NCJ Number
79327
Date Published
1981
Length
94 pages
Annotation
This report assesses the efforts of seven national voluntary organizations under the leadership of the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) to increase their capacities for prevention and treatment of delinquency among girls, advocate improved services in the juvenile justice system, and increase youth involvement in such efforts.
Abstract
Successful programs for delinquent or at-risk female teenagers that were conducted by the YWCA between 1969 and 1977 are first reviewed. Because of this experience, the national YWCA received an Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention grant to provide technical assistance to other voluntary organizations involved with delinquent girls, particularly racial and ethnic minorities. Progress achieved by the YMCA between October 1978 and September 1980 in the areas of technical assistance, training, consultation, and guidance is summarized, followed by a general discussion of the project's accomplishments in capacity building, advocacy, and youth involvement activities. By the end of the first 2 years, the project had served approximately 2,000 youths between the ages of 11 and 17 through the combined efforts of 7 organizations working in 47 different sites in 20 States and the District of Columbia. A description of its unique administrative structure covers delegation of responsibility through a matrix management system, relationships among the individual organization, staffing patterns, turnover, fiscal matters, and evaluation requirements. The work plan for the project's third and final year is presented. A separate volume contains individual program reports from seven YMCA's and the following organizations: American Red Cross; The Links, Inc; National Association of Milliners, Dressmakers, and Tailors; National Coalition of Hispanic Mental Health and Human Services Organizations; National Congress of American Indians; and Organization of Pan Asian American Women, Inc. Each report provides a history of the organization and summarizes its project goals and achievements. A map showing individual project sites is included.