Juvenile Justice Perspectives

. Official Publication of the Juvenile Justice Role Model Program

Florida State University

School of Criminology and Criminal Justice 

September 1998

Volume 1, Issue 1

Role Model Program Launches Belle Vue Mentoring Project

Stephanie Bush-Baskette, Director of the Juvenile Justice Role Model Development Program announced today that the FSU Role Model Program has entered into an agreement with the Belle Vue Middle school to provide mentors for more than one hundred middle school students. Interested middle schoolers began signing up early in the summer for this innovative new Project.

In announcing the Project, Bush-Baskette said, “we were fortunate to receive a grant from the Alfred I. DuPont Foundation to facilitate our goal of positively impacting the lives of these at-risk youth. We are very excited about the possibilities for the children at Belle Vue and for our FSU student mentors.”

All students enrolled in Juvenile Justice Role Model Program courses are required to perform 20 hours of community service during the semester. During the Fall semester, students will for the first time be given the opportunity to do their volunteer hours as a mentor with the Belle Vue Mentoring Project.  After completing a Leon County School Board Volunteer Application, Mentors will attend one orientation session on the Belle Vue campus and once matching mentors and mentees has been completed, FSU students will be expected to devote at least one hour per week with their mentee. Later as mentor and mentee get to know each other, there will be opportunities to plan activities among themselves. With written permission from the mentees parents or guardian, mentors will be able to plan attendance at various sport and cultural events on the FSU Campus . Costs for activities away from the Belle Vue campus will be covered by the Mentoring Project.

To find out how you can become involved in the Belle Vue Mentoring Project, stop by the Role Model Program Office in the Hecht House.

Summer Semester Finds Role Model Interns Covering the Sunshine State.

From Miami to Tampa, Port St Lucie to West Palm and Tallahassee to Marianna, this summers Role Model Program Interns did it all. From Case Managers at the Marianna School for Boys to Juvenile Assessment Counselors in Port St Lucie, Role Model Interns devoted 40 hours a week gaining valuable direct experience in typical juvenile justice programs.

All Role Model students are required to take part in a 12 semester hour internship before they are eligible to receive a Certificate in Juvenile Justice. To find out more about the Internship program and eligibility requirements, stop by the Role Model Program Office in the Hecht House. Students with at least an overall GPA of 2.5 may apply for a paid internship.

BACKGROUND

In response to state and national  concern about the rapid increase in serious juvenile crime and the growing number of  young people identified as, “at-risk,” the Juvenile Justice Role Model Development Program was established and began offering courses in the Fall of 1995. The Program received initial funding through the Florida Attorney General’s Office and has subsequently been funded by the Florida Legislature and corporate and private donations. From it’s inception, the Program has emphasized cultural and academic diversity and students are recruited from a broad range of disciplines including: criminal justice, criminology, sociology, psychology, education, music therapy, theatre and athletics. Through diversity of training and perspective, at-risk juveniles and young people already familiar with the justice system will interface with graduates of a program who have been specifically trained to provide the one element that has been missing in the lives of so many of  these troubled young people…a positive role model.  

OUR MISSION

The Juvenile Justice Role Model Program has a twofold mission. First, to utilize an interdisciplinary and multicultural curriculum through which students will obtain professional, academic and practical training and experience in the field of Juvenile Justice. Second, to establish a Human Resource Development Center for Florida, which will serve as a clearinghouse for employment in public and private sector juvenile justice agencies throughout the state and nation.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

In order to be eligible for an Internship and a Certificate in Juvenile Justice, Role Model students are required to successfully complete 18 hours of core courses with a letter grade of C or above. The courses listed below may be taken in any order and are offered each semester.

In addition to course requirements, students must complete fifty hours of uncompensated volunteer community service. These volunteer hours must be documented and completed before the Juvenile Justice Certificate will be awarded. Core course instructors and Program staff  will assist and recommend  service opportunities for students who are unable to locate a suitable agency.

STAFF SUPPORT

Throughout enrollment in the Program, students receive continuous support from the Program faculty and staff. Bi-weekly meetings for interns provide a forum for exchange of ideas and discussion of internship experiences as well as an opportunity to develop relationships with others committed to the field of juvenile justice.

THE INTERNSHIP

Upon completion of the core courses, students are eligible for a 12 hour internship at an approved juvenile justice agency. Students with an overall GPA of 2.5 may apply for a paid internship. Students accepted for internship will work 40 hours per week for an entire semester and will gain valuable direct experience in a typical juvenile justice setting.

TO QUALIFY FOR THE PROGRAM

Those interested in the Role Model Program should contact the Program Office for an information packet. As part of the qualification process, applicants will be asked to submit a brief essay explaining why they believe they are qualified to become a positive  role model. After review by the Program Director and staff, applicants will be notified of acceptance.