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> About Center for Dance Education
> Juvenile Justice & Mentoring
Juvenile Justice & Mentoring
In response to an inquiry from a field worker at the Girls Detention Center in Norwalk and with support from the Tow Foundation, we began a program titled Juvenile Justice Outreach Program in the summer of 2001 targeted toward at-risk youth in detention or in a shelter program. Seven years later, and with continued support from
The Tow Foundation, we have been able to grow the program and its impact in order to garner a 36-month State of Connecticut Court Support Services Division ‘recreational services’ contract serving five
juvenile detention locations:
The number of youths served in the five locations numbers approximately 60 on any given week. The average youth remains at one of the detention centers only 17 days, so the total number of youths engaged in the Juvenile Justice Outreach Program over the course of a year is approximately 1,000. The ethnic breakdown is roughly 40% African-American, 40% Hispanic, 10% Caucasian, and 10% Asian or other. We currently serve approximately 85% males and 15% females. The geographic representation is inclusive of most of the urban areas of Connecticut.
Having spent the past seven years working with this population and with the administrators and support staff who serve them, we are in a unique position to provide this broad range of programming. Our teaching artists are trained in their own field of expertise as well as in current methodology and policies (such as gender-specific issues) which apply to this population. We are encouraged by our successes to date and look forward to developing the next phase of juvenile justice work with selected youths released from detention into the community.
Artistic Director Brett Raphael and Kelly Stutzman, Deputy
Superintendent of Judicial Branch's Court Support Services Division (far
left and far right) join Juvenile Justice Outreach Program faculty and
Michelle Bauman, Director of Education (foreground in skirt) at a recent
professional development workshop. From left: Regina Krummel (spoken
word), Tammy Richardson (spoken word), PopKorn (hip hop), Damian Smith
(cultural dance), Ase Kariamu (West African drumming), Issa Coulibaly
(West African drumming), Iddi Saaka (West African dance), and Bonnie
Gombos (martial arts/jazz).
Program Impact
1) The Juvenile Justice Outreach & Mentoring Program has impact first and foremost on young people by assisting in the development of a more positive individual identity. Our classes provide a safe structure within which young people can take risks and develop a stronger sense of self-worth by mastering increasingly complex musical rhythms, dance stretches and combinations.
2) Our class program helps young people develop a sense of belonging in an unfamiliar environment in which they are often cut off from family and friends for significant periods of time.
3) Our classes teach both open-mindedness and discipline, leading to a greater sense of confidence and individual assumption of responsibility.
4) By connecting the participants with exciting artist role models, we help develop an awareness of the spiritual possibilities inherent in participation in cultural groups, communities, and/or extended families, an ingredient which may be missing in the clients’ backgrounds and world view.
5) The Juvenile Justice Outreach & Mentoring Program helps young people to develop concrete areas of physical ability and strength, specific dance or drumming skills which require agility and focused attention, knowledge of the cultural context in which the dance or music form exists, and overall positive attitudes toward new and challenging things.
6) Our program assists with the all-important area of physical health by developing muscle groups and coordination of the body.
7) The program helps young people’s mental health by assisting them in responding affirmatively to both positive and adverse (or difficult) situations and/or experiencing time to ‘release’ their internal stresses and have fun.
8) By introducing new cultures and dance styles such as Afro-Haitian, Latin and hip hop dance to the students, we increase their intellectual ability to learn and retain knowledge about the arts. The classes require them to use critical thinking while practicing new rhythms and/or ways of moving, exercising their creative and expressive sides in a controlled environment relatively free of domination by adults.
Recent performance (with
audience participation) at Mount Saint John, Deep River, CT
9) The program teaches a healthy respect for differences amongst cultural and racial groups by introducing them to trustworthy and inspiring role models of diverse backgrounds and traditions --- in this case, social dances (such as cha cha, foxtrot, tango, merengue, and samba), hip hop, Latin dance and West African percussion.
Mentoring Program
With the help of a grant from The Tow Foundation and in cooperation with the Judicial Branch’s Court Support Services Division, we have begun to identify and then further the artistic training and development of selected youth first encountered by our teaching artists in detention. As they make their way back into the community, the program requires each youth to adhere to a structured training plan and reward stable attendance and community service in exchange for a weekly stipend.
After being referred to us or identified by our teaching staff, Connecticut Ballet’s Director of Education meets with the youth along with probation officers, social works, counselors, parents, and educators to design an appropriate program of instructional classes and community service. We are proud of this career-track program and the mentors who give so much to their work on behalf of the youth.
Testimonials
The following are validating comments taken from client questionnaires in the past three months:
Answer #1: “Good, forget I’m in here.”
Answer #2: “I feel happy that I tried something new.”
Answer #3: “Happy, excited, and confident.”For further information about the Juvenile Justice Outreach & Mentoring Program, please call 860-293-1039 or 203-964-1211
Click here to view a recent article in the Court Support Services Division newsletter about the Connecticut Ballet program.