Youths graduate from Juvenile Work Service Project
The San Benito County probation department hosted a graduation
ceremony Sept. 23 at Mars Hill Coffehouse for 14 youth who have
completed their juvenile work service projects.
”
We are trying to build connections to the community,
”
said Al De Vos, the gang prevention coordinator for San Benito
County.
”
Part of that is creating community service options where they
get recognition.
”
Youths graduate from Juvenile Work Service Project
The San Benito County probation department hosted a graduation ceremony Sept. 23 at Mars Hill Coffehouse for 14 youth who have completed their juvenile work service projects.
“We are trying to build connections to the community,” said Al De Vos, the gang prevention coordinator for San Benito County. “Part of that is creating community service options where they get recognition.”
Community service has long been a component of some students’ probation, but in the past the opportunities had been limited at Juvenile Hall to projects such as washing cars or other chores around the site.
When the department received a Cal grant award last December, De Vos said, it wanted to add a new dimension to the program.
“These are youth who do some minor things and may be ordered to do community service,” De Vos said. “Rather than making it purely punitive, we wanted to make it positive.”
De Vos partnered with the First Presbyterian Church and Mars Hill Coffeehouse to find community service projects for the students.
“Peter and I brainstormed,” De Vos said. “We wanted to find places in the community where they could be doing things and get recognition.”
They also looked at connecting with Ag Against Hunger, an organization that collects leftover produce from local fields for food banks, but De Vos said they didn’t have any dates set up in San Benito County. He said he is hoping to coordinate with them in the future.
“Every time you ask teens to work, it’s difficult,” Prak said. “But we had one rule – no complaining.”
Prak said that being out in the community made the service more enjoyable for the students.
“A lot have a negative (association with juvenile hall),” he said. “They have served time there. They don’t want to be there.”
From their time working at the church and Mars Hill, Prak said the kids started to develop a work ethic and skills.
Nicole Ortega, the supervisor who overseas the juvenile program, said the program does more than give the students skills.
“They become more involved,” she said. “They get to meet more people. It builds their support system – they have people rooting for them.”
She said one of the benefits is showing the youth that they have other options in life.
“The overall goal, once we get to full program capacity, will be to have projects in their neighborhoods,” De Vos said. “Their neighbors will see them doing good things.”
He mentioned that the program will start projects at Dunne Park next year as part of the Dunne Park Restoration Project.
“We are also trying to make it so the youth are engaged and they have their input,” he said.
Throughout their time working on their community service projects, the students were asked to do reflection exercises where they wrote about how they felt at the end of the day.
Some of their comments were included in a binder at the graduation and on the back of the graduation program.
“I really don’t mind volunteering now that I realize how great it feels to help the community,” one juvenile wrote. “I’ll most likely participate in more community service after my hours are done.”
Larry Shaw, from First Presbyterian Church, talked about how the students had helped. He said the church had a lot of rain and one of the buildings leaked.
“It had to be demolished,” he said.
Peter Prak, a juvenile institution officer, arranged for some of the students in the work service project program to work with Shaw.
“I handed them a sledgehammer and said they had to take out the sheet rock – and they did it,” Shaw said. “I learned they are a lot smarter than me. From doing this, they learned that they don’t want to be roofers.”
Shaw said people at the church see their handiwork and appreciate it.
“We wanted to let the graduates realize their work in the community makes a difference,” De Vos said. “You have people here, not just your families, who care about you and all the changes you make.”
At the graduation, 14 students were recognized with certificates for completing their work. The 11 students present shook hands with Brent Cardall, the chief probation officer, and Prak.
After the youth received their certificates, Mike Sanchez, the San Benito County superintendent of schools, talked to them for a few moments.
He said that in his job he was worked with other counties from all over the state.
“One thing I always tell them about is that here we really appreciated when people do things,” Sanchez said. “A lot of people step up who don’t have to – as volunteers. Through all this, we make a difference.”
He acknowledged that the students were assigned community service because of some negative behavior.
“You first landed here through circumstances because you had to do it,” he said. “But I want you to remember, everything has a positive. Something happened because there was something there to learn.”
At the end of the event, as Prak started to store away the chairs from the ceremony, two students started to help him.
Ortega pointed to the students and said at the beginning of the program, they would not have helped without being asked. Now they offered their help willingly without being asked.
“They are all good kids,” she said.
