NAYC News Monthly E-Update

Federal Youth Court Program NAYC NEWS: The Monthly E-Update The World's Largest E-Update on Youth Courts, Teen Courts, Peer Courts and Student Courts A Service of The Federal Youth Court Program
Volume 5, No. 2 Circulation 5,000	*February, 2007*
The Monthly Highlight The National Association of Youth Courts is the winning name for the first ever national private non-profit organization to represent and be represented by local, regional and state youth court, teen court, peer court and student courts across America. The federal initiative that began two years ago with the early planning stages is about two months away from incorporation. Late last summer the 80-member National Task Force to Establish a National Organization for Youth Courts, Teen Courts, Peer Courts and Student Courts decided to let every local program in the database (almost 1,050) have the opportunity to vote on a name. More than 1,000 envelopes were stuffed with ballots in New Orleans and stamped and sent to local programs. The ballots were returned to the Maryland Teen Court Association and the results were as follows: 214 votes - National Association of Youth Courts 42 votes - United Youth Courts of America 65 votes - American Youth Courts Association The names of all 80 people involved in the establishment are listed on www.youthcourt.net in the latest issue of the quarterly newsletter, In Session. For more information (although little is available until incorporation takes place), questions may be directed to Katie Self, Director, Sarasota Teen Court, at fatc@verizon.net or Scott B. Peterson, OJJDP, at scott.peterson2@usdoj.gov. Stay tuned for upcoming announcements on your first-ever National Association! Please be assured the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and our other federal and private partners will continue to strive to support the local, state and national youth court movement and network as we have done for over a decade in the absence of a national private organization or association. New – Federal Youth Court Program Announces Upcoming National Double Track Youth Court Training On June 10-13, 2007, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), in collaboration with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges are sponsoring the National Double Track Youth Court Training. Track one is designed for those jurisdictions interested in establishing a youth court program and for new adult youth court and teen court staff and volunteers. Track two is designed for experienced youth court staff and adult volunteers who seek new and innovative strategies and techniques to enhance existing local youth court and teen court programs. Early registration is recommended, as space is limited to 180 participants. To obtain additional information about this training session and register online, visit http://www.youthcourt.net/training_ta/current.htm. Local, State and National News “Teen Court is Almost in Session” Tri-State area, Indiana (Evansville, Owensboro, and Hendersen) Their roles may be make-believe but their decisions will carry weight. Teen court will soon be in session and these Tri-State students are ready to serve as judge and jury. The sight of Juvenile Court Judge Brett Niemeier coaching a defendant on the witness stand would bring ethics complaints in a normal courtroom, but Niemeier's not playing sides, he's running Teen Court, and helping prosecutors too. Teen Court Coordinator Brittney Downing says, "A lot of teens are intimidated by the court process until after they come in here and see how it goes. After they get warmed up from it, you can see they definitely get comfortable." http://www.14wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=6182524&nav=menu54_3 “Town of Babylon Swears in First Youth Court” Babylon, New York - As their families looked on with pride, 27 high- and middle-school students were sworn in, forming the Town of Babylon's first Youth Court. The students spent more than 50 hours in training, preparing to become part of a nationwide program that offers a diversion system of justice to youthful offenders. They will act as judges, jurors, attorneys and prosecutors, meting out justice for youths by youths. "The program inspired him and he is now looking forward to a career in law enforcement,” said Susan Skelly of Babylon Village whose son, Matthew Dachenhausen, was sworn in as part of the first Babylon Youth Court. Matthew, or "Doc," as his fellow Youth Court members call him, is an 11th grader at Babylon High School. "These kids are remarkable," said Claire McKeon, the town's Youth Bureau Deputy Director. "They worked very hard and I am extremely proud of them." With only a couple of exceptions, all of those students recommended completed the program, said McKeon. "A few ran into some conflicts with other things they were doing and had to drop out," she said. The Youth Court is a Family Court diversion program designed to reduce juvenile delinquency. It is run for youth by youth; first-time youthful offenders under 16 who have committed violations or misdemeanors have their cases heard by a jury of their peers. Youth Court offers them a chance to constructively assume responsibility for their actions, as well as a chance to learn about the justice system. http://www.babylonbeacon.com/news/2007/0222/front_page/001.html “Local High Schools Look to Improve Youth Court” Roanoke, Virginia - A few students from William Fleming and Patrick Henry high schools skipped their day off on Presidents’ Day and sat down to work. The students, teachers and school resource officers met on the ninth floor of the Wachovia Tower Monday afternoon to talk about ways to improve Youth Court. Youth Court is a program used in all 50 states. Patrick Henry High School was the first to open one in the Commonwealth. Youth Court basically gives a student jury the power to decide punishment in certain disciplinary cases such as cheating, classroom disruption, and even some fights. The program expanded to William Fleming High School a short time after it had success at Patrick Henry. More than 400 Roanoke City Public School students have been trained as youth court participants and a total of 230 cases have been heard, according to a news release from RCPS director of public relations Tiffany Woods. The main goal of Monday's meeting was to find ways to better communicate, as well as attract and maintain more students in the program at both schools. http://www.wsls.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSLS%2FMGArticle%2FSLS_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149193284187&path=!news!localnews “Youth Leaders Offer New Teen Court Plan” San Gabriel, California - Typically, when La Mirada High School students come together in the annual Youth in Government program, they often propose a new city program of some kind. This group of 19 youngsters – five of whom were elected as "mock" council members and the other 14 who were staff – decided to look inward and proposed two programs dealing with their own school. They proposed expansion of teen counseling and a new teen court program. The teen court would provide another avenue for disciplinary intervention by having student offenders "sentenced" by their peers. "We wanted to have some kind of program that would target at-risk youth to bring them up to our level," said junior Sonal Singh, who played the role of city manager. Singh said teen court would allow some student offenders to be questioned, judged and sentenced by a jury of their peers. She said the goal was to create links between students, teachers and parents, as well as offenders; it would be a "collaborative effort to reduce youth crime and disobedience and encourage offenders to accept responsibility for their action.” http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_5325965 “Charles County Teen Court Receives Support from Fort Washington Sorority” Charles County, Maryland - Teen Court helps youth better resolve problems with peers, reduces recidivism and provides information about how the criminal justice system functions. Since its inception in March 2001, the program has provided more than 31,200 hours of volunteering opportunities for teens and adults. The Fort Washington Alumnae Chapter (FWAC) began with an idea to form a chapter dedicated to the Christian principles upon which the sorority was founded, according to its website, www.dstfwac.org . Since its inception, FWAC members have sponsored numerous programs in support of Delta’s mission. The sorority is based in Fort Washington, Md., and provides services to Southern Prince George’s and Charles counties. For information about Teen Court, including volunteer opportunities, call Teen Court Coordinator Maryellen Kraese at 301-609-3916 or visit the Charles County Sheriff’s Office’s website at www.ccso.us. http://somd.com/news/headlines/2007/5444.shtml. State of Tennessee Tennessee Teens to Celebrate Youth Court Day on the Hill April 4, 2007 will be the second annual Youth Court Day on the Hill. Teen and adult volunteers from across the state are invited to visit the state capitol for a day of learning about state government. The day’s events will include observing legislative sessions, meetings with legislators, a scavenger hunt and a docent-led tour of the state capitol. For more information, contact Anjanette Eash at a_eash@tnbar.org or 615-277-3233. State of Alaska Alaska Supreme Court Chief Justice Dana Fabe’s “2007 State of the Judiciary Address” to the legislature earlier this week. "Youth courts continue to offer great promise for fostering youth engagement and accountability. Led by youth — for youth — youth courts handle hundreds of minor juvenile offenses each year that would otherwise burden our juvenile justice system or not be addressed at all. Alaska has the good fortune to have fifteen youth courts statewide, in communities ranging from Ketchikan to Nome. In the past year alone, youth courts served nearly 900 new clients, secured nearly 17,000 hours of community work service, and collected over $5,000 in restitution for victims. Historically, youthful offenders who have their cases heard in youth courts show remarkably low rates of recidivism, which indicates that early peer intervention and consistent consequences work.” To read more, go to http://www.state.ak.us/courts/state07.htm; page 5 features the youth court discussion. State of Texas 2007 Texas Teen Court Conference The 2007 Texas Teen Court Conference will be held November 4-7, 2007 in Austin, Texas, at the Omni Hotel on 8^th Street, which is near numerous attractions including the restored Capitol, Town Lake with hiking and biking, and the Bob Bullock Museum. There will be a single track format with “How to Start a Teen Court” offered outside regular presentations to allow newcomers the opportunity to learn and gather ideas. A “round table” session will be held during lunch for networking and information gathering. For more information, please contact Jo Ann Wilder, Teen Court Coordinator, Bastrop County Teen Court at 512-303-5549 or by email at jwilder100@austin.rr.com. A Few of The Highlighted Websites from The Record 21 State Association and State Networking Groups: United Youth Courts of Alaska, Inc. www.alaskayouthcourt.org Florida Association of Teen Courts, Inc. www.flteencourt.net New York State Youth Court Association, Inc. www.nysyouthcourts.org/index.htm Texas Teen Court Association, Inc. www.texasteencourt.com/ Join or get involved in one of the 21 states that have formal and informal structures in place to increasing support of local programs. A list of many of these groups is available at http://www.youthcourt.net/resources/associations.htm. A training and/or formal two-day meeting will be offered in late Summer or early Fall for those interested in establishing/enhancing a state association or state networking group. Stay tuned to NAYC News: The Monthly E-Update. National Mentor Recruitment Promoted by National Training Seminar-Teen Court to be Highlighted On April 11-13, 2007, in Nashville, Tennessee, the National Network of Youth Ministries, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Corporation for National and Community Service, will host Mobilizing New Mentors…Through Faith- and Community-Based Collaborations. This national training seminar is designed to assist mentoring programs in finding new mentors, working with faith-based communities, and operating an effective volunteer program. Speakers include Scott B. Peterson from OJJDP and Tennessee Teen Court State Coordinator Anjanette Eash who will present a session on Teen Court. The registration deadline is March 30, 2007. Resources: For further information about this training seminar and to register online, visit http://www.mentoryouth.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/trainingnash.home. National Multitrack Training Supports Graduated Sanctions in Juvenile Justice – Youth Court to be Highlighted On May 8-10, 2007, in Brooklyn, New York, with support from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges will hold the national training Graduated Sanctions in Juvenile Justice. Marilyn Roberts, OJJDP Deputy Administrator for Programs, will serve as keynote speaker and Scott B. Peterson, OJJDP Federal Program Manager, will do a workshop and training session on Youth Court. The session is designed for juvenile court judges, juvenile justice system executives, managers, practitioners, detention and state training school personnel, juvenile law enforcement, drug and mental health court professionals, district attorneys, public defenders, social workers, health professionals, youth court and teen court professionals and service providers interested in graduated sanctions, as well as those seeking new strategies for rehabilitation and competency development for youth and families. Register by April 16, 2007, to obtain a lower registration rate. Resources: For more information about this training opportunity, including a conference brochure, and to register online, visit http://www.ncjfcj.org/content/view/954/315/. THE NATIONAL SERVICE-LEARNING CONFERENCE: March 28-31, 2007 Albuquerque, NM – Youth Court to be Highlighted The National Service-Learning Conference is the largest gathering of youth and practitioners from the service-learning movement. In 2006, it drew nearly 3,000 attendees from across the United States and 12 other countries. The theme of the 2007 conference is Beyond Borders, Beyond Boundaries, and will include a Global Forum, featuring international service-learning experts. OJJDP Federal Program Manager Scott B. Peterson and OJJDP staff member and Olympian Kerri Strug will present a workshop on Teen Court in conjunction with the awesome New Mexico Teen Court Association. To learn more, visit https://programs.regweb.com/metro/NYLC2007/registration/ Funding, Resources, and Partnership Tips and Ideas Service-Learning Mini-Grants for Projects in New England States KIDS Consortium of Lewiston, Maine, has announced the establishment of Dara's Fund: A Mini-Grant Program for Service-Learning Projects. The grants seek to encourage young people in New England to take action to make their schools and communities more caring and supportive places. To learn more, visit http://www.kidsconsortium.org/dara_fund.html GREENWORKS! SERVICE-LEARNING PROGRAM Project Learning Tree (PLT) is proud to announce it is expanding its GreenWorks! service-learning program. This year, $100,000 will be awarded to schools and youth organizations for environmental neighborhood improvement projects that involve youth with their community. In 2007, PLT is making $100,000 available for "learning-by-doing" environmental projects that: partner PLT educators and their students with local businesses or community organizations, combine academics with community service, engage elementary through college-age students in active learning about the environment provide opportunities for student leadership. Round 1 - Applications due Monday, April 30, 2007 Round 2 - Applications due Wednesday, October 31, 2007 To learn more, visit http://www.plt.org/cms/pages/21_22_21.html. Teen Driving Safety Program Announces 25 $2,000 Grants Available Applications Due: April 15, 2007 Project Ignition, sponsored by State Farm and coordinated by the National Youth Leadership Council, provides an opportunity for students and teachers grades 9-12 to work together to address the issue of teen driver safety. Project elements can incorporate the traditional elements – a TV commercial, print or radio ad, the Internet, direct mail, or special events. Non-traditional elements can also be incorporated such as performance art, publishing, or short films. Twenty-five applicants will receive a grant for $2,000 from State Farm to help put their plan into action. Ten finalists will receive a stipend of up to $5,000 from State Farm for travel to the National Service-Learning Conference. There, the projects will be presented and a panel of judges will select the Best of Festival award, with the winning school or organization receiving a grant of $10,000. The application deadline for the first phase of the competition is April 15, 2007. http://www.sfprojectignition.com/what_is_multi_arts.html Project Ignition Looking for Ten Young Heroes Who Exemplify Youth-Led Service Nominations Due: April 30, 2007 The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes recognizes ten outstanding young leaders who have led, developed, and implemented a significant service project in the previous year while demonstrating a positive spirit and high moral purpose. Winners receive $2,000 each to be applied to their service projects or higher education. Five selected leaders will have focused on helping their communities and fellow human beings; five will have focused on protecting the health and sustainability of the environment. Nominations from unrelated adults will be accepted on behalf of youth aged 8 to 18 who are legal residents of the U.S. or Canada. Nominations must be submitted by April 30, 2007. Additional details are available at http://www.barronprize.org/. National Truancy Reduction Program Tool Kit Available – Teen Court and Youth Court Highlighted! The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is offering an online truancy reduction tool kit for communities interested in instituting a truancy reduction program. The tool kit covers such topics as truancy’s extent, causes, and connections to dropping out of school and delinquency, as well as lessons learned from the evaluation of truancy reduction programs. It provides resources and information to guide communities, schools, and parents in addressing the problem of truancy. Resources: OJJDP's Tool Kit for Creating Your Own Truancy Reduction Program is available at http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/publications/PubAbstract.asp?pubi=238899. Conference Explores Fund Development Approaches The Second Annual Resource Development Services Fund Development Conference, scheduled April 19-20, 2007, in Chicago, Illinois, will cover a variety of topics relevant to today’s nonprofit human service organizations. The conference will include workshops focusing on building endowment funds, cultivating donor communications, and creating a fund development toolbox. Development directors and staff, executive directors, CEOs, and board members of human service organizations are encouraged to attend. Visit the website listed above for registration information. http://www.alliance1.org/Conferences/RDS2007/index.htm Resource Development Services Fund Development Conference Have You Partnered with America’s Promise – The Alliance for Youth America's Promise – The Alliance for Youth was founded after the Presidents' Summit for America's Future in 1997 where Presidents Bush, Carter, Clinton and Ford, with Nancy Reagan representing President Reagan, challenged the country to make children and youth a national priority. Retired General Colin L. Powell is founding chairman. America's Promise is chaired by Alma Powell. The mission of America's Promise – The Alliance for Youth is to mobilize people from every sector of American life to build the character and competence of youth by fulfilling Five Promises in their lives: caring adults; safe places with structured activities during non-school hours; a healthy start; marketable skills through effective education; and opportunities to serve. Visit www.americaspromise.org to learn more and join the network to improve your local youth court, teen court, peer court and student court. You have made that promise – now share that promise with others and involve more in your efforts! The Youth Programs Resource Center is Huge Help to Local Youth Courts Sustainability is more than effective fundraising and budgeting. While well-established, national youth programs often have an infrastructure that builds the capacities for sustainability into their affiliates; smaller youth programs rarely have this support, and struggle to sustain themselves from year to year. Likewise, while well-established fields have developed sophisticated policy infrastructures to sustain effective policy making, policy makers focused on youth issues rarely have access to effective policy tools and examples necessary. Sustaining both effective polices and effective programs is essential to ensuring that young people are prepared to successfully transition to adulthood. The Youth Programs Resource Center provides information and resources related to supporting and sustaining youth programs, initiatives and policies. In this section, you will find data, tools, policies, practices, financing strategies, coordination efforts and technical assistance resources developed by The Finance Project and partners. Watch for our forthcoming Clearinghouse on Expanding and Sustaining Youth Programs and Policies, a joint project with the Forum for Youth Investment. An online clearinghouse, it will contain information and resources to help program developers and managers, intermediaries, funders and policy makers support and sustain youth programs and initiatives. http://www.financeproject.org/irc/yp.asp Research, Data Collection and Legislation and Policy Updates Out-of-School National Report Released New York City’s Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) is pleased to provide you with the Evaluation Report on the first year implementation of the Out-of-School Time (OST) initiative conducted by Policy Study Associates (PSA. The report demonstrates that OST is meeting the after-school needs of young people and their parents throughout New York City. Now in its second year, OST provides school-aged children with free structured educational and recreational programming after school hours and during holiday breaks. In order to capture and analyze the impact OST has on youth and working parents, DYCD contracted PSA to complete a comprehensive three-year evaluation. This evaluation is central to our ability to increase program quality, hold providers accountable and help improve the field of after-school programming. http://www.nyc.gov/html/dycd/html/services-ost-report.html Nonprofit Ethics Program Provided Through Partner Organizations The Standards for Excellence Institute is a national initiative that promotes the highest standards of ethics and accountability in nonprofit governance, management, and operations, and facilitates adherence to those standards by all nonprofits. The Institute uses the Standards for Excellence program, a comprehensive system of nonprofit sector self-regulation, as its vehicle for effective change. The resources of the Standards for Excellence program are provided through the Institute and also directly through state-wide and regional nonprofits that serve their communities. In ten states (Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia), special licensed Standards for Excellence Replication Partners offer the program directly to the nonprofits in their jurisdictions. Go to http://www.standardsforexcellenceinstitute.org/public/html/learn_e.html for more information on current licensed Standards for Excellence replication partners. To learn how to become a Standards Replication Partner, go to http://www.standardsforexcellenceinstitute.org/public/html/become_e.html#RepPartner. Who are your new Members of Congress in Washington, D.C.? Learn who your U.S. Senators, Representatives, and other elected officials are. Teach your youth volunteers and offenders who they are and plan activities around it. Information about your elected officials can be found at www.congress.org; simply enter your zip code in the search box. U.S. Adults Support Voluntary Service rather than the Draft for Military or Civilian Service A majority of adults support increasing the budget to support full-time service programs. In a recent Harris Poll, nearly three in four (73%) U.S. adults agree that it is important for young people to serve their country, but that this service should be voluntary. When given an array of non-military civilian service opportunities, like tutoring and mentoring disadvantaged youth, improving health services, building affordable housing, cleaning parks and streams and helping communities respond to disasters or a military option, almost two-thirds of adults (63%) agree that there should be another option in which young people can serve their country. To learn more, visit http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=733. Are you Interested in How You can Contribute to National Youth Development? Innovations in Civic Participation (ICP) and the Children & Youth Unit of the World Bank have published a Youth Development Note, Youth Service: A Strategy for Youth and National Development. Youth Development Notes are published by the World Bank to highlight issues and strategies involving children and youth. Youth Service: A Strategy for Youth and National Development examines how youth can envision themselves as agents of change and assets for their countries’ futures. To this end, youth service is conceptualized as a tool that empowers youth by providing them with relevant experience and training that results in increased employability and other critical life skills. Furthermore, the note discusses how youth service programs can transcend social divides and build bonds of trust, leading to nation-building and improved governance. To read the Youth Development Note, please follow this link: http://www.icicp.org/index.phptg=fileman&idx=get&inl=1&id=9&gr=Y&path=&file=CY+youth+notes_issue+2_with+ICP+logo.pdf If you would like to read more on the youth service field, you can subscribe to ICP’s free monthly newsletter Service News Worldwide. Also, to see a complete list of Youth Development Notes, please visit the Children & Youth Unit’s website at http://www.worldbank.org/childrenandyouth. 6th National Youth Court and Teen Court Month is September, 2007 Get Connected, Get Involved and/or Take Action 6th National Youth Court/ Teen Court Month is this September – 2007 Theme Announced! At a recent meeting of over 80 youth and teen court local, regional and state leaders, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention of the U.S. Department of Justice asked these professionals to pick a theme for this year’s 6^th National Youth Court/Teen Court Month. A formal kit and much, much more will be coming by May 2, 2007 after local youth courts and teen courts have completed activities for National Youth Service Day in April and Law Day on May 1^st. The Winning Theme for 2007 is ....“Empowering Youth – Experiencing Justice.” Make the commitment now – this is the year you will join the record numbers of local programs across America who are standing tall and bringing increased attention to the National Youth Justice Movement while recruiting more volunteers – both youth and adults. Did you know that for the 5^th National Youth Court Month in September 2006, the United States Senate actually voted to pass the very first U.S. Senate Proclamation in support of National Youth Court Month? They did, and you can read it by visiting http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:S.RES.583: Many of you wrote letters, made phone calls and sent emails encouraging them to do this. Stay tuned – the 2007 National Youth Court Month is just six months away. This year we hope to get proclamation from both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. Get Connected, Get Involved and/or Take Action Attention! Attention! Attention! The record 1,200-plus local youth courts, teen courts, peer courts and student courts across America are called to action for the 2007 National Law Day, May 1, 2007. As a group we are among the leading programs volunteering for Law Day – let’s join together and involve more and more of our youth and adults in Law Day and celebrate the Law! A Call to Action: Get Involved Today! LAW DAY is Tuesday, May 1, 2007 Right about now is the time to start thinking about inviting folks to your Law Day events One of the easiest, quickest, and cheapest ways to send a mailing is with a postcard. Consider using the ABA pre-printed cards that include this year's theme on the front, and a brief message about Law Day on the back. There’s room for a mailing label on the reverse as well as information about your event. Consider printing a whole page of the same label that gives the what, where and when of your event. Then use those labels to customize the cards to your event. To purchase or find out more about the postcards (they come in packages of 100) visit http://www.abanet.org/abastore/productpage/3170519. The postcards are also available along with other promotional needs in The All-In-One Law Day Promotion Kit: http://www.abanet.org/abastore/productpage/3170530P. We put together the Law Day kits to save you time and money. Buying your Law Day materials this way can save you 20%-30% over purchasing items individually. Check out all of the kits at the Law Day store. Visit http://www.lawday.org and click on "Store." Support Observance of National Inhalant and Poisons Awareness Week National Inhalant and Poisons Awareness Week, March 18-24, 2007, seeks to involve youth, schools, media, law enforcement, health professionals, civic organizations, and others, in order to increase public awareness of the risks of inhalant abuse and mobilize communities to prevent it. Resources: To obtain additional information about National Inhalant and Poisons Awareness Week, visit http://www.inhalants.org/nipaw.htm . Federal Youth Court Program: What is on the Horizon? The Federal Youth Court Program is administered by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in collaboration with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools. This program provides overall national coordination, training and technical assistance, publications, and a wide range of other services to the now over 1,200 local youth court and teen court programs in the 49 states and the District of Columbia. Current partner agencies include the American Bar Association, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and the Phi Alpha Delta Public Service Center which administers the federally funded and sponsored National Youth Court Task Force Project to establish the new National Association of Youth Courts in 2007. For more information on the Federal Youth Court Program, including news and updates on local, state and national youth court and teen court initiatives, get connected today and subscribe to the "Monthly E-Update: NAYC News" and the quarterly newsletter, In Session – just log on to www.youthcourt.net. www.youthcourt.net : The World's Largest Website For Youth Courts, Teen Courts, Peer Courts and Student Courts. Your Monthly Tip! Click on the Hot Button titled “Publications” to learn about over 100 publications, resources and much more specifically developed over the past year and – best of all – almost all are FREE OF CHARGE: Publications by Subject · Alphabetical Listing of all Publications · General Information, Program Development and Enhancement · Volunteer Training · Restorative Justice · Evaluation and Research · Legislation · Miscellaneous Publications of Interest This & That Take a look at Bethlehem Youth Court’s excellent newsletter, Youth Court Journal: http://www.bethlehemyouthcourt.org/files/4th_Q_2006.pdf. Kudos to Director Stacey Whiteley of the Bethlehem Youth Court in Upstate New York. Ketchikan Youth Court is working on their local website that is already excellent. Good job, Gretchen Klein. Check it out, everyone! www.ketchikanyouthcourt.org Do you know a young hero who should be profiled in the National Service Briefing that goes to over 45,000 people weekly by Youth Service America? Nominate a young person between the ages of 5-25, who you think deserves to be profiled as a young hero. To submit a Young Heroes nomination, please send the name, age, city and state of the young person you are nominating, as well as a brief description of their involvement in service to change their community. Self-nominations are accepted. Send nominations to nsbinfo@ysa.org with the subject line NOMINATION. Jobs and Employment Job opportunity resources: http://www.SERVEnet.org http://www.idealist.org http://www.opportunitynocs.org http://www.independentsector.org/members/joblink.html Have a job opening you would like listed in the the NAYC News E-Update or the National Service Briefing? Send a description with contact information to youthcourt@ncjfcj.org and nsbinfo@ysa.org with the subject line JOB. Conferences & Events March March 12-13 - International Conference on Character Development through Service and Experiential Learning - Singapore; http://www.iccdtsel.nie.edu.sg/ March 14-16 - The Gulf South Summit on Service-Learning and Civic Engagement - New Orleans, LA; http://www.tulane.edu/~ServLrng/summit/ March 14-17 - Hands on Network Leadership Conference - New Orleans, LA; http://www.handsonnetwork.org/home/ March 21-23 - National AfterSchool Association Conference - Phoenix, AZ; http://www.naaweb.org/ March 21 - 24 - National Crime Prevention Conference & International Forum - Denver, CO; http://www.ycwa.org/youthcon/ March 25-28 - Young Readers Conference - Washington, DC; http://www.wan-press.org/nie/home.php March 28 - Global Service Forum - Albuquerque, NM; http://www.nylc.org/conference March 27-31 - National Service Learning Conference - Albuquerque, NM; http://www.nylc.org/conference April April 4-5, 2007 - Strategies for Success with Literacy: A Learning Curriculum that Serves Institute - St. Petersburg, FL; http://www.eckerd.edu/servicelearning/index.php?f=cbk April 11-14 - Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH) - Toronto, Canada; http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/index.html April 22-27 - R.I.S.E UP Wisconsin! (Ride to Inspire Student Engagement) - Wisconsin; http://www.riseupwisc.org April 23-24 - Afterschool Alliance Afterschool Challenge - Washington, DC; http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/ SEASONS OF SERVICE March March (month) - National Nutrition Month; http://www.strength.org/ March (month) - National Women's History Month; http://www.nwhp.org/ March (month) - Red Cross Month; http://www.redcross.org/index.html March 12-19 - Girl Scout Week; http://www.girlscouts.org/ Mach 15 - Absolutely Incredible Kid Day; http://www.campfire.org/a_i_kid_day/ March 16 - Liberty Day; http://www.libertyday.org March 22 - World Water Day; http://www.worldwaterday2007.org/ March 28 - Tobacco Free Kids; Annual Celebration; http://www.kickbuttsday.org/ March 31 - Cesar Chavez Day of Service and Learning; http://www.chavezfoundation.org April April (month) - Keep America Beautiful Month; http://www.kab.org/ April 5 - National Day of Hope; http://www.childhelpusa.org/ April 12 - National Drop Everything and Read Day; http://www.dropeverythingandread.com/ April 15-21 - National Library Week; http://www.ala.org/ April 15-21 - National Volunteer Week; http://www.pointsoflight.org April 16-22 - Act! Speak! Build! Week; http://www.habitat.org/ccyp/act_speak_build April 20-22 - National & Global Youth Service Day; http://www.YSA.org, http://www.gysd.org April 22 - Earth Day; http://www.earthday.net/. Do you know of a service day/event that should be on the Seasons of Service Calendar? Send the date and web site to nsbinfo@ysa.org with the subject line SEASON. Encourage others to subscribe! Forward this message to adult & youth involved in Local Youth Courts. We are always interested in your comments and ideas. Please contact us. Have information you would like us to include in future issues of the NAYC News Monthly E-Update? Click here.	In this Issue: The Monthly Highlight Local, State and National News Funding, Resources and Partnership Tips and Ideas Research, Data Collection and Legislation Information 6th National Youth Court and Teen Court Month is This September, 2007- Get Connected, Get Involved and/or Take Action Federal Youth Court Program: What is on the Horizon? www.youthcourt.net: Worlds Largest Web-Site for Youth Courts and Teen Courts Jobs and Employment NAYC: Monthly E-Update and In Session: Quarterly Newsletter - Get Connected and Connect Others to the Growing National Network Sponsored by: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Department of Education National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges You can print 8-1/2 x 11 versions of your choice of poster on your own color printer. Great for posting on bulletin boards or using as flyers! To access the .PDF click on the picture of the poster version you are interested in from the four versions shown below, or go to www.youthcourt.net. (Youth Court) (Teen Court) (Peer Court) (Student Court) Encourage Others to Join the more than 5,000 persons who receive the NAYC News Monthly E-Update! Increase support for your youth court on a local level by keeping your local stakeholders informed of what is going on nationally in the youth court field. Print a copy of this issue and distribute it to your advisory committee members, board of directors, and youth volunteers. Encourage them to visit www.youthcourt.net where they can register to receive a free copy.
Contact Us: Federal Youth Court Program Phone: 775-784-6715 National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges Fax: 775-784-6628 P.O. Box 8970 Reno, NV 89507 Email: youthcourt@ncjfcj.org Website: www.youthcourt.net Scott Bernard Peterson, United States Dept. of Justice Email: scott.peterson2@USDOJ.Gov Veronica Medina, Program Manager Britney Batz, Project Coordinator
If you would like to unsubscribe from the NAYC News Monthly E-Update, please click here

Federal Youth Court Program

NAYC NEWS: The Monthly E-Update

The World's Largest E-Update on Youth Courts, Teen Courts,

Peer Courts and Student Courts
A Service of The Federal Youth Court Program

Volume 5, No. 2 Circulation 5,000

February, 2007

The Monthly Highlight

The National Association of Youth Courts is the winning name for the first ever national private non-profit organization to represent and be represented by local, regional and state youth court, teen court, peer court and student courts across America. The federal initiative that began two years ago with the early planning stages is about two months away from incorporation. Late last summer the 80-member National Task Force to Establish a National Organization for Youth Courts, Teen Courts, Peer Courts and Student Courts decided to let every local program in the database (almost 1,050) have the opportunity to vote on a name. More than 1,000 envelopes were stuffed with ballots in New Orleans and stamped and sent to local programs. The ballots were returned to the Maryland Teen Court Association and the results were as follows:

214 votes - National Association of Youth Courts
42 votes - United Youth Courts of America
65 votes - American Youth Courts Association
The names of all 80 people involved in the establishment are listed on www.youthcourt.net in the latest issue of the quarterly newsletter, In Session. For more information (although little is available until incorporation takes place), questions may be directed to Katie Self, Director, Sarasota Teen Court, at fatc@verizon.net or Scott B. Peterson, OJJDP, at scott.peterson2@usdoj.gov.

Stay tuned for upcoming announcements on your first-ever National Association! Please be assured the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and our other federal and private partners will continue to strive to support the local, state and national youth court movement and network as we have done for over a decade in the absence of a national private organization or association.

New – Federal Youth Court Program Announces Upcoming National Double Track Youth Court Training

On June 10-13, 2007, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), in collaboration with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges are sponsoring the National Double Track Youth Court Training.

Track one is designed for those jurisdictions interested in establishing a youth court program and for new adult youth court and teen court staff and volunteers.

Track two is designed for experienced youth court staff and adult volunteers who seek new and innovative strategies and techniques to enhance existing local youth court and teen court programs.

Early registration is recommended, as space is limited to 180 participants.

To obtain additional information about this training session and register online, visit

http://www.youthcourt.net/training_ta/current.htm.

Local, State and National News

“Teen Court is Almost in Session”

Tri-State area, Indiana (Evansville, Owensboro, and Hendersen)

Their roles may be make-believe but their decisions will carry weight. Teen court will soon be in session and these Tri-State students are ready to serve as judge and jury.

The sight of Juvenile Court Judge Brett Niemeier coaching a defendant on the witness stand would bring ethics complaints in a normal courtroom, but Niemeier's not playing sides, he's running Teen Court, and helping prosecutors too.

Teen Court Coordinator Brittney Downing says, "A lot of teens are intimidated by the court process until after they come in here and see how it goes. After they get warmed up from it, you can see they definitely get comfortable."

http://www.14wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=6182524&nav=menu54_3

“Town of Babylon Swears in First Youth Court”

Babylon, New York - As their families looked on with pride, 27 high- and middle-school students were sworn in, forming the Town of Babylon's first Youth Court. The students spent more than 50 hours in training, preparing to become part of a nationwide program that offers a diversion system of justice to youthful offenders. They will act as judges, jurors, attorneys and prosecutors, meting out justice for youths by youths.

"The program inspired him and he is now looking forward to a career in law enforcement,” said Susan Skelly of Babylon Village whose son, Matthew Dachenhausen, was sworn in as part of the first Babylon Youth Court. Matthew, or "Doc," as his fellow Youth Court members call him, is an 11th grader at Babylon High School.

"These kids are remarkable," said Claire McKeon, the town's Youth Bureau Deputy Director. "They worked very hard and I am extremely proud of them." With only a couple of exceptions, all of those students recommended completed the program, said McKeon. "A few ran into some conflicts with other things they were doing and had to drop out," she said.

The Youth Court is a Family Court diversion program designed to reduce juvenile delinquency. It is run for youth by youth; first-time youthful offenders under 16 who have committed violations or misdemeanors have their cases heard by a jury of their peers. Youth Court offers them a chance to constructively assume responsibility for their actions, as well as a chance to learn about the justice system.

http://www.babylonbeacon.com/news/2007/0222/front_page/001.html

“Local High Schools Look to Improve Youth Court”

Roanoke, Virginia - A few students from William Fleming and Patrick Henry high schools skipped their day off on Presidents’ Day and sat down to work. The students, teachers and school resource officers met on the ninth floor of the Wachovia Tower Monday afternoon to talk about ways to improve Youth Court. Youth Court is a program used in all 50 states. Patrick Henry High School was the first to open one in the Commonwealth.

Youth Court basically gives a student jury the power to decide punishment in certain disciplinary cases such as cheating, classroom disruption, and even some fights. The program expanded to William Fleming High School a short time after it had success at Patrick Henry. More than 400 Roanoke City Public School students have been trained as youth court participants and a total of 230 cases have been heard, according to a news release from RCPS director of public relations Tiffany Woods.

The main goal of Monday's meeting was to find ways to better communicate, as well as attract and maintain more students in the program at both schools.

http://www.wsls.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSLS%2FMGArticle%2FSLS_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149193284187&path=!news!localnews

“Youth Leaders Offer New Teen Court Plan”

San Gabriel, California - Typically, when La Mirada High School students come together in the annual Youth in Government program, they often propose a new city program of some kind.

This group of 19 youngsters – five of whom were elected as "mock" council members and the other 14 who were staff – decided to look inward and proposed two programs dealing with their own school. They proposed expansion of teen counseling and a new teen court program. The teen court would provide another avenue for disciplinary intervention by having student offenders "sentenced" by their peers.

"We wanted to have some kind of program that would target at-risk youth to bring them up to our level," said junior Sonal Singh, who played the role of city manager.

Singh said teen court would allow some student offenders to be questioned, judged and sentenced by a jury of their peers. She said the goal was to create links between students, teachers and parents, as well as offenders; it would be a "collaborative effort to reduce youth crime and disobedience and encourage offenders to accept responsibility for their action.”

http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_5325965

“Charles County Teen Court Receives Support from
Fort Washington Sorority”

Charles County, Maryland - Teen Court helps youth better resolve problems with peers, reduces recidivism and provides information about how the criminal justice system functions. Since its inception in March 2001, the program has provided more than 31,200 hours of volunteering opportunities for teens and adults.

The Fort Washington Alumnae Chapter (FWAC) began with an idea to form a chapter dedicated to the Christian principles upon which the sorority was founded, according to its website, www.dstfwac.org . Since its inception, FWAC members have sponsored numerous programs in support of Delta’s mission. The sorority is based in Fort Washington, Md., and provides services to Southern Prince George’s and Charles counties.

For information about Teen Court, including volunteer opportunities, call Teen Court Coordinator Maryellen Kraese at 301-609-3916 or visit the Charles County Sheriff’s Office’s website at

www.ccso.us. http://somd.com/news/headlines/2007/5444.shtml.

State of Tennessee

Tennessee Teens to Celebrate Youth Court Day on the Hill

April 4, 2007 will be the second annual Youth Court Day on the Hill. Teen and adult volunteers from across the state are invited to visit the state capitol for a day of learning about state government. The day’s events will include observing legislative sessions, meetings with legislators, a scavenger hunt and a docent-led tour of the state capitol. For more information, contact Anjanette Eash at a_eash@tnbar.org or 615-277-3233.

State of Alaska

Alaska Supreme Court Chief Justice Dana Fabe’s “2007 State of the Judiciary Address” to the legislature earlier this week.

"Youth courts continue to offer great promise for fostering youth engagement and accountability. Led by youth — for youth — youth courts handle hundreds of minor juvenile offenses each year that would otherwise burden our juvenile justice system or not be addressed at all. Alaska has the good fortune to have fifteen youth courts statewide, in communities ranging from Ketchikan to Nome. In the past year alone, youth courts served nearly 900 new clients, secured nearly 17,000 hours of community work service, and collected over $5,000 in restitution for victims. Historically, youthful offenders who have their cases heard in youth courts show remarkably low rates of recidivism, which indicates that early peer intervention and consistent consequences work.” To read more, go to http://www.state.ak.us/courts/state07.htm; page 5 features the youth court discussion.

State of Texas

2007 Texas Teen Court Conference

The 2007 Texas Teen Court Conference will be held November 4-7, 2007 in Austin, Texas, at the Omni Hotel on 8^th Street, which is near numerous attractions including the restored Capitol, Town Lake with hiking and biking, and the Bob Bullock Museum. There will be a single track format with “How to Start a Teen Court” offered outside regular presentations to allow newcomers the opportunity to learn and gather ideas. A “round table” session will be held during lunch for networking and information gathering. For more information, please contact Jo Ann Wilder, Teen Court Coordinator, Bastrop County Teen Court at 512-303-5549 or by email at jwilder100@austin.rr.com.

A Few of The Highlighted Websites from The Record 21 State Association and State Networking Groups:

United Youth Courts of Alaska, Inc.

www.alaskayouthcourt.org

Florida Association of Teen Courts, Inc.

www.flteencourt.net

New York State Youth Court Association, Inc.

www.nysyouthcourts.org/index.htm

Texas Teen Court Association, Inc.

www.texasteencourt.com/

Join or get involved in one of the 21 states that have formal and informal structures in place to increasing support of local programs. A list of many of these groups is available at

http://www.youthcourt.net/resources/associations.htm.

A training and/or formal two-day meeting will be offered in late Summer or early Fall for those interested in establishing/enhancing a state association or state networking group. Stay tuned to NAYC News: The Monthly E-Update.

National Mentor Recruitment Promoted by National Training Seminar-Teen Court to be Highlighted

On April 11-13, 2007, in Nashville, Tennessee, the National Network of Youth Ministries, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Corporation for National and Community Service, will host Mobilizing New Mentors…Through Faith- and Community-Based Collaborations. This national training seminar is designed to assist mentoring programs in finding new mentors, working with faith-based communities, and operating an effective volunteer program. Speakers include Scott B. Peterson from OJJDP and Tennessee Teen Court State Coordinator Anjanette Eash who will present a session on Teen Court. The registration deadline is March 30, 2007.

Resources: For further information about this training seminar and to register online, visit http://www.mentoryouth.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/trainingnash.home.

National Multitrack Training Supports Graduated Sanctions in Juvenile Justice – Youth Court to be Highlighted

On May 8-10, 2007, in Brooklyn, New York, with support from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges will hold the national training Graduated Sanctions in Juvenile Justice. Marilyn Roberts, OJJDP Deputy Administrator for Programs, will serve as keynote speaker and Scott B. Peterson, OJJDP Federal Program Manager, will do a workshop and training session on Youth Court.

The session is designed for juvenile court judges, juvenile justice system executives, managers, practitioners, detention and state training school personnel, juvenile law enforcement, drug and mental health court professionals, district attorneys, public defenders, social workers, health professionals, youth court and teen court professionals and service providers interested in graduated sanctions, as well as those seeking new strategies for rehabilitation and competency development for youth and families. Register by April 16, 2007, to obtain a lower registration rate.

Resources:

For more information about this training opportunity, including a conference brochure, and to register online, visit http://www.ncjfcj.org/content/view/954/315/.

THE NATIONAL SERVICE-LEARNING CONFERENCE: March 28-31, 2007 Albuquerque, NM – Youth Court to be Highlighted

The National Service-Learning Conference is the largest gathering of youth and practitioners from the service-learning movement. In 2006, it drew nearly 3,000 attendees from across the United States and 12 other countries. The theme of the 2007 conference is Beyond Borders, Beyond Boundaries, and will include a Global Forum, featuring international service-learning experts. OJJDP Federal Program Manager Scott B. Peterson and OJJDP staff member and Olympian

Kerri Strug will present a workshop on Teen Court in conjunction with the awesome New Mexico Teen Court Association.

To learn more, visit https://programs.regweb.com/metro/NYLC2007/registration/

Funding, Resources, and Partnership Tips and Ideas

Service-Learning Mini-Grants for Projects in New England States

KIDS Consortium of Lewiston, Maine, has announced the establishment of Dara's Fund: A Mini-Grant Program for Service-Learning Projects. The grants seek to encourage young people in New England to take action to make their schools and communities more caring and supportive places.

To learn more, visit http://www.kidsconsortium.org/dara_fund.html

GREENWORKS! SERVICE-LEARNING PROGRAM

Project Learning Tree (PLT) is proud to announce it is expanding its GreenWorks! service-learning program. This year, $100,000 will be awarded to schools and youth organizations for environmental neighborhood improvement projects that involve youth with their community. In 2007, PLT is making $100,000 available for "learning-by-doing" environmental projects that: partner PLT educators and their students with local businesses or community organizations, combine academics with community service, engage elementary through college-age students in active learning about the environment provide opportunities for student leadership.

Round 1 - Applications due Monday, April 30, 2007
Round 2 - Applications due Wednesday, October 31, 2007

To learn more, visit http://www.plt.org/cms/pages/21_22_21.html.

Teen Driving Safety Program Announces 25 $2,000 Grants Available

Applications Due: April 15, 2007
Project Ignition, sponsored by State Farm and coordinated by the National Youth Leadership Council, provides an opportunity for students and teachers grades 9-12 to work together to address the issue of teen driver safety. Project elements can incorporate the traditional elements – a TV commercial, print or radio ad, the Internet, direct mail, or special events. Non-traditional elements can also be incorporated such as performance art, publishing, or short films. Twenty-five applicants will receive a grant for $2,000 from State Farm to help put their plan into action. Ten finalists will receive a stipend of up to $5,000 from State Farm for travel to the National Service-Learning Conference. There, the projects will be presented and a panel of judges will select the Best of Festival award, with the winning school or organization receiving a grant of $10,000.

The application deadline for the first phase of the competition is April 15, 2007.

http://www.sfprojectignition.com/what_is_multi_arts.html

Project Ignition

Looking for Ten Young Heroes Who Exemplify Youth-Led Service

Nominations Due: April 30, 2007

The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes recognizes ten outstanding young leaders who have led, developed, and implemented a significant service project in the previous year while demonstrating a positive spirit and high moral purpose. Winners receive $2,000 each to be applied to their service projects or higher education. Five selected leaders will have focused on helping their communities and fellow human beings; five will have focused on protecting the health and sustainability of the environment. Nominations from unrelated adults will be accepted on behalf of youth aged 8 to 18 who are legal residents of the U.S. or Canada. Nominations must be submitted by April 30, 2007.

Additional details are available at http://www.barronprize.org/.

National Truancy Reduction Program Tool Kit Available – Teen Court and Youth Court Highlighted!

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is offering an online truancy reduction tool kit for communities interested in instituting a truancy reduction program. The tool kit covers such topics as truancy’s extent, causes, and connections to dropping out of school and delinquency, as well as lessons learned from the evaluation of truancy reduction programs. It provides resources and information to guide communities, schools, and parents in addressing the problem of truancy.

Resources:

OJJDP's Tool Kit for Creating Your Own Truancy Reduction Program is available at

http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/publications/PubAbstract.asp?pubi=238899.

Conference Explores Fund Development Approaches

The Second Annual Resource Development Services Fund Development Conference, scheduled April 19-20, 2007, in Chicago, Illinois, will cover a variety of topics relevant to today’s nonprofit human service organizations. The conference will include workshops focusing on building endowment funds, cultivating donor communications, and creating a fund development toolbox. Development directors and staff, executive directors, CEOs, and board members of human service organizations are encouraged to attend.

Visit the website listed above for registration information.

http://www.alliance1.org/Conferences/RDS2007/index.htm

Resource Development Services Fund Development Conference

Have You Partnered with America’s Promise – The Alliance for Youth

America's Promise – The Alliance for Youth was founded after the Presidents' Summit for America's Future in 1997 where Presidents Bush, Carter, Clinton and Ford, with Nancy Reagan representing President Reagan, challenged the country to make children and youth a national priority. Retired General Colin L. Powell is founding chairman. America's Promise is chaired by Alma Powell. The mission of America's Promise – The Alliance for Youth is to mobilize people from every sector of American life to build the character and competence of youth by fulfilling Five Promises in their lives: caring adults; safe places with structured activities during non-school hours; a healthy start; marketable skills through effective education; and opportunities to serve.

Visit www.americaspromise.org to learn more and join the network to improve your local youth court, teen court, peer court and student court. You have made that promise – now share that promise with others and involve more in your efforts!

The Youth Programs Resource Center is Huge Help to Local Youth Courts

Sustainability is more than effective fundraising and budgeting. While well-established, national youth programs often have an infrastructure that builds the capacities for sustainability into their affiliates; smaller youth programs rarely have this support, and struggle to sustain themselves from year to year. Likewise, while well-established fields have developed sophisticated policy infrastructures to sustain effective policy making, policy makers focused on youth issues rarely have access to effective policy tools and examples necessary. Sustaining both effective polices and effective programs is essential to ensuring that young people are prepared to successfully transition to adulthood.

The Youth Programs Resource Center provides information and resources related to supporting and sustaining youth programs, initiatives and policies. In this section, you will find data, tools, policies, practices, financing strategies, coordination efforts and technical assistance resources developed by The Finance Project and partners.

Watch for our forthcoming Clearinghouse on Expanding and Sustaining Youth Programs and Policies, a joint project with the Forum for Youth Investment. An online clearinghouse, it will contain information and resources to help program developers and managers, intermediaries, funders and policy makers support and sustain youth programs and initiatives.

http://www.financeproject.org/irc/yp.asp

Research, Data Collection and Legislation and Policy Updates

Out-of-School National Report Released
New York City’s Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) is pleased to provide you with the Evaluation Report on the first year implementation of the Out-of-School Time (OST) initiative conducted by Policy Study Associates (PSA. The report demonstrates that OST is meeting the after-school needs of young people and their parents throughout New York City. Now in its second year, OST provides school-aged children with free structured educational and recreational programming after school hours and during holiday breaks. In order to capture and analyze the impact OST has on youth and working parents, DYCD contracted PSA to complete a comprehensive three-year evaluation. This evaluation is central to our ability to increase program quality, hold providers accountable and help improve the field of after-school programming.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dycd/html/services-ost-report.html

Nonprofit Ethics Program Provided Through Partner Organizations
The Standards for Excellence Institute is a national initiative that promotes the highest standards of ethics and accountability in nonprofit governance, management, and operations, and facilitates adherence to those standards by all nonprofits. The Institute uses the Standards for Excellence program, a comprehensive system of nonprofit sector self-regulation, as its vehicle for effective change. The resources of the Standards for Excellence program are provided through the Institute and also directly through state-wide and regional nonprofits that serve their communities. In ten states (Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia), special licensed Standards for Excellence Replication Partners offer the program directly to the nonprofits in their jurisdictions.

Go to http://www.standardsforexcellenceinstitute.org/public/html/learn_e.html for more information on current licensed Standards for Excellence replication partners.

To learn how to become a Standards Replication Partner, go to http://www.standardsforexcellenceinstitute.org/public/html/become_e.html#RepPartner.

Who are your new Members of Congress in Washington, D.C.?
Learn who your U.S. Senators, Representatives, and other elected officials are. Teach your youth volunteers and offenders who they are and plan activities around it. Information about your elected officials can be found at www.congress.org; simply enter your zip code in the search box.

U.S. Adults Support Voluntary Service rather than the Draft for Military or Civilian Service
A majority of adults support increasing the budget to support full-time service programs. In a recent Harris Poll, nearly three in four (73%) U.S. adults agree that it is important for young people to serve their country, but that this service should be voluntary. When given an array of non-military civilian service opportunities, like tutoring and mentoring disadvantaged youth, improving health services, building affordable housing, cleaning parks and streams and helping communities respond to disasters or a military option, almost two-thirds of adults (63%) agree that there should be another option in which young people can serve their country.

To learn more, visit http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=733.

Are you Interested in How You can Contribute to National Youth Development?
Innovations in Civic Participation (ICP) and the Children & Youth Unit of the World Bank have published a Youth Development Note, Youth Service: A Strategy for Youth and National Development. Youth Development Notes are published by the World Bank to highlight issues and strategies involving children and youth.

Youth Service: A Strategy for Youth and National Development examines how youth can envision themselves as agents of change and assets for their countries’ futures. To this end, youth service is conceptualized as a tool that empowers youth by providing them with relevant experience and training that results in increased employability and other critical life skills. Furthermore, the note discusses how youth service programs can transcend social divides and build bonds of trust, leading to nation-building and improved governance.

To read the Youth Development Note, please follow this link:

http://www.icicp.org/index.phptg=fileman&idx=get&inl=1&id=9&gr=Y&path=&file=CY+youth+notes_issue+2_with+ICP+logo.pdf

If you would like to read more on the youth service field, you can subscribe to ICP’s free monthly newsletter Service News Worldwide. Also, to see a complete list of Youth Development Notes, please visit the Children & Youth Unit’s website at http://www.worldbank.org/childrenandyouth.

6th National Youth Court and Teen Court Month is September, 2007 Get Connected, Get Involved and/or Take Action

6th National Youth Court/ Teen Court Month is this September – 2007 Theme Announced!
At a recent meeting of over 80 youth and teen court local, regional and state leaders, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention of the U.S. Department of Justice asked these professionals to pick a theme for this year’s 6^th National Youth Court/Teen Court Month. A formal kit and much, much more will be coming by May 2, 2007 after local youth courts and teen courts have completed activities for National Youth Service Day in April and Law Day on May 1^st.

The Winning Theme for 2007 is ....“Empowering Youth – Experiencing Justice.”
Make the commitment now – this is the year you will join the record numbers of local programs across America who are standing tall and bringing increased attention to the National Youth Justice Movement while recruiting more volunteers – both youth and adults.

Did you know that for the 5^th National Youth Court Month in September 2006, the United States Senate actually voted to pass the very first U.S. Senate Proclamation in support of National Youth Court Month? They did, and you can read it by visiting http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:S.RES.583:

Many of you wrote letters, made phone calls and sent emails encouraging them to do this. Stay tuned – the 2007 National Youth Court Month is just six months away. This year we hope to get proclamation from both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives.

Get Connected, Get Involved and/or Take Action
Attention! Attention! Attention!
The record 1,200-plus local youth courts, teen courts, peer courts and student courts across America are called to action for the 2007 National Law Day, May 1, 2007. As a group we are among the leading programs volunteering for Law Day – let’s join together and involve more and more of our youth and adults in Law Day and celebrate the Law! A Call to Action: Get Involved Today!

LAW DAY is Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Right about now is the time to start thinking about inviting folks to your Law Day events
One of the easiest, quickest, and cheapest ways to send a mailing is with a postcard. Consider using the ABA pre-printed cards that include this year's theme on the front, and a brief message about Law Day on the back. There’s room for a mailing label on the reverse as well as information about your event. Consider printing a whole page of the same label that gives the what, where and when of your event. Then use those labels to customize the cards to your event.

To purchase or find out more about the postcards (they come in packages of 100) visit http://www.abanet.org/abastore/productpage/3170519.

The postcards are also available along with other promotional needs in The All-In-One Law Day Promotion Kit: http://www.abanet.org/abastore/productpage/3170530P.

We put together the Law Day kits to save you time and money. Buying your Law Day materials this way can save you 20%-30% over purchasing items individually.

Check out all of the kits at the Law Day store. Visit http://www.lawday.org and click on "Store."

Support Observance of National Inhalant and Poisons Awareness Week National Inhalant and Poisons Awareness Week, March 18-24, 2007, seeks to involve youth, schools, media, law enforcement, health professionals, civic organizations, and others, in order to increase public awareness of the risks of inhalant abuse and mobilize communities to prevent it.

Resources: To obtain additional information about National Inhalant and Poisons Awareness Week, visit http://www.inhalants.org/nipaw.htm .

Federal Youth Court Program: What is on the Horizon?
The Federal Youth Court Program is administered by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in collaboration with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools. This program provides overall national coordination, training and technical assistance, publications, and a wide range of other services to the now over 1,200 local youth court and teen court programs in the 49 states and the District of Columbia.

Current partner agencies include the American Bar Association, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and the Phi Alpha Delta Public Service Center which administers the federally funded and sponsored National Youth Court Task Force Project to establish the new National Association of Youth Courts in 2007.

For more information on the Federal Youth Court Program, including news and updates on local, state and national youth court and teen court initiatives, get connected today and subscribe to the "Monthly E-Update: NAYC News" and the quarterly newsletter, In Session – just log on to www.youthcourt.net.

www.youthcourt.net : The World's Largest Website For Youth Courts, Teen Courts, Peer Courts and Student Courts.

Your Monthly Tip!
Click on the Hot Button titled “Publications” to learn about over 100 publications, resources and much more specifically developed over the past year and – best of all – almost all are FREE OF CHARGE:

Publications by Subject

· Alphabetical Listing of all Publications

· General Information, Program Development and Enhancement

· Volunteer Training

· Restorative Justice

· Evaluation and Research

· Legislation

· Miscellaneous Publications of Interest

This & That

Take a look at Bethlehem Youth Court’s excellent newsletter, Youth Court Journal: http://www.bethlehemyouthcourt.org/files/4th_Q_2006.pdf. Kudos to Director Stacey Whiteley of the Bethlehem Youth Court in Upstate New York.

Ketchikan Youth Court is working on their local website that is already excellent. Good job, Gretchen Klein. Check it out, everyone! www.ketchikanyouthcourt.org

Do you know a young hero who should be profiled in the National Service Briefing that goes to over 45,000 people weekly by Youth Service America?
Nominate a young person between the ages of 5-25, who you think deserves to be profiled as a young hero. To submit a Young Heroes nomination, please send the name, age, city and state of the young person you are nominating, as well as a brief description of their involvement in service to change their community. Self-nominations are accepted.

Send nominations to nsbinfo@ysa.org with the subject line NOMINATION.

Jobs and Employment

Job opportunity resources:
http://www.SERVEnet.org
http://www.idealist.org
http://www.opportunitynocs.org
http://www.independentsector.org/members/joblink.html

Have a job opening you would like listed in the the NAYC News E-Update or the National Service Briefing?

Send a description with contact information to youthcourt@ncjfcj.org and nsbinfo@ysa.org with the subject line JOB.

Conferences & Events

March

March 12-13 - International Conference on Character Development through Service and Experiential Learning - Singapore; http://www.iccdtsel.nie.edu.sg/
March 14-16 - The Gulf South Summit on Service-Learning and Civic Engagement - New Orleans, LA; http://www.tulane.edu/~ServLrng/summit/
March 14-17 - Hands on Network Leadership Conference - New Orleans, LA; http://www.handsonnetwork.org/home/
March 21-23 - National AfterSchool Association Conference - Phoenix, AZ; http://www.naaweb.org/
March 21 - 24 - National Crime Prevention Conference & International Forum - Denver, CO; http://www.ycwa.org/youthcon/
March 25-28 - Young Readers Conference - Washington, DC; http://www.wan-press.org/nie/home.php
March 28 - Global Service Forum - Albuquerque, NM; http://www.nylc.org/conference
March 27-31 - National Service Learning Conference - Albuquerque, NM; http://www.nylc.org/conference

April

April 4-5, 2007 - Strategies for Success with Literacy: A Learning Curriculum that Serves Institute - St. Petersburg, FL; http://www.eckerd.edu/servicelearning/index.php?f=cbk
April 11-14 - Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH) - Toronto, Canada; http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/index.html
April 22-27 - R.I.S.E UP Wisconsin! (Ride to Inspire Student Engagement) - Wisconsin; http://www.riseupwisc.org
April 23-24 - Afterschool Alliance Afterschool Challenge - Washington, DC; http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/

SEASONS OF SERVICE

March

March (month) - National Nutrition Month; http://www.strength.org/
March (month) - National Women's History Month; http://www.nwhp.org/
March (month) - Red Cross Month; http://www.redcross.org/index.html
March 12-19 - Girl Scout Week; http://www.girlscouts.org/
Mach 15 - Absolutely Incredible Kid Day; http://www.campfire.org/a_i_kid_day/
March 16 - Liberty Day; http://www.libertyday.org
March 22 - World Water Day; http://www.worldwaterday2007.org/
March 28 - Tobacco Free Kids; Annual Celebration; http://www.kickbuttsday.org/
March 31 - Cesar Chavez Day of Service and Learning; http://www.chavezfoundation.org

April

April (month) - Keep America Beautiful Month; http://www.kab.org/
April 5 - National Day of Hope; http://www.childhelpusa.org/
April 12 - National Drop Everything and Read Day; http://www.dropeverythingandread.com/
April 15-21 - National Library Week; http://www.ala.org/
April 15-21 - National Volunteer Week; http://www.pointsoflight.org
April 16-22 - Act! Speak! Build! Week; http://www.habitat.org/ccyp/act_speak_build
April 20-22 - National & Global Youth Service Day; http://www.YSA.org, http://www.gysd.org
April 22 - Earth Day; http://www.earthday.net/.

Do you know of a service day/event that should be on the Seasons of Service Calendar? Send the date and web site to nsbinfo@ysa.org with the subject line SEASON.

Encourage others to subscribe! Forward this message to adult & youth involved in Local Youth Courts.

We are always interested in your comments and ideas.
Please contact us.

Have information you would like us to include in future issues of the NAYC News Monthly E-Update? Click here.

In this Issue:

The Monthly Highlight
Local, State and National News
Funding, Resources and Partnership Tips and Ideas
Research, Data Collection and Legislation Information
6th National Youth Court and Teen Court Month is This September, 2007- Get Connected, Get Involved and/or Take Action
Federal Youth Court Program: What is on the Horizon?
www.youthcourt.net: Worlds Largest Web-Site for Youth Courts and Teen Courts
Jobs and Employment
NAYC: Monthly E-Update and In Session: Quarterly Newsletter - Get Connected and Connect Others to the Growing National Network

Sponsored by:

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Department of Education

National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges

New
Volunteer
Recruitment
Posters
are now
available
in .PDF
format!

You can print 8-1/2 x 11 versions of your choice of poster on your own color printer. Great for posting on bulletin boards or using as flyers!

To access the .PDF click on the picture of the poster version you are interested in from the four versions shown below, or go to www.youthcourt.net.

(Youth Court)

(Teen Court)

(Peer Court)

(Student Court)

Encourage Others to Join the more than 5,000 persons who receive the NAYC News Monthly
E-Update!

Increase support for your youth court on a local level by keeping your local stakeholders informed of what is going on nationally in the youth court field.

Print a copy of this issue and distribute it to your advisory committee members, board of directors, and youth volunteers.

Encourage them to visit www.youthcourt.net where they can register to receive a free copy.

   Contact Us:

    Federal Youth Court Program                                                                 Phone: 775-784-6715
    National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges                           Fax: 775-784-6628
    P.O. Box 8970 Reno, NV 89507                                                             Email: youthcourt@ncjfcj.org                                                                                                                 Website: www.youthcourt.net
    Scott Bernard Peterson, United States Dept. of Justice               Email: scott.peterson2@USDOJ.Gov
    Veronica Medina, Program Manager
    Britney Batz, Project Coordinator

If you would like to unsubscribe from the NAYC News

Monthly E-Update, please click here