind exercises and questions that take them out of their comfort zone – making them think for themselves.  Once they attain the confidence to believe in the power of their own minds, and start liking and loving themselves, the classes will start.

 

                The classes will consist of steps from 1 to 15.  They will have to complete each step.  We encourage them to strive to be leaders, innovators, and productive citizens.  We do not want to lead them.  This is the tricky part, and we feel it is the part where most people or groups fail.  If you can lead them somewhere, even in thought, someone else can lead them somewhere else.  We encourage the final decision to be on them.  That will give them the foundation of their confidence and belief in themselves.  We deem this aspect to be extremely vital in successfully saving their negative mindsets and feeling good about change, ambition, and the principle of service to the community.  Once these young men and women are in tune with their own minds, they can believe that in spite of – and precisely because of – their past and their pain, they are situated to profoundly contribute to society.

 

                Most attempts to deliver the freedom of the minds of the youth has failed because the same archaic, bored methods are being used.  Most of these methods have never been successful.  This is a very serious issue for anyone to step into.  Our efforts to save the youth or adults from early deaths or a lifetime in prison must be delivered through a community of Freethinking mentors who are patient, nurturing, and able to sustain a genuine long-term commitment to their welfare.  Freethinking classes must focus on a complete transformation of the heart, mind and character.

 

                Free Thought is known as Freethinking.  We who practice Freethinking will be known as Freethinkers.  We are hoping that today’s youth will break away from negative indoctrination and bring on a better society through the complete belief in the power of their minds with confidence and imagination.  The mind is the most potent weapon on earth, and if you can control this weapon and use it for good, you can help make this a better world.