National Center for Girls Opens in Jacksonville:
Written and advocated for by Dr. Lawanda Ravoira to compliment the work of the Justice for Girls Initiative, the Jessie Ball duPont Fund has made a 2 year grant to help the National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) establish the
Justice for Girls: Blueprint for Action:
Children’s Campaign, Inc. has released the Justice for Girls: Blueprint for Actionfor public comment. The Justice for Girls’ Blueprint for Action is a culmination of two years of work and is designed to position the State of
Leadership Council Update:
Justice for Girls: Duval County Initiative, an initiative of the Children’s Campaign to address the process and circumstance that drives girls deeper into the juvenile justice system and the essential set of services needed by the justice-involved girls of Duval county, through input of local stakeholders and system users, has taken the next step toward a comprehensive blueprint for justice involved girls.
After facilitating individual meetings with a diverse group of community leaders, the Justice for Girls Leadership Council has been established. This local citizen driven leadership council will serve as the coordinating body and an advisory board to the Duval County Initiative. Serving on the council are; Delores Barr Weaver, Peggy Bryan, Ann Baker, Lois Chepenik, Steve Halverson, Sandy Cook, Julia Taylor, Claudette Williams, Nat Glover, Bill Scheu and Charlene Taylor-Hill.
Orientation for the newly established Leadership Council was held on May, 31, 2008. The program was a snapshot of the needs of girls and the steps and actions necessary to provide girls with what they need to stay out of the juvenile justice system, or to change paths once they enter they system.
Dr. Lawanda Ravoira presented an overview of the status of girls in the justice system and the challenges currently facing the State of Florida and Duval County. Roy Miller, President and Founder of Children’s Campaign, Inc. presented a PowerPoint presentation outlining the key components of the Campaign’s advocacy model. Bruce Barcelo, Barcelo & Company, facilitated a presentation that highlighted the key components of political communication and messaging. The presentations were followed by a discussion that included recommendations for advancing the goals of the initiative.
Through the leadership of the citizens serving on the Council, the Justice for Girls: Duval County Initiative will steer the initiative toward the goal of effecting systemic change for girls in Duval County who are in or at risk of entering the juvenile justice system
The Initiative is funded by the Women’s Giving Alliance, Jessie Ball duPont Fund, The Community Foundation and private donations from the past presidents of the Women’s Giving Alliance.
Announcement(6/11/2008) :
The purpose of the Justice for Girls Duval County Initiative is to effect systemic change for girls in Duval County who are in or at risk of entering the juvenile justice system. By establishing a local citizen driven leadership council and advisory board to the council comprised of juvenile justice stakeholders and system users, a comprehensive blueprint and a methodology will be devised aimed at systemically addressing the processes and circumstances that drive girls deeper into the system.
Additionally, the blueprint will address the essential set of services needed to meet the needs of justice-involved girls in Duval County. The convening of the local leadership council and advisory board coupled with the convening of public forums will foster innovative thinking and create a multidisciplinary, multicultural dialogue that brings local citizens and experts together in a pragmatic but far-reaching search for solutions.
The proposed program will establish a local citizen driven leadership council to serve as the coordinating body and an advisory board comprised of juvenile justice stakeholders and system users.
The public education and advocacy campaign will raise awareness and focus action on the plight of girls as well as engage local community leaders and other citizens in the development and execution of a strategic blueprint designed specifically to address the needs of girls in Duval County. This project is designed to develop a coalition of community leaders that will assume the long-term leadership commitment necessary to execute the goals and objectives of the final comprehensive blueprint.
The comprehensive plan, developed through community roundtable conversions, town hall meetings and individual meetings with key leaders, will address the processes and circumstances that drive girls deeper into the system. Additionally, the plan will address the essential set of services needed to meet the needs of justice-involved girls in Duval County.
The Initiative is funded by the Women’s Giving Alliance, Jessie Ball duPont Fund, The Community Foundation and private donations from the past presidents of the Women’s Giving Alliance.