Great Transitions: Struggle Change Achieve

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Great Transitions Struggle Change Achieve

• If you want to save children in the juvenile
  corrections system, give them art, give them
  music, give them literature because their souls
  are dead.
• Hennepin County Juvenile Court Judge Isabel Gomez

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Prisonerr crys lonely hearts die

• What we once had is gone by our
• actions we knew it all along
• As I sit and pray that all my bad memories will
  fad away
• Everybody who was once wear I was
• believe me I have much love
• As tears fall from our eyes I think to
• my self how much I despize
• The things I use to do thought we were cool
• I use to tell myself it will never
• happen to me but look wear I be
• Meranda, student CHS, September 1999

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Goal

• To engage young people involved in the juvenile
  corrections system with the library and its array
  of resources and services in order to help them
  become avid readers and competent information
  seekers. Great Transitions shows adjudicated
  youth how the library can help as they struggle,
  learn to change and ultimately achieve.

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Partners

• Hennepin County Library
• Minneapolis Public Library
• Hennepin County Home School (CHS), a locked
  facility for long-term incarcerated youth, 13-18
  years old
• Epsilon Program, Hopkins School District
• Hennepin County Juvenile Corrections/Probation
• The Library Foundation of Hennepin County

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Objectives

• Help children involved in the juvenile
  corrections system and the adults who work with
  them better understand the role of the public
  library in assisting these students to achieve
  academically and socially
• Offer and promote relevant library services
• Develop library skills
• Foster language/literacy competencies and
  self-esteem through performance based,
  interactive learning activities
• Develop better working relationships between the
  two library systems, Hennepin County Juvenile
  Corrections, Hennepin County Home School staff,
  and staff of the Epsilon program at CHS

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Funding

• 1997-1999 State of Minnesota Family Service
  Collaborative Childrens Library Service Grant
  29,000
• 1998 State of Minnesota Childrens Library
  Outreach Grant15,000 to fund publication of
  Diverse-City literary magazine
• 1999-2001 Alliance for Children and Families
  Juvenile Corrections Task Force Grant45,000
• 2000 YALSA Award of Excellence1,000

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Program Design

• Practical skills development
• Program content driven by students
  self-identified needs and interests
• Active student, staff and faculty involvement
• Concrete connection to library materials and
  services

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Activities Update

• Students write, discuss, review...
• Esteem building through competency development.
• Monthly booktalks by librarians
• Diverse-City literary publication Click to
  view
• Mock Printz award process facilitated by Adela
  Peskorz, Printz Award Committee Member Click
  to view Click to view
• Options North Alternative High School Personal
  Essay Writing/bookmarking project with author
  A.P. Porter and Illustrator Janice Lee Porter
  Click to view Click to view
• Poetry writing workshop at CHS presented by
  author John Coy Click to view Click to view
  Click to view
• CHS students review galleys of Capstone Press
  Life Skills titles
• Probation meetings to be held at local libraries

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www.hennepin.lib.mn.us/extranet/
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Dear Friends at Hennepin County Home School..It
was great to hear about your discussion for the
Michael Printz Award. One of the things that
really turned me on to writing was when I learned
that I could actually discuss a book, express my
likes and dislikes, and not just have to accept
it because it was in print.Keep up the good work
with the reading and writing. It worked for me
and it can work for you as well.Yours, Walter
Dean Myers
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Dear Mr. Mayers.I just heard that you have not
gotten any apprection or congratulations letters
from my teacher and what she said is that she is
sure you would like to get some so I decided to
write you one..I really liked your book Monster
and I am glad that it got picked for the Printz
awardMonster is a really great book. I think
you write the best books everMonster for me was
a book I couldnt put down. I read Monster 2
times. I learn to stay away from life threaating
or deadly things. The leter you wrote to us here
at HCHS.was a very good letter I like it and it
made me feel good.from JeffStudent CHS, May
2000
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Pit Bull

• I am a pit bull
• I live in a big house
• Theres lots of room
• Theres lots of love
• Lots of food and lots (of) water
• Lots of people and,
• Lots of fun
• I kill, I protect Im fast
• I hear everything
• I see black and white but,
• I also see very clearly
• Im quiet but if you get close I snap
• I go for whats mine
• I here people yell
• I here babys cry
• I here pots cooking
• I here dogs next door talking
• Or should I say barking
• For play I eat shoes

Reggie, CHS student John McCoys Poetry
Workshop, April 2000
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Outcomes

• Its a gift to students to define them as
  readers, reviewers, poets, writers and to engage
  them in activities where they take on these
  identities. These images stand in stark contrast
  to juvenile delinquent, problem child, stupid,
  and other commonly used identifiers. Pat
  Splett, PhD, Project Evaluator Click to view

• Transition from library/literacy programs
  presented during childrens incarceration to
  their probation activities
• Improved reading scores on state-mandated tests
• Better relations with CHS staff, Epsilon Program
  faculty, juvenile corrections and probation

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Challenges

• Building relations and dealing with each
  organizations bureaucracies is time consuming
  and energy draining
• Defining library resources and services in terms
  that partners and participants understand and
  find relevant is also hard work
• Modifying program components and expectations as
  project develops is essential
• Being firm and articulate with partners and
  students involved in project helps participants
  meet expectations

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Thanks for teaching things about books. I never
knew reading could be so fun. When I was out, I
never did read a book. But now that you showed
me how fun it can be, Im going to read every
book I can, not just cause of you. But because
I really like reading and like to learn new
things. Things I never knew. Student,
Hennepin County Home School