Educational Seminar Series

 

 

About the Initiative

The Davidson County Juvenile Court has implemented a new program with a focus on restorative justice for at-risk youth. At the forefront of this matter is public safety. It cannot be resolved by the lone endeavors of the juvenile court, but rather the collective effort of all community stakeholders. There is a unique opportunity for parent, business, faith base and non-profit collaboration in support of the Davidson County Juvenile Court’s aims.  

 

Kick Off

During the weekend of December 11-13, 2015, a conference for single parents rearing at–risk males was convened. The three day event took place at the Mount Sinai Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee. Invited stakeholders met with juvenile court judge Sheila Callaway and heard about her vision for the courts. During the conference the programmatic structure for the Parent Empowerment Initiative was rolled out. The weekend culminated with a unity fellowship service, forging the promise of unified church support for focused parental guidance and family support.  

 

Moving Forward

Beginning January, 2016, Building Families and Communities (BFC) Missions Incorporated will commence with providing training to parents of children, currently or previously involved in juvenile court cases. Support services will include, but not be limited to family based counseling, general case management, referral services and advocacy. The latter will be provided for approximately two hundred and fifty parents of at-risk males referred to BFC by the Davidson County Juvenile Court.

This seminar addresses the dire need to assist communities in efforts to protect at-risk African-American males from the threats of street violence, incarceration and untimely death. The impacts of challenging family dynamics, negative sub-cultural influences and disconnect from civic engagement are addressed.  Information shared could lead to a pro social framework for assuming an absent paternal voice of instruction for at-risk males. During the seminar participants are engaged on three levels of learning. The three levels of engagement are the historical lecture, self reflective activities and neighborhood centered solutions.

• Historical Lecture

On this level a forty-five minute lecture (Progression of African-American Male Hostility: Five Generations of Struggle, 1865-2015) will offer an anthropological explanation for the progression of maladaptive behavior presently manifested in society today on part of many African-American males.

 

• Self Reflective Activities

On this level participants are encouraged to reflect on the nature of urban challenges confronted by at-risk African-American male youth today. Via group discussions and interactive activities, they will construct strategies for appropriate family centered interventions.

 

• Neighborhood Centered Solutions

On this level participants will engage in a reflective process which allows them to examine risk factors that put African-American males at-risk. They will further extend on knowledge gained in the seminar by constructing a family-neighborhood centered plan for redirecting at-risk males in a pro social direction.   

 

The Crime Intervention Advocacy Campaign is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit, research oriented, national promotion of Building Families & Communities Missions Incorporated; aiming to foster and document innovative neighborhood efforts to ensure public safety. “BFC Institute” is the research arm for the organization. The primary vehicle of the campaign is the traveling Seminar and Workshop for Single Parents Struggling to Rear At-Risk Males. It is designed to empower parents to play an active role in proactive community engagement.

 

Mission Statement:

To advocate on the behalf of citizens plagued by crime and violence; by facilitating the development of innovative mediation to criminal and illegal acts.

 

Vision Statement:

The C.I.A. Campaign envisions increased safety and security for residents of at-risk neighborhoods, significant reductions in local crime rates, as a result of proactive interventions and the empowerment of single parents rearing at-risk males from challenged neighborhoods.