21st-century issues need 21st-century solutions, and that does not always mean equipping ourselves with the newest technologies, but instead equipping ourselves with new skills and competencies. That is what Community Service Foundation (CSF), a model program of the IIRP, is accomplishing with its Citizenship and Social Responsibility Weekend Program through Pennsylvania’s Bucks County Juvenile Court System. The program utilizes a social skills curriculum to target competencies that are both necessary and useful to today’s youth.
Evidence and assessment are the cornerstones used to align programming and intervention with their needs. This focus helps youth build skills in collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, flexibility, social responsibility, citizenship, and communication while still taking accountability for their actions.
The program provides practical education in different areas. For career development, youth work on résumé writing, interviewing, and increasing social skills. Participants are taught personal financial literacy skills, such as budgeting and financial responsibility. Digital citizenship and responsible online behavior are important parts of the program, as well. Participants learn about the dos and don’ts of being on social media, protecting their privacy, and cyberbullying so they have the tools to make smart decisions online.
Jerry Bradley, Assistant Director of Community-Based Services at CSF, believes the success of the program lies in the curriculum, which engages and provides structure for the participants as well as their families. Families are invited to join their youth and program staff on Sundays for lunch, creating an opportunity to connect and to discuss the skills learned that weekend and ways those new habits can help lead to better choices in the future.
Jerry says, “Seeing the impact it has on youth when their families show up for them is so impressive and encouraging. This program is making a difference in these youth’s lives, and we have their families to thank for supporting them and really sealing in the importance of the skills they are learning.”
Currently, the program is only available to residents of Bucks County, PA. CSF is looking to expand to other counties and support communities across eastern Pennsylvania.