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organization: St Peter's Human services, Inc. Program: Village of Excellence Training Institute for Girls Founder: Children's service Council
<br /> B. PROGRAM NEED STATEMENT (Entire Section B not to exceed one page)
<br /> 1 . a) What is the unacceptable condition requiring change? b) Who has the need?
<br /> c) Where do they live? d) Provide local, state, or national trend data, with reference
<br /> source, that corroborates that this is an area of need.
<br /> a. The unacceptable condition is juvenile delinquency that leads to further lives of
<br /> crime, truancy, dropping out of school, pregnancy, sexual abuse, low self esteem, etc. because
<br /> the approach has been only to lockup the offenders without changing the behaviors.
<br /> b. The children in need are the at-ask females between the ages of 7 and 16 who are
<br /> discouraged learners, have low self-esteem, stressful family conditions, and have exhibited
<br /> problem behaviors, such as school disciplinary referrals, chronic school truancy, repeated school
<br /> suspensions, poor academic performance, a history of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs,
<br /> rebellion, running away, mental and emotional health issues and those with a history of
<br /> delinquent behavior.
<br /> c. In Indian River County, 90% of the at-risk females involved in the program are from
<br /> the surrounding community.
<br /> d. DJJ' s fact sheet on female juvenile offenders quoted Bill Bankhead, "We have a
<br /> growing problem with serious delinquency among girls . . . Girls need specialized attention and
<br /> direction on dealing with issues like peer pressure, self-image and goal setting. " There has been a
<br /> 44% increase in the number of girls arrested annually for committing crimes during the past 10
<br /> years. (Percentage of boys only rose 12.5%). The number of girls arrested for violent felony
<br /> offenses doubled over the past ten years — and it is expected to continue to climb. In the DJJ
<br /> report, The Girls Initiative, it stated that girls have unique needs and problems, such as sexual
<br /> and/or physical abuse, teen pregnancy, poor academic performance and mental health needs. The
<br /> fact sheet on female offenders states, "The need for appropriate new programs for girls
<br /> continues. What happens to girls in the system is critical not only because of their large numbers;
<br /> girls ' circumstances are different than boys. The relevant issues to girls include avoiding teen
<br /> pregnancy, getting a good education, learning about health and hygiene, dealing with all kinds of
<br /> abuse, acquiring parenting skills, developing self esteem and being mentored by a female adult."
<br /> (www.djj .state.fl .us/statsnresearch/factsheets/femaleoffenders .html)
<br /> 2. a) Identify similar programs that are currently serving the needs of your targeted
<br /> population; b) Explain how these existing programs are under-serving the targeted
<br /> population of your program.
<br /> There are two programs that serve the targeted population, however neither of the programs are
<br /> structured to address the additional areas provided through the Girl's Training Institute.
<br /> Ia. Gifford Youth Activity Center provides an afterschool program for all youth, not just
<br /> females . 1 b. The program does not provide many of the services rendered by our program i.e.
<br /> mentoring, community services, Life Skills, Drug Awareness and Character Education, overnight
<br /> stay on site, meals, recreational, and academic support and tracking the girls for six months after
<br /> successful completion of the program through DJJ, schools and parents.
<br /> 2a. Hope Academy provides an alternative day program for suspended students from public
<br /> schools, while the Girl ' s Institute seeks to serve the social, emotional and academic needs of the
<br /> child, ensuring that all areas are addressed.
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