Latest news with #DYS
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Decatur Youth Services continues to operate without a permanent home
DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT) — Edward Franklin is a program coordinator for Decatur Youth Services. Before he began mentoring children at Camp Safehaven, Franklin, a football star, was also one of the camp's children. 'It allowed me to be who I am today and experience things that I wouldn't have had to experience,' said Franklin. Starstruck: Superfan fondly remembers the Huntsville Stars 'He has such a love for the kids and the fact that he came through our program and now he wants to give back, that's powerful,' said Bruce Jones, Interim Director of DYS. DYS currently serves 4,000 at-risk children and their families year-round and also offers programs for adults. But the community staple has no permanent home as talks for a new facility have stalled. The decades-old facility is badly in need of an upgrade. In December, Bandon Watkins, former director of DYS, presented a plan for a state-of-the-art complex to the city council. Watkins resigned in March, and Bruce Jones, who had retired, was asked to step in. 📲 to stay updated on the go. 📧 to have news sent to your inbox. Councilman Billy Jackson told News 19 that the city's plans for a home for DYS are still uncertain. 'We've got to have a facility where they can have their own place and their own activities. Youth services works across the broad spectrum of what's going on in the city of Decatur,' Jackson said. In looking at the growth of Decatur, Franklin can't figure out why no attention has been paid to such an important entity for families in his community. 'Having different older peers, teachers, and coaches just showing that they care about them is what this is all about,' said Franklin. 'That's what I had when I had when I was six years old. It's just benefiting them some of the things that the kids won't get at home and I feel like it's very big for kids.' DYS has been without a permanent home since the city shut down the Carrie Matthews Recreation Center due to foundation issues in 2019. In December, Decatur city leaders paused any planning for a new youth services facility. Jackson added that he is at a loss as to why talks for a new DYS facility have been shut down. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Decatur Youth Services to host Sneaker Ball on Friday
Jun. 12—Decatur Youth Services will host a Sneaker Ball for middle- and high school -age kids on Friday, in part as an effort to make sure those that couldn't afford their prom or other school dances make it to a similar event. Attendees at the DYS Sneaker Ball will dress up in formal attire and sneakers and eat and dance in the gym at the Aquadome from 7 to 9 p.m. Administrator Lemzel Johnson will act as a DJ for the event, said DYS Girls-2-Women mentoring coordinator Asa Taylor. All youths of the Girls-2-Women and the Boys-2-Men mentoring programs at DYS were invited and given the opportunity to invite two friends as well. Taylor has received a few dresses that were donated by friends and hopes to ensure every attendee has a nice outfit to wear. DYS wanted to host the Sneaker Ball for those who could not attend the ones at their school, Taylor said. "I am the coordinator of Girls-2-Women and they had mentioned that some of them weren't able to go to the (event) at their school because they couldn't afford it, so we were trying to make it happen for them and their friends, so they wanted to open it up to their friends," Taylor said. The event is different from a gala or prom, said DYS Boys-2-Men mentoring program coordinator Johnny Jones. "You know middle school kids don't get to go to prom, or things like that, don't get to dress up. They have the raves and stuff, but you want to do like a kids' dress-up attire event for the kids, with sneakers," Jones said. DYS is anticipating 50 to 100 kids to attend the event, Jones said. Taylor said all middle- to high school-aged students in the community are welcome to attend. DYS is always looking for something enjoyable and safe to keep the youth busy, Taylor said. "We're excited. I hope it's a a fun time; that's what I'm aiming for. I just want them to have a good time. Good, safe fun," Taylor said. Both program coordinators said DYS may continue to host this event in the future. — or 245-340-2438.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Filling Parks and Rec director opening next for council
Jun. 6—Parks and Recreation director is next on the lengthy list of job openings for the Decatur City Council to fill, and 73 people have applied for the position. Just this week, a new police chief took office and the council made an offer to a planning director candidate. City Council President Jacob Ladner said Wednesday that the priority for the next agenda is its midyear review of the fiscal 2025 budget, and then Parks and Recreation director is next. The City Council, which is responsible for hiring directors, is seeking to replace former Parks and Recreation director Jason Lake, who retired in February. In response to a request based on the state's Open Records Act, city Human Resource Director Richelle Sandlin released the applications for Parks and Recreation director and an email containing her recommendations to the council, Mayor Tab Bowling and Chief Financial Officer Kyle Demeester. In the email, she recommended the council interview five applicants: —William Collins, statewide trails coordinator, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Montgomery. He previously served as athletic programs director, city of Bessemer; director of parks program, Red Mountain Park; and athletics coordinator, city of Orange Beach. —Stephanie McLain, interim operations manager and Point Mallard Park superintendent; previously Point Mallard marketing and group sales after starting as aquatic facilities operator. —Joseph Rodecker, former recreation superintendent, Canton, Ohio; previously assistant parks and recreation director, Montgomery County, Tennessee; athletic division, Franklin, Tennessee; and assistant property manager, CNA. —Jerry Smith, director of parks and grounds, Boynton Beach, Florida; previously county parks director, Bexar County, Texas; and deputy director of parks and recreation, North Miami Beach, Florida. —Todd Strubhart, golf and street services, University City Parks, Illinois; previously director of Parks and Recreation, Godfrey, Illinois; recreation supervisor, Belleville, Illinois; managing partner, Midwest Team Training LLC; vice president of select sports operations, Belleville Select Youth Sports. Sandlin listed a second group of four applicants who she writes, "are minimally qualified and recommended for hold pending consideration of Group 1 candidates." She writes that a third group of 63 applicants "did not meet the minimum requirements for consideration and further review is not recommended." — DYS director The City Council is also looking for a new leader of Decatur Youth Services after Brandon Watkins resigned in March. Retired DYS Director Bruce Jones stepped in to run the department on a part-time basis. The city received 70 applications, but Sandlin has not made a recommendation on how the council should proceed. Ladner said that's OK with him. He said he prefers "to let Bruce guide us on how he wants to proceed," especially since the department seems to be running smoothly. Jones has indicated he's willing to work with the city through November when a new council term begins. — or 256-340-2432
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Decatur Youth Services hiring 14- and 15-year-olds
May 28—Decatur Youth Services is hiring 14- and 15-year-olds, giving them work experience and teaching them work-related skills in the 2025 Summer Youth Employment Program, said program coordinator Keara Worthy. DYS will offer the 14- and 15-year-olds employment from Monday to July 11 with the help of local businesses and nonprofits. The program includes a two-day training session. The teens will work 20 hours a week for a total of 120 hours by the end of the summer and will be paid minimum wage, said Decatur Youth Services' interim director, Bruce Jones. DYS chose this age range because it is typically harder for them to find jobs due to their age and maturity, Jones said. "Part of this program is to help you with your maturity, help you understand the importance of showing up on time, dressing appropriately, respecting your supervisors ... and at the end of the summer you can earn some money for you and your family," Jones said. Jones said many of the participants in the past were children from low-income families. The Summer Youth Employment program is an opportunity to help families, while providing youth with the skills necessary to obtain a job. Jones said that the Summer Youth Employment program has always been a great program. "It serves a lot of purposes. It serves keeping them busy, giving them something positive to do," Jones said. "We want to keep them busy, but we want to have them doing something productive." Worthy says the program seeks teens who want to learn. "We're looking for kids who are eager to learn how to get those skills to get the work experience," Worthy said. "I'm looking for the excitement. I'm looking for the willingness to go make their own money." Last year, the program served approximately 95 kids. Worthy said the goal is to have 100 participants this summer. Worthy encourages 14 — and 15-year-olds to apply. "Hey, it's just six weeks. I know you want to enjoy your summertime, but let's try to learn how to become that young adult that I know you guys are getting prepared to be," Worthy said. For more information, contact Worthy at 256-303-9494. — or 245-340-2438.
Boston Globe
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
‘This is not a good trajectory': Juvenile detention reaches highest level since 2018, prompting warning from youth advocates
Advertisement 'This is not a good trajectory,' said Leon Smith, executive director of the Boston-based advocacy group Citizens for Juvenile Justice. 'I remember growing up [at a time] when every fight on the playground was not considered a police matter.' The harsh approach of the 1990s had a profound effect on area youth and their families, according to advocates, researchers, and personal accounts. Worcester native Jinazean Ball was in fourth grade the first time he was locked up, his mother, Alice Ball, said in an interview. Jinazean Ball, now 37 years old, spent hours in a holding cell after a scuffle with a classmate, until his mom could leave work to pick up him. 'That's something he never got over,' she told the Globe. 'It really messed up his head.' Advertisement The Balls told their story in a Ball was found guilty of simple assault on his classmate and ordered to complete weekly drug tests — from ages 10 to 15. 'That was a rough moment in our life right there,' Alice Ball said. Jinazean Ball got a hug from his mother, Alice Ball, in their home in Worcester. Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff 'The effects are life altering,' said chris bijoux, a deputy director at Georgetown University's Center for Juvenile Justice Reform who helped produce the film. The increase in recent years brought detention referrals to their highest level since 2018, according to the report, despite efforts by state agencies, child advocates, and prosecutors to divert juveniles away from the criminal justice system. In 2018, the state passed a criminal justice bill barring prosecution for kids under 12 years old, decriminalized nonviolent disturbances at schools, and authorized judges to divert juvenile cases before arraignment. The state's Department of Youth Services said in a statement that the 2018 law led to a major drop in the number of youths held for low-level offenses, and it is too early to draw conclusions from post-pandemic data showing an increase in detentions. The agency also highlighted its ongoing expansion of diversion programs. 'DYS recognizes that evidence-based, data-driven diversion programming is a proven strategy for intervention in and prevention of further justice system involvement and is committed to ensuring that all young people across the Commonwealth have equitable opportunities for access,' said DYS Commissioner Cecely Reardon. Advertisement Jay Blitzman, the former first justice of the Massachusetts Juvenile Court in Middlesex County, described the findings as 'disconcerting' and 'surprising.' 'If we are detaining young people, they're being disconnected from their community and the socially connective tissue they need for positive youth development,' Blitzman said. State Senator Brendan Crighton, who co-chairs the Senate's committee on juvenile justice, said 'I was taken aback a bit that despite some really strong efforts by a lot of major stakeholders, we are still seeing these pretrial detentions,' Crighton said. The report's findings are dispiriting and tough to understand, said Migdalia Iris Nalls, head of the Suffolk district attorney's juvenile division. 'What I've been trying to do is essentially the opposite,' Nalls said. 'Within Suffolk, we've been working to reduce the number of kids in pretrial [detention.]' The COVID-19 pandemic sent shockwaves through the Massachusetts' juvenile justice system. Case numbers first plummeted during lockdowns, then skyrocketed as schools, courts, and other public spaces reopened throughout 2021 and 2022. Nalls, a former juvenile public defender, joined the DA's office that year, with a mandate to stem the tide. Yet as the office has assigned more juveniles accused of low-level crimes to diversion programs, many more are often accused of more serious crimes. Advertisement Before the pandemic, Suffolk usually saw around 400 juvenile gun cases per year, Nalls said. Since then, case numbers have roughly doubled and the kids involved have gotten younger, she said. 'More and more young children have access to firearms in the city,' Nalls said. Essex County held the highest number of juvenile dangerousness hearings last year, where prosecutors ask a judge to detain defendants who are alleged threats to public safety. Essex District Attorney Paul F. Tucker attributed those numbers to a spike in young people committing serious, gang-related crimes. But he said his office does not try to lock up kids accused of minor offenses, and has embraced diversion programs for those cases. 'We try to do it outside of the system, because we know the longer we can keep somebody out of the system age-wise, the better chance of success we have,' he said. The number of kids in detention continued to increase even as overall case numbers plateaued last year, according to data from the Juvenile Justice Policy and Data Board. Pretrial detentions jumped 17 percent last year, driven largely by misdemeanor charges — many of which were later dismissed, according to the data. Just 14 percent of pretrial detentions occurred because a child was found too dangerous to release. In a quarter of detentions, juveniles were held because they could not pay their cash bail. And that burden is not equally distributed. Cases and arrests increased for Black and Hispanic minors last year, while decreasing for white juveniles. That trend has worsened existing disparities in the system, according to the board. Black youth were more than five times likelier to be arrested than white youth — a disparity Smith described as 'absolutely jarring.' Advertisement Studies have found that youth detained pretrial are less likely to graduate high school and more likely to be arrested again in the future, even when accounting for demographic differences. Kids in detention are isolated from the people they love and the support systems they rely on, said Duci Goncalves, director of the Youth Advocacy Division at the Committee for Public Counsel Services. 'Having those supports ripped from you and being put in a detention center where they don't know anyone — that is very traumatizing for a young person," Goncalves said. Dan Glaun can be reached at
