DALLAS, Texas – Youth at Cottrell took the lead in selecting the new look for their dorm rooms and living areas.
“The youth gathered together and discussed themes in which would be an inspiration, leisure activity, or a future goal to help guide them,” said Cottrell Superintendent Marketa Johnson.
The result: An homage to football, basketball and living right. The youths painted the term “SWAG” on the wall in a crisp, graphic design and spelled out what it stands for -- Success, Willpower, Attitude, Goals.
They stenciled basketball players and hoops on another wall, which now declares “Shoot for Your Goals!”
Staff at Cottrell used the home improvement exercise to engage the youth in the Youth in Custody Practice Model (YICPM) that sets new goals for TJJD to “soften the environment” for kids in custody, thus creating a more productive living and learning setting, Johnson said.
The teens took their task to heart, painting the sports iconography and even replicating a detailed gridiron on the walls, transforming white walls with grass green and blazing orange paints.
Cottrell also got new couches with pet-motif pillows for the communal living area.
“These are great examples of how to embrace the principles identified by the Youth in Custody Practice Model as we tighten our embrace on our agency mission and vision,” said Chip Walters, director of Halfway Houses and Facility Supports. “Hats off to the Cottrell team for their early consistent efforts.”