Community News
ESCAPE Program To Help Youth
By by Ami Mejia Family Connection Coordinator
Apr 1, 2009, 19:29

A new program, ESCAPE, has been initiated in 2 elementary schools.  The program targets youth with behavior problems in school and offers a multitude of support to help them overcome the problems.

Kathy Varner, John Johnson Elementary Principal, talks about the program.  JJE is one of 2 schools included in the pilot program.

Last year, Family Connection hosted a series of community forums to discuss the juvenile delinquency issue.  Through those forums, Family Connection's Youth Development Strategy Team developed a strategy to address the issues.  However, the group had no funds to implement the programs and activities so the strategy was tabled.

Recently, the State of Georgia's Department of Community Affairs (DCA) announced that it would offer a small amount of funding to counties that participate in the Communities of Opportunity.  Our local elected officials agreed to use Family Connection's juvenile delinquency prevention strategy, Elementary School Community Action Prevention Environment (E.S.C.A.P.E.), as the program for the grant.

A total of twenty students from two different elementary schools were referred to ESCAPE by the school administration, and the parents voluntarily agreed to have their children participate.  ESCAPE is not a school program, but  a community initiative.  Elementary school-age students experiencing behavior problems that interferes with their ability to learn are identified and join the program.

A coordinated network of community-based services and supports, provide these students and their families with mentoring, tutoring, conflict resolution, parenting classes, information on the 40 developmental assets, and linkages to local community services and youth development and enrichment activities.

Why only 20 students and only two schools?   Funding and logistics dictated the decision to include 20 students from two elementary schools.

The cost of the initiative for March 2009 through June 2010 is $26,885.  $13,560 is donated through in-kind services from Samaritan Counseling Center which is providing the conflict resolution groups for the students.  The remaining $13,325 is the cash cost.  The DCA Communities of Opportunity Grant will provide $5,000, while the remaining $8,325 will be raised locally.

Park Avenue Bank, a Decatur County Family Connection Collaborative partner, recently held a fund raiser for the program. Family Connection Coordinator, Ami Mejia in the middle, accepts the donation from PABs Scott Ewing and Linda King.

The expectation is that school administrators will see a decrease in discipline referrals and behavior problems in the students who participate in the initiative.  The ultimate goal is that these students graduate from high school and become successful at home, school and in their community.

The Youth Development Strategy Team will monitor the program outcomes throughout the year and expect to apply for a larger System of Care grant from the Governor's Office of Children and Families next year.  Additional funding would expand the initiative to serve students in all of the elementary schools.

If you are interested in being a mentor, please contact Dana Bryant, PLC Services Coordinator, at 248-2221. If you are interested in learning more about ESCAPE or in joining the Youth Development Strategy Team, please contact Ami Mejia at 243-6451 or amejia@bainbridge.edu.