TRENTON
- The New Jersey Governor’s Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP)
Committee has awarded a grant to the Camden
Center for Youth Development to address
the needs of young people in the area
of basic commerce and entrepreneurial
principles. The award is in the amount
of $19,188.
This Summer Expansion Program Grant is
geared towards providing young people
with entrepreneurial skills and experience,
through the operation of a water ice business.
Twenty students between 14 and 17 years
old, will gain beneficial economic and
business skills, by participating in loan
applications and learning the value of
the free market, during the six week program.
Participants also earn payment for their
work in their water ice businesses around
Camden.
“Our summer entrepreneurial program
allows our youth to make ‘honest
money’. They learn how to develop
a business plan, market their business
and work in partnerships; and then our
youth sell water ices at nine different
locations in Camden city. Working in their
businesses allows our youth to develop
higher order thinking skills,” said
Dr. Stella Horton, Executive Director,
Camden Center for Youth Development, Inc.
The Juvenile Justice Commission (JJC),
as the designated planning authority for
the allocation of federal grant funds,
works with the JJDP Committee to identify
appropriate programs, award funds and
monitor their success. The JJDP Committee
is responsible for the distribution of
more than $3 million in federal grant
awards annually to local and state agencies.
The JJDP Committee reviews proposals for
programs that aim to reduce delinquency
and/or seek to create local delinquency
prevention strategies. Programs that receive
funding work with individuals, families
and communities to reduce the risk factors
associated with delinquency. Programs
that demonstrate success are eligible
for continued funding for a maximum of
three consecutive years.
The JJC is committed to helping local
communities address the specific needs
of their young people. It is important
to allow these young people a chance to
engage in positive programs that keep
them on the right track during the summer
months,” said Howard L. Beyer, Executive
Director, JJC. We know that the earlier
we reach out to children, the better chance
we have of ensuring that they lead productive
lives.
Created in 1995 to bring together services
for delinquent young people, the JJC is
the single state agency responsible for
providing juvenile correctional rehabilitation
and parole services. The JJC also funds
local prevention programs that divert
young people from involvement in the juvenile
justice system.
The project is monitored by staff from
the Program Development and Prevention
Services arm of the JJC’s Office
of Local Programs and Services.
For more information on the JJC, please
visit www.njjjc.com.
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