This is the story of Volunteers for Youth Justice in Shreveport, LA. In 1981, the Juvenile Court of Caddo Parish was overloaded with a significant number of youths. Initially arrested for minor offenses, they were “falling through the cracks”, only to later become repeat offenders.
How the VYJ Story Began
During that same time, several women from Shreveport’s First Presbyterian Church attended a women’s conference in Montreat, North Carolina. Jim Watkins, a Presbyterian minister, taught a seminar, “Behind Closed Doors – A Workshop on Criminal and Juvenile Justice”, highlighting a program established in Atlanta, Georgia to address similar youth challenges.
Carolyn W. Beaird, Marjorie B. Winkler, Lea Johnson, and Babs Roggero enthusiastically returned to Shreveport to share with other women from their Church, their pastor, Dr. John Rogers, and Suzette Kincer-Haley, the Church’s Director of Christian education, their hopes of establishing such a program in Shreveport.
These forward-thinking individuals recognized the need to break this destructive cycle by assisting the Juvenile Court, through the use of volunteers, to divert first-time offenders. By allowing these youths to develop a sense of responsibility for their actions and teaching new positive behaviors, they were given a chance to begin again. Their joint efforts became the catalyst that launched Volunteers for Youth Justice (VYJ), formerly known as the Shreveport Juvenile Justice Program.
What Volunteers for Youth Justice Has Grown to Today
VYJ has since built on the foundation of diversion programming to include advocacy, life-skill training, and mentoring experiences for abused, neglected, and at-risk children throughout Northwest Louisiana. Today, VYJ has multiple programs: CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), My Community Cares (MCC), the Youth Empowerment Center, our other Youth Programs which include: GEMS & GENTS Mentoring, JUMPSTART, Teen Court and Conflict Resolution, TBRI®, and our Court Programs which include FINS (Families in Need of Services) and TASC.
VYJ has a proven track record of success. It is a story of dreams and possibilities. Through the vision of a few active and caring individuals, the unwavering support of the Judges and court staff, and the groundswell of compassionate volunteers, thousands of our community’s children have been given a light of hope for a brighter tomorrow.
What’s Next for Volunteers for Youth Justice?
Join us as we continue to build on this foundation of success and increase our efforts to meet the needs of every child in crisis.