The Department of State outlined the following specific objectives for this project:
· To examine youth crime prevention programs such as family support, after school activities, truancy and dropout prevention, and job training;
· To explore the efforts of schools, community-based organizations, and faith based groups to intervene before early problem behaviors turn into delinquency and gang involvement;
· To observe support services for gang-involved youth, and their families, to help youth make positive choices;
· To look at reentry programs for gang members recently released from jail and prison.
As part of the national agenda, we were asked to create a program focusing on the first three of the above for our thirteen guests from Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Peru, and Venezuela. We began by introducing them to Maj. General (Ret) Alfonsa ‘Al’ Gilley and Charles Howard of STRIDE (Students Taking Responsibility In Developing Excellence), a local mentoring program which targets at-risk middle school students. Next, by special request of one of the visitors, the group met with David Flaherty, Director of Parks and Recreation with the City of Pensacola Parks and Recreation Department, who discussed the city’s youth recreation program. This was followed by a meeting with Mayor Mike Wiggins who discussed current issues with the group and presented them with Honorary Citizenship with the City of Pensacola. Their first day ended with an appointment with Sheriff David Morgan and Deputy Delarian Wiggins where the group discussed youth programs and area gang activity.
For their second day in town, the group toured the Pensacola Boys Base and met with Superintendent Oliver Jones to learn more about this moderate risk residential halfway house program. The group met with administrators and boys and then joined some of the students on a community service project raising money for Feed the Children by washing cars. Following this volunteer activity, the delegation traveled to Mobile for meetings with the Light of the Village, a non-profit organization working in one of the most crime-ridden communities in the southeastern United States, and with the James Strickland Youth Center in Mobile to highlight programs for youth identified as at-risk by the courts.
Thank you to everyone who helped make this program a success, including Charles Howard who volunteered his time and accompanied the group on their appointments, Elaine Mager who orchestrated the Honorary Citizenship presentation, and Sena Maddison who arranged the appointment at the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
