The Center for Community Career Education at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga has a program called Leading Youth to Success (LYTS) that provides juvenile delinquency prevention services to youth. Activities include but are not limited to:
- Continuous access to positive adult role models and mentors
- Development of an Individual Achievement Plan
- Provide information and prevention training sessions for students
- Organize neighborhood -based activities and volunteer opportunities
- Engagement in positive academics and recreational activities at least four hours per week
Our program serves 35 at-risk students aged 14-18 years old after school between the hours of 2:30p – 4:30p.
Too many target area youth are falling into a negative cycle of delinquency and poor achievement, which lead to school punishments, which further impede the pursuit of academic excellence.
This issue is further compounded by the fact that the meals at school are many times the only source of nutrition students receive during the day. As a way of assisting students and combating this formidable obstacle we would like to offer nutritious snacks to youth participating in our program.
According to the Commonwealth Fund 1998 Survey of Adults Mentoring Young People, “Adolescence is a time of risk and opportunity. During the critical transition to adulthood, youth are learning skills, attitudes, and behaviors that will affect their lifelong ability to lead productive and healthy lives.”
