Social Justice and Equity for Youth - Alive and Free Strategy
"BCDI - Seattle Affiliate is initiating a new strategy in 2010 to embrace young black males and females who are exhibiting behavior that brings on incarceration. At the March 20 membership meeting, the Juvenile Justice co-chairs, James Staples and Garry Owens, laid out a short and long term work plan for this new direction.—Social Justice and Equity for Youth. They proposed that BCDI underwrite interested members to receive training in the "Street Soldiers/Alive & Free Violence Prevention Model" founded by Dr. Joe Marshall from the Bay Area (Dr. Marshall is the keynote for BCDI-Seattle’s 2010 Spring Conference—see page 1). Also included in the new strategy is: hosting a workshop, event or forum for youth (e.g. Urban Lock-In); providing black history information for youth in JRA or King County Detention facilities; creating a tutorial for state lawmakers on the philosophy and practical application of "restorative justice" that includes the offender, the victim and the community; and creating the opportunity for Black youth to become lifetime BCDI members. James and Garry’s intention is to 1) collaborate with several current partners such as CEER and others to do juvenile justice work,
2) create opportunities to team-up with NAC (Non-Profit Assistance Center), and 3) request a strategic dialogue with the new DSHS Secretary and other state agency heads on the issue of youth violence in the black community. They want to support key organizations who have already established a commitment to reducing and ending youth violence. The BCDI-Seattle process will also include drafting and disseminating a more comprehensive version of this new initiative. It is believed this approach will be successful because of youth empowerment, creating incentives for new progressive public policy and self-help opportunities. For more information, contact James Staples at stajam51@hotmail.com or Garry Owens at gomojo@earthlink.net.
Click here to download the Alive and Free brochure.
ALIVE AND FREE
The Street Soldier Youth Violence and Gang Recruitment Prevention Philosophy
Developed by Dr. Joseph Marshall, Omega Boys Club, San Francisco, California
For more information: http://www.street-soldiers.org/contents.htm
Presenter: Wanda Hackett, Ph.D., President of Black Child Development Institute—Seattle Affiliate
Key Features
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Benefits for African American Children & Families
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Utilizes BC (before crack) African American community values and principles
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The philosophy/teaching approach is applicable and useful to people of all ages (adults and children)
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Utilizes public health concepts:
· Disease of violence,
· Delineation of disease carrying “germs,”
· Describes the belief system that is the source of the disease,
· Risk factors,
· Prescription and inoculation, and
· Side effects
to approach social health problems that exist society-wide
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Building genuine and positive relationships:
· Child-to-child,
· Child-to-adult
· Adult-to-adult
· Rebuilding the sense of community with a communal focus on caring for the children within neighborhoods: “It takes a caring Village . . .
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Youth oriented—based on the experiences of youth in society Today
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Opportunities to make conscious choices and understand the consequences both positive and negative
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Person centered—the focus of change is directed at each of us changing ourselves not trying to change others
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Environment of positive regard and acceptance in which to learn and grow
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Active learning approach
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Increased critical thinking
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Application oriented: self diagnoses, self treatment and able to prescribe—peer to peer coaching
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Increased critical reasoning
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Both process (relationship-based) and content (specific philosophy) oriented
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Increased critical analysis
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Increased decision making skills
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Increased self-control and responsibility
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Increased competence and confidence in navigating one’s world
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Increased sense of belonging and community
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To learn more about the Black Child Development Institute (BCDI) “Alive and Free—Neighborhood by Neighborhood” initiative, visit our website: bcdi-seattle.org
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