Youth Development Programming

All youth enrolled in these programs must have been referred to Washoe County Juvenile Services due to a delinquent offense. A Probation Officer or Case Manager must assign youth to related programming. If you have any questions regarding youth development programming please call 325-7914.

Aggression Replacement Training The purpose of the Aggression Replacement Program is to serve two related goals. The first being to make the feeling of anger in chronically aggressive youth a less frequent occurrence. It also provides such youth with the means to learn self-control when anger is displayed. The program will help identify triggers, monitor emotional cues, and develop calming situations. The program is available to youth 14-18 years of age and there is a total of 12 hours of instruction.

Changing Directions Program The Changing Directions Program is geared towards youth who are displaying high risk behaviors. Youth will be taught the tools to change their behaviors by gaining an advanced knowledge of positive choices, positive peer choices and a clear understanding of consequences. Changing Directions is available to youth 14-18 years of age with a total of 6 hours of instruction.

Victim Awareness Program The Victim Awareness Program was developed to educate youth of the impact that crimes have on individuals and the community as a whole. The program is broken up into three segments titled (1) Property Crime (2) Drugs and Society and (3) Violent Crime. The youth will gain an understanding of empathy and how criminal acts affect victims. The program format will include applicable videos and lectures. The program is available to youth 14-18 years of age with a total of 6 hours of instruction.

Growth Program The GROWTH Program teaches female youth ages 14-18 the social skills in order to improve their relationship with others so they can avoid trouble situations and improve their quality of life. The program is broken up into different individual segments, such as building self-esteem, healthy relationships and body image. The program has a total of 6 hours of instruction.

Early Intervention Program The Early Intervention Program addresses the early involvement with the juveniles and their families entering the juvenile justice system with the intention of diverting youth from further involvement in the juvenile justice system. Open discussion regarding criminal charges, victims and consequences. Clarification on the impact of crime on individuals and the community as a whole. The program is broken up into four segments titled; (1) Court Systems, (2) Criminal Behavior, (3) Levels of Crime and (4) Anger Issues. This format will include applicable videos and lectures. The program is available to youth 10-18 years of age with a total of 4 hours of instruction. Parent participation is mandatory in this program.

Youth Employment Program The purpose of the Youth Employment Program is to teach youth employment skills in order to improve their understanding of the work world and to assist them in gaining meaningful employment in the community. This program is available to youth ages 14-18 with a priority given to youth that owe monetary restitution. The program combines classwork and work experience component consisting of basic landscaping, painting and irrigation assembly. Program length varies; please see Probation Officer or Case Manager to discuss.

Substance Abuse Prevention  This program aims to reduce the recidivism rates of juveniles with possession of marijuana and alcohol charges by enhancing motivation and using a variety of self-management skills. While also providing information of the harmful effects of marijuana and alcohol, this program uses styles from cognitive behavior training (CBT) and motivational enhancement (MET) to help cope, and develop refusal skills towards these substances. This program is available to you 13-18 years of age with a total of 6 hours of instruction.

Drive Program (Traffic Class)  The DRIVE program is designed and aimed specifically towards inexperienced drivers. The purpose of this program is to change teen driver's perceptions, cognition and responsibility of driving a motor vehicle. This program is available to youth 16-18 years of age with a total of 3 hours of instruction. Youth must be referred by Traffic Master.

Evening Reporting Program (ERP)  The Evening Reporting Program is a case management tool used as an alternative to detention. ERP was established to provide an informal sanction for youth on probation instead of detaining them in secure detention and for youth awaiting a plea or dispositional hearing. ERP is not court ordered. The benefits of the program are that the juvenile remain in school and at home, yet are being supervised during high at-risk hours. This program is available to youth 13-18 years of age.

Pueblo Project  Pueblo Project, Latino Starting Point provides mother and father of Latino youth an opportunity to establish an effective foundation for their families. It empowers them with culturally-specific Latino strengths in order to assess them in improving rules for their home. The project focuses on the strengths and values that are identified in Latino Culture and uses them as motivation for change. The five key informed Latino aspects that are incorporated in this approach are; Power, Responsibility, Family, Faith Community and Identity. This program is available to youth 12-18 years of age and taught over the course of 6 weeks. Parent participation is mandatory.