2/15/2016 0 Comments Presidents' DayThe 8th District Court and 9th Circuit Court are closed today, February 15th 2016, in observation of Presidents' Day. We will reopen to the public tomorrow at 8am.
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1/22/2016 0 Comments Life of a Vet TechAs part of her service-learning project, a current YADC participant, Meredith, interviewed an individual working in her career area of interest. Her summary of the interview and what she learned are found below.
Melinda started her journey of becoming an LVT (Licensed Veterinary Technician) 14 years ago. When she graduated from high school she went into the military. It wasn’t until after she was out and starting classes at Wayne State University did she realize she could have started her vet tech training in the military. After 2 years she earned her associates in applied science. Being an animal nurse Melinda has many duties. She assists in surgeries, does dental cleanings, gives animals their medicine, takes skin scrapings for lab testing, and much more. It is the most fulfilling part of her job when animals are sick and she gets to work with them to make them healthy again. Melinda absolutely loves her job, besides the sad days when an animal can’t be saved and passes. Through the process of interviewing Melinda, I was surprised that a person could do so much to help animals at the clinic—vet techs have so many duties. I want to share some information about this career, so you can check out the links below if you are interested in what it takes to become a Licensed Veterinary Technician. Thank you to Melinda from Dickman Road Veterinary Clinic in Battle Creek, MI for your time!
1/18/2016 0 Comments The Power of WordsToday's holiday, honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is of importance to many people for many different reasons. From the policy and legislative changes that were spurred by the work of Dr. King to the less tangible social implications that are still reverberating, his impact cannot be overestimated. Part homage to the power of the spoken word and part tribute to Dr. King, YADC participant Shamaya was featured on 95.5 FM's The Touch radio show this past Saturday. She is a poet and has been writing and rapping in the community for several years. We are proud of her for representing our program and having the courage to share her work over the radio. Please tune into 95.5 on Saturday afternoons between noon and 2pm to hear our very own Education Coordinator, Angela, on The Touch.
If you would like more information about the show, please contact us on the 'Contact' page above. We are excited to announce several new partnerships that we have developed within the community. Our goal in creating these partnerships is twofold: to support organizations needing extra hands and volunteers, and to allow our YADC participants to obtain community service hours through volunteering and learning more about resources in the community.
Recently, we have developed 4-to-6-week programs with Kalamazoo Valley Habitat for Humanity and with Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes. Participants have an opportunity to see what happens at these organizations from the inside, out through meeting with Volunteer Coordinators, Directors, and other staff. In addition to supporting the practical efforts of the organization, participants become more familiar with the broader social issues being addressed and intended outcomes. Finally, through a structured interview, participants learn about organization staff members' educational histories, personal accomplishments and barriers, and what their work environments are like. Other locations for YADC service have included: Edison Neighborhood Association Spring Into The Streets event; Kalamazoo Gospel Mission kitchen service; Kalamazoo Gospel Mission Rescued Treasures store; leadership development training through Pretty Lake Adventure Centre; and Kalamazoo Humane Society. We are always looking for new ways to volunteer--please contact our Program Assistant if you are interested in having a group volunteer with your organization or event! 5/31/2015 0 Comments Leadership TrainingOur program has been very lucky to have the chance to work with the Adventure Centre at Pretty Lake camp in Mattawan, MI. For the last several weeks, participants in our Young Adult Diversion Court have worked with the staff from the Adventure Centre to learn all about leadership. What is leadership and what does it mean to be a leader in our society? In this program? At school? On the job? In this very applicable and relevant program, participants honed several critical skills needed to be an effective leader and contributing citizen in today's society. Since many of the individuals in our program have not had the chance to obtain leadership positions, the program developed by the Adventure Centre was a great supplement to the programming that we provide. Participants developed their own action plans, learned about the difference between supportive and traditional ("authoritative") leadership styles, identified their own strengths, identified areas for growth, practiced asking peers and teammates for support, and participated in a day-long experiential component on site at the Adventure Centre. This was one of the most memorable experiences of the program for many individuals. Check out these two practicing communication skills and teamwork on the tower: As funding is available, we will be working with Pretty Lake's Adventure Centre periodically to continue this connection and work on fostering our participants' growth in different areas of leadership.
Thanks to ACPL facilitators Janine, Wendy, T, and Brittnee for your hard work to make this program possible! :) 1/10/2015 0 Comments Why YADC?Anyone who has the opportunity to obtain a diversion for their criminal charge would be wise to take the chance they have been given to complete all orders of probation so as to avoid the existence of a criminal conviction being placed on their record. Many people do begin the probationary period with an intact support system and the resources at hand to be successful with their probation. This group of people will likely stay on probation just long enough for it to be a mild annoyance to their way of living, and then go about their lives without having to check that box on the job application, housing application, etc.
The group that does not find success with their orders of probation tend to have larger barriers to their success, many of which stem from substance use, mental health issues, lack of structure at home/school/work, and/or relationship issues. For the individuals in this group who are between 17 and 20 years old, the option of joining YADC is there, but it is a big commitment. On top of everything else required by the court, YADC participants must meet weekly or biweekly with the Program Assistant, biweekly with their Probation Officer, attend Court Review sessions with the presiding judge, and attend weekly programming as a whole group. The staff works with participants to help them establish individualized goals and action plans with specific steps on following through; these concrete supports are meant to build a structured system in the young person's life so that they can carry new outlooks and behaviors over into their post-probation lives. Although no other programs have been created that mirror YADC, there are several evidence-based practices from which we frame YADC protocol. We use a peer support model to help participants positively motivate each other to progress through the stages of the program; we endorse the theory that self-expression and authentic civic engagement can combine to create an extremely meaningful service-learning project, about which participants can feel proud; and we use strengths-based case management in working with participants so that the focus is always on moving forward while learning from your past, and accentuating each person's strengths so that they can feel confidence in themselves moving forward. We are currently collecting various types of data that tell a story about the ways in which participants are benefiting from participating in our program, and we are very excited to see the outcomes. |
AuthorsParticipants of YADC, community members with an interest in restorative and therapeutic justice or diversion programs, and YADC staff are encouraged to write posts to be submitted to the blog. Anyone is welcome to inquire as to the process of becoming published. CategoriesArchives
July 2017
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