TRENTON
- The New Jersey Governor’s Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP)
Committee has awarded a $13,780 grant
to the Center for Family Services for
the Youth Empowerment Systems (YES) Residential
and Treatment Facility Program, which
serves young people from Blackwood and
the City of Camden.
This Summer Expansion Program Grant allows
27 young people who are emotionally disturbed
or aggressive, and who are currently in
the juvenile justice system, an opportunity
to engage in performance art. Students
participate in set and costume design,
writing productions, and the selection
of educational material for performances.
Artists from the Perkins Center for the
Arts instruct the students in all aspects
of performance art. Participants also
acquire academic skills through research
and writing on their performance topic.
The goals of the program include building
self-confidence and self-esteem, as well
as gaining a general knowledge of theater
and the selected topics for the performances.
“Tragically,
many high-risk youth believe they are
failures and have very low expectations
of their futures. The JJDP has funded
the Center for Family Services YES Residential
and Shelter Treatment Facility to work
with the Perkins Center for the Arts with
remarkable results. The youth have found
an outlet through which they can change
their perceptions of themselves through
the arts. Thank you JJDP,” said
Nancy Kline-Gold, Clinical Director, Center
for Family Services.
The Juvenile Justice Commission (JJC),
as the designated planning authority for
the allocation of federal grant funds,
works with the JJDP Committee to identify
appropriate programs, award funds and
monitor their success. The JJDP Committee
is responsible for the distribution of
more than $3 million in federal grant
awards annually to local and state agencies.
The JJDP Committee reviews proposals for
programs that aim to reduce delinquency
and/or seek to create local delinquency
prevention strategies. Programs that receive
funding work with individuals, families
and communities to reduce the risk factors
associated with delinquency. Programs
that demonstrate success are eligible
for continued funding for a maximum of
three consecutive years.
The JJC is committed to helping local
communities address the specific needs
of their young people. It is important
to allow these young people a chance to
engage in positive programs that keep
them on the right track during the summer
months,” said Howard L. Beyer, Executive
Director, JJC. We know that the earlier
we reach out to children, the better chance
we have of ensuring that they lead productive
lives.
Created in 1995 to bring together services
for delinquent young people, the JJC is
the single state agency responsible for
providing juvenile correctional rehabilitation
and parole services. The JJC also funds
local prevention programs that divert
young people from involvement in the juvenile
justice system.
The project is monitored by staff from
the Program Development and Prevention
Services arm of the JJC’s Office
of Local Programs and Services.
For more information on the JJC, please
visit www.njjjc.com.
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