2008 Woodie Awards
PAWS tackles juvenile delinquency
Jessica Grogan
Issue date: 11/8/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
Juvenile delinquency is a serious problem for Hamilton County, officials said.
Sandy Cole, director of center for community career education, said currently, the county ranks third in the state of Tennessee in the number of juvenile court cases.
Cole recently received $40,000 from the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth to implement a program to prevent youth delinquency.
The M.L. King Neighborhood Association and the Westside Community Development Corporation have teamed up with UTC to help take on this project, Cole said.
The program, Positive Action With Success, PAWS, aims to serve fourth and fifth grade students at Brown Academy, according to Cole.
Fifty children will be involved in the project, Cole said. PAWS is a comprehensive delinquency prevention program for children between the ages of eight and 10, she said.
Cole said she hopes the project will teach the children how to communicate with each other and adults.
Katie Gunter, a graduate assistant in the grants and program review department, wrote in an e-mail that the program was also designed "for area youth to spend their time positively in activities that promote high achievement, resilience and civic involvement."
Gunter wrote in the e-mail, "This program creates a comprehensive 'safety net' for students at-risk for perpetrating delinquent behavior by engaging schools, parents, and communities, in youth development activities."
Mentors will be trained to work with each child and their parent or guardian. Together, they will develop an Individual Achievement Plan and an Achievement Portfolio for the participant.
Gunter said that the program will increase parent involvement by providing training sessions for the parents or guardians of each child.
Additionally, Cole said she is "very interested in piloting a College Access program for elementary children."
The participants of this program will be able to visit the UTC campus and hear about college life from college students.
Cole said she has been trying to find funding in order to "create a program for elementary students, from all socio economic levels, to help them see the possibilities of a college education."
She will use PAWS as a test program in order to see how successful it will be when funding is found. She and her staff are currently seeking other funds to expand this program beyond the pilot year.
For more information about the program, contact Sandy Cole at Sandy-Cole@utc.edu.
Sandy Cole, director of center for community career education, said currently, the county ranks third in the state of Tennessee in the number of juvenile court cases.
Cole recently received $40,000 from the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth to implement a program to prevent youth delinquency.
The M.L. King Neighborhood Association and the Westside Community Development Corporation have teamed up with UTC to help take on this project, Cole said.
The program, Positive Action With Success, PAWS, aims to serve fourth and fifth grade students at Brown Academy, according to Cole.
Fifty children will be involved in the project, Cole said. PAWS is a comprehensive delinquency prevention program for children between the ages of eight and 10, she said.
Cole said she hopes the project will teach the children how to communicate with each other and adults.
Katie Gunter, a graduate assistant in the grants and program review department, wrote in an e-mail that the program was also designed "for area youth to spend their time positively in activities that promote high achievement, resilience and civic involvement."
Gunter wrote in the e-mail, "This program creates a comprehensive 'safety net' for students at-risk for perpetrating delinquent behavior by engaging schools, parents, and communities, in youth development activities."
Mentors will be trained to work with each child and their parent or guardian. Together, they will develop an Individual Achievement Plan and an Achievement Portfolio for the participant.
Gunter said that the program will increase parent involvement by providing training sessions for the parents or guardians of each child.
Additionally, Cole said she is "very interested in piloting a College Access program for elementary children."
The participants of this program will be able to visit the UTC campus and hear about college life from college students.
Cole said she has been trying to find funding in order to "create a program for elementary students, from all socio economic levels, to help them see the possibilities of a college education."
She will use PAWS as a test program in order to see how successful it will be when funding is found. She and her staff are currently seeking other funds to expand this program beyond the pilot year.
For more information about the program, contact Sandy Cole at Sandy-Cole@utc.edu.
