NYCC Update Volume 2 Number 10


Volume 4, No. 9	September 15, 2006
Encourage others to subscribe! Forward this message to others you think would be interested so they can subscribe to the NYCC Update. It’s National Youth Court Month! This month, the National Youth Court Center along with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools is celebrating the 5^th Annual National Youth Court Month. This year’s theme is “Correcting Crooked Paths: Youth and Communities in Partnership for Justice.” Youth volunteers from several youth courts across the country assisted the NYCC in developing the theme. For more information on National Youth Court Month, go to www.youthcourt.net. Volunteer Hall of Honor Recipients Announced This year, 66 adult and youth volunteers were nominated by the youth court programs they serve for inclusion in the NYCC’s National Youth Court Month Volunteer Hall of Honor. Congratulations to these inspiring youth and adults who help make a difference in the lives of young people and their communities each and every day. To view this year's nominees, go to http://www.youthcourt.net/YC_Month_2006/Listing_2006.htm. Training and Technical Assistance Opportunities Seminar Offers Training for School Resource Officers and Community Police On December 11-13, 2006, in Las Vegas, NV, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention will sponsor a national training seminar for school resource officers and community police under its Youth for Justice Partnership. Hosted by the Constitutional Rights Foundation and Street Law, the seminar is designed for school resource officers and community police who work with youth, as well as teachers and administrators. Participants will be provided with curriculum materials and activities to engage students in learning about issues related to law enforcement and public safety. The registration deadline is November 1, 2006, but as space is limited, early registration is recommended. For more information or to register, go to http://www.crf-usa.org/ojjdp/sro.htm. National Conference on School Safety to be Held in Washington, DC on September 19-21, 2006 The National Conference on School Safety is this September 19-21, 2006 in Washington, D.C. It is sponsored by the United States Department of Justice (OJJDP) and the Hamilton Fish Institute on School and Community Violence at The George Washington University. In addition to excellent training sessions, OJJDP Administrator J. Robert Flores will be the Keynote Speaker among may other highlights. For more information please visit www.hamfish.org/conference/2006. IL Youth Court Association Professional Development and Networking Summit The Illinois Youth Court Association’s Professional Development and Networking Summit, sponsored by The Office of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, the Illinois Youth Court Association, and the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) will be held on November 1-2, 2006 in Decatur, IL. All 133 youth court/peer jury programs in Illinois are invited to attend this first-ever statewide summit. Participants will learn new strategies from local and national experts, network with peers and increase program effectiveness. For more information, contact Theresa Geary at 312-814-0991 or via email at tgeary@atg.state.il.us. Funding Opportunities Grants Support Volunteer Service for High-Risk and Gang-Involved Youth With funding from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Youth Service America has launched its YouthRising Program. The program offers grants up to $2,000 to support projects that engage high-risk and gang-involved youth in volunteer service. Eligible organizations must have documented success in prevention or intervention work with such youth. A significant portion of the project must take place on National and Global Youth Service Day, April 20-27, 2007. The application deadline is 5:00 p.m., E.T., October 12, 2006. State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grant Youth Service America and the State Farm Companies Foundation are offering the State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grant for youth across the United States. These grants of up to $1,000 support youth (ages 5-25), teachers, or school-based service-learning coordinators in implementing service-learning projects for National and Global Youth Service Day (http://ga1.org/ct/f7M4-6s1IqFa/NYSD), April 20-22, 2007. To learn more, download an application and grant guidelines at http://ga1.org/ct/d1M4-6s1WPD8/Awards or email GoodNeighbor@ysa.org. Projects can address any number of themes including the environment, disaster relief, health, youth traffic safety and other teen issues, education, interfaith dialogue, intergenerational relationships, homelessness, and literacy, amongst others. Postmark deadline: Monday, October 16, 2006. Publications and Resources Giving Back: Introducing Community Service Learning Improving Mandated Community Service for Juvenile Offenders Developed by the Constitutional Rights Foundation in Los Angeles and Chicago through a grant from the OJJDP, this updated and revised edition of the original “Giving Back: Community Service Learning Manual for Youth Courts” gives youth courts and other juvenile-justice agencies the tools they need to apply school-based service-learning methods to court-mandated community-service. Giving Back provides skill-building strategies and materials to introduce juvenile offenders to basic concepts of community and community problems and offers three options for planning and implementing community service-learning projects specifically designed to deal with ten offenses that youth courts and other juvenile-justice agencies most frequently address. Currently, you can access the revised manual online at http://www.youthcourt.net/publications/GivingBack_2006_final.pdf . Study Details High Cost of Underage Drinking According to a recent study, underage drinking costs the United States nearly $62 billion a year. Published in the July 2006 edition of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol, the study notes that underage drinking leads to nearly 3,200 deaths each year. For further information about the study, see PIRE's news release at http://www.pire.org/detail2.asp?core=38213&cms=114. The study's state by state breakdown of underage drinking costs is available at http://www.iiaaonline.org/profiles.php. AlcoholEdu for Youth Sanctions Youth Court representatives can now combat underage drinking with an online alcohol prevention course designed specifically for youth alcohol offenders. AlcoholEdu for Youth Sanctions is a Web-based course that incorporates proven prevention techniques with essential science-based alcohol education. Comprised of three, 30-minute sessions, the course helps young people who have violated alcohol laws make safer and healthier decisions about drinking – so youth are more likely to stay in school and less likely to continue drinking or experience further alcohol-related incidents. For more information, go to www.outsidetheclassroom.com. New OJJDP Web Page Promotes Faith-Based and Community Initiatives The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is pleased to announce the launching of its Faith-Based & Community Initiatives portal page. The page provides entry points to information on OJJDP’s outreach efforts, through conferences and meetings, to assist faith-based and community organizations in serving America's youth; programs, funded by OJJDP, that exemplify the contributions of such organizations to preventing and combating delinquency; and OJJDP-funded publications that provide information on the youth-serving activities of faith- and community-based organizations. The page also provides links to related resources, such as the Department of Justice Task Force for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives and the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, which, in turn, offers links to other agency centers for such initiatives. IACP Best Practice Brief Features Bullying Prevention The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) has released "Developing an Anti-Bullying Program: Increasing Safety, Reducing Violence." The publication is the first in a series of Best Practice Briefs written for law enforcement that will feature programs that effectively address critical juvenile issues. The brief highlights the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program as conducted by the Chula Vista, CA, Police Department. Developed in Norway in the mid-1980s, Olweus emphasizes community involvement and the establishment of clear rules and policies against bullying. Announcements Law Day 2007 Theme Announced! The 2007 Law Day theme (Liberty Under Law: Empowering Youth, Assuring Democracy) prompts us to listen to the voices of young people and consider how the law can better serve their needs and interests. It also encourages us to assure that our youth are equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively make their voices heard within our democracy. Time to get started on your Law Day planning! Sign up to receive a free Law Day Planning Guide (published December 2006) by logging onto www.lawday.org, your one-stop source for Law Day information, tips, and promotional materials. State and Local News Saratoga County Youth Court wins Liberty Bell Award The Saratoga County Bar Association recently honored the Saratoga County Youth Court (NY) with the “Liberty Bell Award.” Saratoga County Youth Court received the award for its demonstration of outstanding community service and for making the community a better and safer place. First Annual Coastal Teen Court Competition Held in Texas Nine teen court programs in Texas participated in the first annual Coastal Teen Court Competition. Programs that attended included; Hedwig Village Teen Court, Navasota Teen Court, Bay City Teen Court, Palacios Teen Court, El Campo Teen Court, Port Arthur Teen Court, Greenspoint (City of Houston) Teen Court, Northwest (City of Houston) Teen Court and Missouri City Teen Court. The competition was created to help the teen volunteers improve their skills in the courtroom and to support and develop Teen Courts in the coastal area. The three day event provided instruction for the teens on their roles in court and actual trials which were held under the guidance of legal professionals. After the scores were tallied for each team the winners of the competition were: Fist Place – The Prosecution Team from Navasota; Second Place – The Defense Team from Hedwig Village; Third Place – The Prosecution Team from Hedwig Village, Fourth Place Port Arthur’s Attorney Team. The Hedwig Village Team went on to win best overall team with Bay City coming in at second, Navasota third and Port Arthur fourth. Port Arthur’s Bailiff, Kyle Vincent went on to win first in the Bailiff competition, Palacios’ Clerk, Jazmina Kocurek won first in the Court Clerk competition. After the trials the defendants went on to New Orleans to perform community service work after receiving some instruction in Restorative Justice Saturday at U of H. Teen Receives $2,000 Scholarship On July 24, 2006, the Keller, Haltom City, Watauga Teen Court awarded a $2,000 scholarship to Branson White. Branson attended Central High School and is the first teen to be with the KHW Teen Court for all 4 years of high school. Branson started as an attorney with the KHW Teen Court in 2002. He was the lead attorney for the last 2 years and played a vital part in the teen court process. Joint Conference Held in North Carolina The North Carolina Teen Court Association and The North Carolina Association for Community Restitution Programs held their joint conference in Greensboro on July 19-21, 2006. Thirty programs from across the state were represented. Conference workshops included Internet Safety, Gang Awareness, Grant writing, Conflict Resolution and Anger Management Train the Trainer, and Dealing with Hostile Youth. Also featured were Round Table discussions concerning the state association’s Strategic Plan, as well as an informative session that shared information on progress at the national level with the National Youth Court Task Force that has been established to form the National Youth Court Association. First Youth Summit for Youth Courts Held in California The Administrative Office of the Courts' Center for Families, Children and the Courts sponsored a Youth Court Summit August 7-9, 2006 in San Cruz, CA. The Summit was also supported by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Safety Administration. Over 200 youth and adults from more than 40 youth court programs in the state of California were in attendance. Establishing a state youth court association and developing a DUI prevention program for youth were among the issues discussed at the summit. Youth Volunteer Receives $250 Scholarship Rebecca Sarver was honored for her loyalty and dedication to the Manatee County Teen Court Program in Bradenton, FL. Rebecca has volunteered thousands of hours as a teen attorney at the teen court and other teen court events since June 2004. Gilbert Smith, from the Law Offices of Hamrick, Perrey, Quinlan & Smith, presented Sarver with a $250 scholarship in appreciation for her contribution to teen court. In The News The following news articles on youth courts are among those that appeared online in the month of August. For a listing of other past news articles related to youth courts, please visit “In the News” section of the NYCC website. Some of the postings on this site include: 08-18-06: Teen court expanding to cover entire county http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/collin/ stories/DN-teencourt_17cco.ART.North.Edition1.3ee5b18.html 08-14-06: Huntington's Youth Court Awarded 8,000 Grant http://www.northender.com/northend_news_details.jsp?id=480 08-09-06: Youth court policy being set at UCSC http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2006/August/09/local/stories/ 08local.htm 08-08-06: $5,000 donation for Teen Peer Court http://www.willitsnews.com/features/ci_4137285 08-05-06: Youth court summit set for this week in Santa Cruz http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/15207289.htm 08-01-06: Southeast grad honored for service to Teen Court http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/local/15167993.htm We are always interested in your comments and ideas. Please contact us. Have things you would like us to include in future issues of the NYCC Update? Click here.	Sponsored by: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Operated by: American Probation and Parole Association Department of Education 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 4,200 persons who receive the NYCC Update each month! 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: National Youth Court Center Phone: 859-244-8193 c/o American Probation and Parole Association Fax: 859-244-8001 P.O. Box 11910 Email: youthcourt@ncjfcj.org Lexington, KY 40578 Main website: www.youthcourt.net Youth website: www.ycyouth.net
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Encourage others to subscribe! Forward this message to others you think would be interested so they can subscribe to the NYCC Update.

This month, the National Youth Court Center along with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools is celebrating the 5^th Annual National Youth Court Month. This year’s theme is “Correcting Crooked Paths: Youth and Communities in Partnership for Justice.” Youth volunteers from several youth courts across the country assisted the NYCC in developing the theme. For more information on National Youth Court Month, go to www.youthcourt.net.

Volunteer Hall of Honor Recipients Announced

This year, 66 adult and youth volunteers were nominated by the youth court programs they serve for inclusion in the NYCC’s National Youth Court Month Volunteer Hall of Honor. Congratulations to these inspiring youth and adults who help make a difference in the lives of young people and their communities each and every day. To view this year's nominees, go to http://www.youthcourt.net/YC_Month_2006/Listing_2006.htm.

Training and Technical Assistance Opportunities

Seminar Offers Training for School Resource Officers and Community Police

On December 11-13, 2006, in Las Vegas, NV, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention will sponsor a national training seminar for school resource officers and community police under its Youth for Justice Partnership. Hosted by the Constitutional Rights Foundation and Street Law, the seminar is designed for school resource officers and community police who work with youth, as well as teachers and administrators. Participants will be provided with curriculum materials and activities to engage students in learning about issues related to law enforcement and public safety.

The registration deadline is November 1, 2006, but as space is limited, early registration is recommended. For more information or to register, go to http://www.crf-usa.org/ojjdp/sro.htm.

National Conference on School Safety to be Held in Washington, DC on September 19-21, 2006

The National Conference on School Safety is this September 19-21, 2006 in Washington, D.C. It is sponsored by the United States Department of Justice (OJJDP) and the Hamilton Fish Institute on School and Community Violence at The George Washington University. In addition to excellent training sessions, OJJDP Administrator J. Robert Flores will be the Keynote Speaker among may other highlights. For more information please visit www.hamfish.org/conference/2006.

IL Youth Court Association Professional Development and Networking Summit

The Illinois Youth Court Association’s Professional Development and Networking Summit, sponsored by The Office of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, the Illinois Youth Court Association, and the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) will be held on November 1-2, 2006 in Decatur, IL. All 133 youth court/peer jury programs in Illinois are invited to attend this first-ever statewide summit. Participants will learn new strategies from local and national experts, network with peers and increase program effectiveness. For more information, contact Theresa Geary at 312-814-0991 or via email at tgeary@atg.state.il.us.

Funding Opportunities

Grants Support Volunteer Service for High-Risk and Gang-Involved Youth

Youth Service America and the State Farm Companies Foundation are offering the State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grant for youth across the United States. These grants of up to $1,000 support youth (ages 5-25), teachers, or school-based service-learning coordinators in implementing service-learning projects for National and Global Youth Service Day (http://ga1.org/ct/f7M4-6s1IqFa/NYSD), April 20-22, 2007. To learn more, download an application and grant guidelines at http://ga1.org/ct/d1M4-6s1WPD8/Awards or email GoodNeighbor@ysa.org. Projects can address any number of themes including the environment, disaster relief, health, youth traffic safety and other teen issues, education, interfaith dialogue, intergenerational relationships, homelessness, and literacy, amongst others. Postmark deadline: Monday, October 16, 2006.

Publications and Resources

Giving Back: Introducing Community Service Learning Improving Mandated Community Service for Juvenile Offenders

Developed by the Constitutional Rights Foundation in Los Angeles and Chicago through a grant from the OJJDP, this updated and revised edition of the original “Giving Back: Community Service Learning Manual for Youth Courts” gives youth courts and other juvenile-justice agencies the tools they need to apply school-based service-learning methods to court-mandated community-service. Giving Back provides skill-building strategies and materials to introduce juvenile offenders to basic concepts of community and community problems and offers three options for planning and implementing community service-learning projects specifically designed to deal with ten offenses that youth courts and other juvenile-justice agencies most frequently address. Currently, you can access the revised manual online at http://www.youthcourt.net/publications/GivingBack_2006_final.pdf .

Youth Court representatives can now combat underage drinking with an online alcohol prevention course designed specifically for youth alcohol offenders.

AlcoholEdu for Youth Sanctions is a Web-based course that incorporates proven prevention techniques with essential science-based alcohol education. Comprised of three, 30-minute sessions, the course helps young people who have violated alcohol laws make safer and healthier decisions about drinking – so youth are more likely to stay in school and less likely to continue drinking or experience further alcohol-related incidents. For more information, go to www.outsidetheclassroom.com.

The 2007 Law Day theme (Liberty Under Law: Empowering Youth, Assuring Democracy) prompts us to listen to the voices of young people and consider how the law can better serve their needs and interests. It also encourages us to assure that our youth are equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively make their voices heard within our democracy. Time to get started on your Law Day planning! Sign up to receive a free Law Day Planning Guide (published December 2006) by logging onto www.lawday.org, your one-stop source for Law Day information, tips, and promotional materials.

The Saratoga County Bar Association recently honored the Saratoga County Youth Court (NY) with the “Liberty Bell Award.” Saratoga County Youth Court received the award for its demonstration of outstanding community service and for making the community a better and safer place.

Nine teen court programs in Texas participated in the first annual Coastal Teen Court Competition. Programs that attended included; Hedwig Village Teen Court, Navasota Teen Court, Bay City Teen Court, Palacios Teen Court, El Campo Teen Court, Port Arthur Teen Court, Greenspoint (City of Houston) Teen Court, Northwest (City of Houston) Teen Court and Missouri City Teen Court. The competition was created to help the teen volunteers improve their skills in the courtroom and to support and develop Teen Courts in the coastal area. The three day event provided instruction for the teens on their roles in court and actual trials which were held under the guidance of legal professionals.

After the scores were tallied for each team the winners of the competition were: Fist Place – The Prosecution Team from Navasota; Second Place – The Defense Team from Hedwig Village; Third Place – The Prosecution Team from Hedwig Village, Fourth Place Port Arthur’s Attorney Team. The Hedwig Village Team went on to win best overall team with Bay City coming in at second, Navasota third and Port Arthur fourth. Port Arthur’s Bailiff, Kyle Vincent went on to win first in the Bailiff competition, Palacios’ Clerk, Jazmina Kocurek won first in the Court Clerk competition. After the trials the defendants went on to New Orleans to perform community service work after receiving some instruction in Restorative Justice Saturday at U of H.

Teen Receives $2,000 Scholarship

On July 24, 2006, the Keller, Haltom City, Watauga Teen Court awarded a $2,000 scholarship to Branson White. Branson attended Central High School and is the first teen to be with the KHW Teen Court for all 4 years of high school. Branson started as an attorney with the KHW Teen Court in 2002. He was the lead attorney for the last 2 years and played a vital part in the teen court process.

The North Carolina Teen Court Association and The North Carolina Association for Community Restitution Programs held their joint conference in Greensboro on July 19-21, 2006. Thirty programs from across the state were represented. Conference workshops included Internet Safety, Gang Awareness, Grant writing, Conflict Resolution and Anger Management Train the Trainer, and Dealing with Hostile Youth. Also featured were Round Table discussions concerning the state association’s Strategic Plan, as well as an informative session that shared information on progress at the national level with the National Youth Court Task Force that has been established to form the National Youth Court Association.

The Administrative Office of the Courts' Center for Families, Children and the Courts sponsored a Youth Court Summit August 7-9, 2006 in San Cruz, CA. The Summit was also supported by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Safety Administration. Over 200 youth and adults from more than 40 youth court programs in the state of California were in attendance. Establishing a state youth court association and developing a DUI prevention program for youth were among the issues discussed at the summit.

Rebecca Sarver was honored for her loyalty and dedication to the Manatee County Teen Court Program in Bradenton, FL. Rebecca has volunteered thousands of hours as a teen attorney at the teen court and other teen court events since June 2004. Gilbert Smith, from the Law Offices of Hamrick, Perrey, Quinlan & Smith, presented Sarver with a $250 scholarship in appreciation for her contribution to teen court.