Oct. 4, 2007

KERRVILLE - A new program based on 4-H principles is helping juvenile offenders develop character and life skills while giving them a chance at a better life, said program coordinators.

The LIFE Skills program, which began in June, is a combined effort of the Kerr County Juvenile Board, the county's juvenile probation department and the local Texas Cooperative Extension office, said Jason Davis, chief of juvenile probation for Kerr County.

The Leadership Is For Everyone Skills program is about teaching character building and citizenship to at-risk youth in the juvenile justice system, said Davis.

Juvenile offenders are ordered by the court to attend a series of two-hour LIFE Skills sessions as a condition of their probation, he said. The length of time they must remain in the program is the same as their length of probation.

"We're hoping the program is already providing – and will continue to provide – these youths with a positive experience of the juvenile justice system and help reduce instances of repeat offenses, " Davis said.

Each year, about 250 young people in Kerr County are charged with some type of criminal activity, Davis added. Of those, he estimates about 150 will be ordered to participate in the program

To date, about 45 youths ages 10 to 17 have gone through the program, Davis added.

Davis credited County Judge Pat Tinley, chairman of the Kerr County Juvenile Board and the county's presiding juvenile judge, with conceiving the program.

Tinley serves on the board with 216th District Judge Stephen Ables and 198th District Judge Karl Prohl.

"As a juvenile judge, I see a lot of kids who have been associating with negative peers and doing negative things," he said. "However, the kids I don't see in court are those who are involved in 4-H or scouting or other organizations which provide useful activities and the opportunity to associate with positive peers and do positive things."

Tinley contacted the Extension office for Kerr County, which oversees the county's 4-H activities, to enlist its help in developing a program to introduce 4-H principles to youthful offenders.

"We saw participating in this program as an opportunity to help the community by giving these kids tools they needed to become better citizens who would be able to give back to their community," said Roy Walston Extension agent for agriculture and natural resources in Kerr County. "4-H emphasizes character, personal responsibility and helping the community, so it was a good fit for this program."

Currently, more than 400 youth from 9 to 18 are involved in 4-H programs in Kerr County, Walston noted.

"This is the centennial year for 4-H in Texas, so 4-H has been providing positive direction to young people in the state for 100 years now," he said. "And while our programs have changed over time, the essentials have remained the same. So it's appropriate that basic 4-H principles are being used in a new way – to help juvenile offenders."

Walston, with input from the juvenile probation department, developed the LIFE Skills program curriculum using 4-H materials relating to character development and leadership.

"We used the Texans Building Character curriculum and various leadership materials from the 4-H junior and senior leadership councils," he said. "Once the curriculum was in place, the juvenile probation department took the lead and began to provide instruction."

Carla Schuster, special programs coordinator for the juvenile probation department, has been providing character education instruction to juvenile probationers since the program began.

Schuster serves as a liaison between 4-H and the juvenile probation department, providing LIFE Skills instruction on Mondays and Wednesdays.

"We have the probationers split into two groups - 10 to 14 year olds and 15 to 17 year olds - for teaching purposes," she said. "We have a lesson plan that emphasizes the positive character traits identified in the 4-H curriculum."

"Everyone in the program is encouraged to participate," she said. "Through these sessions we try to help these young people learn trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, decision-making and leadership. We also want to help them gain confidence."

There may also be a future opportunity for "peer involvement" by Kerr County 4-H members through serving as mentors for juvenile offenders, Walston added.

"If we can give these kids some direction and the life skills they need through this program, there's a good chance they can straighten their lives out," Davis said. "We're trying to give them what they need to become better people."

Many probationers have expressed an interest in joining 4-H because of their experiences in the program, he said.

"If this program works the way we hope it will, then it's the kind of program that will work in other communities too," said Tinley. "If it serves as a template or guideline for similar programs that benefit kids like these, then all the better."

"The program really has had a positive impact on these kids," Schuster said. "We're hoping other groups, organization or businesses will get involved in the program directly or by providing financial support. It's a great opportunity to help these kids – and the community."

For more information on the LIFE Skills program, contact Schuster at 830-739-5025 or Walston at 830-257-6568 orRwalston@ag.tamu.edu .