Skip to main content

TJJD Mentoring Program featured in NDTAC’s Mentoring Toolkit 2.0

AUSTIN, Texas – The National Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Neglected or Delinquent Children and Youth (NDTAC), in conjunction with the American Institute for Research, just released The Mentoring Toolkit 2.0: Resources for Developing Programs for Incarcerated Youth, and it features TJJD’s Mentoring Program. NDTAC serves as a national resource center to provide direct assistance to states, schools, communities, and parents seeking information on the education of children and youth who are considered neglected, delinquent, or at-risk.

Tammy Holland, TJJD’s manager of community, family, and chaplaincy programs, helped launch the Toolkit during a nationwide webinar for juvenile justice officials on August 31, entitled “Designing Effective Mentoring Programs for Neglected, Delinquent, and Incarcerated Youth.” Mentoring can provide the opportunity for at-risk youth and youthful offenders, who often have limited contact with positive adult role models, to form and sustain meaningful relationships.

NDTAC's Mentoring Toolkit 2.0 brings together information, program descriptions, and links to important resources that can assist staff of juvenile justice facilities and organizations to design effective mentoring programs for neglected and delinquent youth, particularly those who are incarcerated. Holland described the TJJD mentoring program design and shared lessons learned over the program’s twenty-year history.

A former TJJD youth, named Elliott, wrapped up the webinar by sharing his personal experience as a mentee. Elliott talked about how mentoring changed the trajectory of his life, leading him to become the first person in his family to go to college. His mentor, Judy Davis from the Gainesville State School, provided support to Elliott by sitting by his side during his presentation. Davis mentored Elliott for 6 months while he was at the Gainesville facility and she continues to stay connected to him. While at Gainesville, Elliott received his high school diploma and was an excellent football player. He has finished his first year of college and continues to succeed in his studies and at work.

The Toolkit concludes: “The TJJD mentoring program is a thriving program with almost 20 years of experience in providing high-quality mentoring services to incarcerated youth who are at high risk across the State of Texas. In FY 2015, 409 youth were served, and the program appears to have found a formula that provides a portfolio of mentoring options in a sustainable way. With positive outcomes related to lower rates of recidivism and higher rates of positive educational outcomes, this program offers a model that can inspire other similar programs across the United States.”

To access the Toolkit, go to https://www.neglected-delinquent.org/resource/mentoring-toolkit-20-
resources-developing-programsincarcerated-youth. For further information on TJJD’s mentoring program, please contact Tammy.Holland@tjjd.texas.gov.

Labels

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

McFadden Sends Youth Home with Backpack of 'Hope'

By Y. Denise Caldwell Community Resource Coordinator, Northern District Parole Office FLOWER MOUND, Texas - Larry Bossaler, McFadden volunteer  McFadden Ranch Volunteer Larry Bossaler enjoys his assignment: Making sure that every youth who leaves the McFadden halfway house knows that people are praying for him and wishing him the best in his future. He is the man who brings them their “Good-Bye” backpack.    When he delivers the backpacks, he makes sure to do three things – visit with the youth, show the contents of the backpack (because staff put them in the lockers until the youth leaves),   and lastly close the visit with a heartfelt prayer. The youth enjoy and appreciate the backpack, the visit and the prayer. Many are a little anxious and scared to leave but knowing that the McFadden volunteers care enough to send them off in this special way, helps them feel a bit less worried. “I always bring an extra backpack,” Larry said. ...
Read more

IN MEMORY AND APPRECIATION: Trayce Haynes Alexander

Trayce Haynes Alexander, of Cat Spring, Texas passed away in April.  She was a JCO IV at the Giddings State School and began her employment with the Texas Youth Commission on January 5, 2009, as a JCO III.  She was promoted to a JCO IV on April 1, 2010.  Trayce was a hardworking, loyal and dedicated staff member and friend.  Her number one priority was the youth in her dorm and she would drive one hour and forty minutes everyday (even in ill health) to try to make a difference in the lives of the youth she worked with. She was well respected by both staff and youth due to her extraordinary work ethic.  The boys could always depend on her to hold them accountable. She is survived by her husband Geoff Alexander and two daughters, Kristyn and Robyn Alexander. Trayce was born on September 3, 1952.  She earned a BS from Southwest Texas State University in Law Enforcement.
Read more

Canyon Lake Evening Reporting Center

When Comal County Juvenile Probation Chief Kris Johnson joined the department in March 2011, he brought with him a long-term vision to open an Evening Reporting Center (ERC) in the county.  ERCs, which require youth offenders to report to specified locations during evening hours for programming, skills building and community service, were first used in Chicago, where juvenile justice advocates needed after school programs to keep their higher risk kids from getting involved in the gang scene.  They also serve as an alternative to detention pending a youth’s hearings.  ERCs have become common detention alternatives in many communities throughout the United States and are based on research and best practices recognized by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Johnson believed implementing an ERC in Comal County would reduce juvenile crime by providing supervision during the hours crime is most likely to occur.  Additionally, it could significantly reduce the cost of deten...
Read more