Issue #2 - Constructive Activities

Needs Assessment Data Suggesting the Need (from ICJIA profile)

· Fairly low percentages of the respondents reported that the community values youth (16%) or that the community uses youth as a resource (19%).  More male students reported that the community values youth (22% vs. 12% of females). 

· More male students (55%) than female students (35%) reported having a good sense of self-esteem. 

· Over a third of male respondents (37%) reported having been involved in three or more incidents of shoplifting, trouble with police, or vandalism in the last 12 months. 

· The number of high school dropouts in Ford County and the percentage of high school students that dropped out tended to rise slightly throughout the 1990’s.   No more than 4.6% of the Ford County high school population dropped out during any year in the 1990’s. 

Need Identified from Data

The above data supported discussions by the Juvenile Justice Council that youth in Ford County have a need for instant gratification. They express a peer-only disposition that sometimes leads to anti-adult/anti-authority sentiments.  This is paired with a lack of adult volunteers and leadership. Current pro-social activities do not appeal to at-risk youth, who are more likely to become involved with illegal activities.  There are few opportunities for youth to engage in free choice recreation due to the following barriers:  confidentiality, liability, lack of volunteers to supervise youth, few viable locations, lack of funding for equipment or staff, transportation issues. 

Goal:
Provide meaningful and constructive activities for youth that will in turn, increase  feelings of community value to 20% (currently 10%) and decreasing juvenile incidents with criminal behavior to 30 % (currently 37%). 

Objectives:

  OBJ1. Increase inter-generational activities by 25%

      Action Steps
        1. Inventory activities currently operating in Ford County.
        2. Recruit appropriate adult mentor/volunteers, targeting younger adults.
        3. Increase sponsorship for family fun nights, countywide.
        4. Become a Community of Promise, through America’s Promise

  OBJ2. Increase participation of at-risk youth by 50%. 

      Action Steps
        1. Define at-risk youth.
        2.  Identify and offer activities to which the at-risk youth would respond.
        3. Create a Big Brother, Big Sister program in Ford County.

  OBJ3. Increase funding for activities by 25%.

       Action Steps
         1.Find a source for availability of grants.
         2. Find a grant-writer/resource
         3. Find money for open gym activities, staff, and transportation. 
 
 
 

Components of the interagency agreement specific to achieving the objective or more generally related to the goal of creating constructive activities. 
 
 

Juvenile Justice System

• Law Enforcement
• Judges, State’s Attorneys
• Public Defenders
• County Board
• Probation 

• Social Service Agencies 

• Area School Districts

• Community Groups 

Law Enforcement 

Gibson City Police Department

• Provide one committee person for the issue of constructive activities. 
• Provide contact persons at the GCPD, including but not limited to the Administrative Assistant. 
• Provide assistance with programs and activities in Gibson City, such as Project Safety, a summer program for kindergarten and 1st grade youth. 

Paxton Police Department 
Agreements pending

Piper City Police Department
Agreements pending

Ford County Sheriff's Department
Agreements pending 
 

Judge and State's Attorney

Circuit Court Judge Steven Pacey
Agreements Pending 

State's Attorney Anthony Lee

• One person will attend full council meetings; when appropriate one person will attend committee meetings. 
• Assist with information sharing by providing the council with statistics regarding juvenile offenses
• Provide hand outs (pamphlets) to the community. 
• Identify and refer at risk youths/families. 
• Recognize students/juveniles who excel in various endeavors. 
• Fashion sentences/dispositions that require youthful offenders to take responsibility for their actions and repair damages they have done. 
• Support local efforts to reduce or eliminate youth access to sexually explicit movies, videos and magazines,  alcohol and tobacco.
• Support, encourage and implement orders of protective supervision for parents of court involved youth. 

Public Defender's

Harvey Welch
Agreements Pending

William Dueringer
Agreements Pending
 

Ford County Board
Board President Deb Smith 
 

• Provide one person to attend full council meetings keeping in communication with each committee.  When appropriate one or more persons will attend committee meetings representing the board.
• Participate in America’s Promise by encouraging communities and organizations to become Communities of Promise.
• Whenever possible include youth volunteers in workdays or other special countywide events and/or projects.
• Whenever possible include youth volunteers in planning, committees, councils and task forces.
• Encourage schools to add service learning as a part of their curriculum.  Work together with schools in developing community service projects for youth to participate in.
• Give youth leadership and responsibility with service projects, helping them to learn that they can make a difference.
• Recognize the skills and accomplishments of youth serving others.
• Model integrity at home, at the workplace, and in public.  Support and affirm youth when they act with integrity.
• Meeting place for Juvenile Justice Council full council meetings and committee meetings as needed.

Probation

Ford County Probation supports the juvenile justice council and agrees to help achieve the objectives generally related to the goal of creating constructive activities by the following: 

• Provide at least one committee person for the issue of constructive activities.
• Assist in obtaining information on activities to which youth will respond. 
• Assist by sponsoring inter-generational activities and activities for at-risk youth. 
• Assist in the implementation and sustainability of the Big Brother, Big Sister program. 
• Support community activities by providing volunteers (community service workers) to set up, participate, and clean up these activities.
• Participate in America's Promise by encouraging communities and organizations to become Communities of Promise. 
• Provide meeting space for committee meetings as needed. 

Social Service Agencies

• No agreements related to this issue. 

Area School Districts

Paxton Buckley Loda District 10 

• Provide contact persons, including but not limited to the principal, student government sponsors, class sponsors, and parent organizational leaders.
• Support youth mentoring programs where older students provide mentoring, programs and activities, and role models for younger students. 
• Host speakers for all school assemblies. 
• Provide programs for the community and for parents and family.
• Provide meeting space for meetings and activities, upon approval of the principal. 

 

• Provide contact person and council member from PACT.
• Provide DCFS approved location for “latchkey” students from 3:30 – 6:00 p.m. through the CAPS afterschool program. 
• Publish book of activities for summer. 
• Provide programs for the community and for parents and family.
• Support and collaborate with a mentoring program, such as Big Brothers, Big Sisters. 

Community Groups
 Agreements Pending