June 5, 2013 | jcjusticecenter | 0 Comments

Iowa City Police Department to Mentor At-Risk Kids Through Children of Promise Program

Children of Promise is joining forces with the Iowa City Police Department to mentor at-risk kids during the program’s Youth Leadership summer enrichment series.

Beginning June 10, Children of Promise will gather at Trinity Episcopal Church in Iowa City to work with area youth on team-building, social, and leadership skills. Police officers will join staff and volunteers on Wednesday afternoons as part of Badges for Baseball, a program of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation designed as a juvenile crime prevention initiative.

Using the Foundation’s “Healthy Choices, Healthy Children” curriculum, Badges for Baseball pairs law enforcement with underserved kids, giving both a chance to learn from the other using baseball as a bridge.

“When at-risk youth encounter police officials, it’s often in situations that are very scary for them. We’re happy to be able to work with the kids in this safe environment through Badges for Baseball, helping them see that we’re all on the same team in many more ways than one,” remarks Jorey Bailey, crime prevention officer at the Iowa City Police Department.

“Our partnership with the Iowa City Police Department will give the kids we serve an opportunity to see officers in an encouraging light, working with them in an atmosphere of fun to gain new perspectives on their community,” states Carrie Ann Good, program coordinator for Children of Promise, Iowa City location. “Our hope is that the lessons learned this summer will have a lasting, positive impact on everyone’s future.”

Children of Promise, operated by the Community Corrections Improvement Association (CCIA), hosts a six-week summer enrichment series for at-risk youth via the Youth Leadership Program in both Iowa City and Cedar Rapids. For more information about Youth Leadership, visit the Children of Promise website at IowaChildrenOfPromise.org.

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Badges for Baseball – “Badges for Baseball was created in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Justice as a juvenile crime prevention initiative. It’s a simple concept: pair cops and kids together to play and learn. We work to enhance the relationship between law enforcement and kids in underserved communities across the country using baseball as the hook.”
Healthy Choices, Healthy Children – “At the heart of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation mission to help youth realize their potential is the Healthy Choices, Healthy Children program. Through partnerships with community based organizations nationwide, the Foundation uses programs like Healthy Choices, Healthy Children to engage mentors and coaches with youth while stimulating dialogue. Through this dialogue, youth engage with their peers to learn important life skills through sports and activities. Using an engaging and interactive format, Healthy Choices, Healthy Children seeks to help youth understand vital life lessons needed to display a positive, productive, and healthy lifestyle. The program is centered on the teachings of Cal, Sr. − values and traits that helped Cal and Bill achieve their heights of success, on and off the field.”
Youth Leadership Program (YLP) – “The Youth Leadership Program (YLP) serves Johnson and Linn Counties and is a positive youth development initiative that serves at-risk middle and high school youth. The program operates in both Linn and Johnson counties during the summer months, but primarily in Linn County during the school year. Youth are nominated into the program by school personnel in the summer before their transition to middle school and have the opportunity to participate until they graduate from high school. They are brought into the program because they have leadership potential combined with emerging needs or concerns such as problem behaviors at school, lack of a supportive peer group or struggling with family and home issues. In addition, all youth that participate in Children of Promise’s One-on-One Mentoring Program are invited into YLP when they reach middle school.”

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Sources. The following sources were used for the above document.