|
INTRODUCING YOUNG PEOPLE MATTER’S DEKALB TEEN CLUB,
a program to combat and reduce juvenile crime and increase graduation rates in DeKalb County
DeKalb County, GA --
Jul 27, 2008 --
July 27, 2008 - Young People Matter (YPM) is excited to present The DeKalb Teen Club for teens 12-18 years old to help reduce DeKalb’s escalating juvenile crime and help lower the drop-out rate of its students. In 2006, the DeKalb County juvenile court recorded over 30,244 juvenile offenses the majority of offenses were committed by youth 13-15 years old.[1] For the school year ending 2008, three out of seven schools in the Club’s service area failed to meet AYP and has Needs Improvement Status (NI). They include: Lithonia High School, Miller Grove High School, and Salem Middle School. Stephenson Middle School has met AYP but is still a school NI Status. Other schools include Lithonia Middle, Miller Grove Middle and Stephenson High.
More than just a hangout, the Club for up to 150 members, located at two sites, begins registration on July 31st. Although there is a fee ($35-$40 per week), the Club’s structure is vastly different from an “afterschool” program. Members can “drop-in” anytime during club hours and partake in age-appropriate activities "they select" for their Individual Portfolios. These include: career research and job shadowing opportunities, college prep, journalism classes, gang prevention and family activities as well as “old fashioned” dance parties. Members can also come and relax, watch movies, or participate in Friday Night Madden Video game nights. In the spring, based upon funding, members can receive stipends. To help combat obesity, at the Celebrate site, a 16,000 square foot facility located at 5355 Dividend Drive, members can partake in activities such as double dutch, line dancing and obstacle courses. The Club’s purpose is to provide a safe haven and positively promote the development of young people by instilling a sense of purpose, competence, influence and value.
The population of East DeKalb is increasing tremendously with teens from other cities which may have had a wide range of teen programming. We have not yet caught up with the growth. Rep. Stan Watson, who will attend the Open House on August 8 at Celebrate has publicly stated, “DeKalb County has not built a youth recreational facility since 1987.” So our young people are left to hang out in front of their school, break into homes or just wander the streets until their parents get home from work,” states Simone Joye, YPM’s Executive Director, a former Boys & Girls Club CEO and a resident of Stone Mountain.
YPM, founded in December 2007, and includes among its Advisory Board members, Hip Hop Pioneer Kurtis Blow, Orrin Hudson of Be Someone, and award-winning journalist Maynard Eaton. Ms. Joye states, “The idea really came home for me when I began to speak with teens in my own subdivision, who by far are not the faces of poverty, but told me involvement in anti-social behavior seemed to be their only options because they have nothing else to do. The real revelation came when I heard Ann Kimbrough who ran for DeKalb CEO state, “DeKalb has more gangs than police officers.”
To find space for the Club took several months, as this age demographic seems to scare many adults. “So when we look at the statistics and the plight of our young people, we should not be surprised,” states Ms. Joye. Undeterred, the program has received full support from Rev. Ronald Owens, at New Bethel AME ( 8350 Rockbridge Road in Lithonia).and Yvette Stevenson, owner of Celebrate, who have rented space to YPM. YPM has also garnered support from Sen. Gloria Butler, Congressman Hank Johnson and principals, Dr. Angela Pringle (Stephenson High who will provide student transportation to New Bethel), Stephenson Middle School’s principal, Obelia Hall and Dr. Wendolyn Bouie of the Region 6 District Superintendant’s office.” To register a Teen or to learn more about YPM, please visit www.ypmatlanta.org or contact Raymond McNeil, Director of Operations at (770) 374-2464.
[1] Georgia Bureau of Investigations 2006 Uniform Crime Reporting, Georgia Crime Information Center
|
