Presiding Bishop Preston Warren Williams II said
members of the state's African Methodist Episcopal churches are ready to
roll up their sleeves and work toward saving troubled teens.
The state's 630 AME churches, joined by the South Carolina Department
of Juvenile Justice, announced a partnership Monday that will give at-risk
teens a place to go after school and during summers for mentoring,
tutoring and recreation.
"We are all God's children," Williams said. "We are here to help those
in need. We want to endorse this, reach beyond cultural boundaries by
combining faith with economic support to improve the lives of families
here in South Carolina and, hopefully, the nation."
Williams, who oversees the AME churches, said the youth centers, which
will be based in the churches, will be open to all teens, but stressed
that the undertaking is an opportunity for minority leaders to reach out
to minority teens.
More than 27,000 juveniles were referred to Juvenile Justice last year.
The faith-based partnership will allow the agency to give at-risk teens
better attention and reduce the number of repeat offenders, said agency
Director William R. Byars Jr.
"This is a step forward," Byars said. "These kids oftentimes don't have
family support. They are at risk. We don't have the resources to go into
every community."
About 50 AME officials gathered Monday for the announcement during the
churches' annual Christian Leadership Congress at the Embassy Suites Hotel
in North Charleston.
The Rev. Brooks Harrison of St. Stephens AME Church on Johns Island
said he liked what he heard.
"It's an excellent idea," he said. "Look around this community. You've
got a lot of folks who have gone astray. We have a body that can reach out
and nurture them physically and spiritually."
There are currently 10 Teen After-School Centers in the state in
churches and community centers that work with youths 12 to 17, said Dr.
Karry L. Guillory, a deputy director at Juvenile Justice. The teens are
referred or ordered by the court to attend the centers because of truancy,
shoplifting and other nonviolent offenses, he said.
As long as the mission is secular, there is no conflict between church
and state with a faith-based program, said Denyse Williams, executive
director of the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina.
"It all depends on the purpose and how the program is, in fact, used,"
Williams said.
There is no expectation for the teens involved to join a church or be
influenced religiously, Guillory said. "We want to provide them with
positive skills to keep the kids from re-offending," he said. "We are
taking it very seriously. We are not going to push religion on anyone."
AME church members start training this week as auxiliary probation
officers and will staff the centers. Funds are being secured to open more
programs throughout the state, Guillory said. The volunteer officers will
not replace the department's probation officers or case managers. They
will have access to school records and develop relationships with the
teens and their families, he said.
Last year, the centers received about $260,000 in grants and state and
federal monies, Guillory said. The budget this year should be about the
same.
There are a few AME churches in Georgetown and Greenville that already
have similar programs in place, and Guillory said more should be opening
within the next three months.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
To learn more about the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice's
partnership with African Methodist Episcopal churches throughout the
state, call the agency at 803-896-9113 or log on to the Web site at www.state.sc.us/djj. Contributions
for the teen centers can be made to AME churches or through the nonprofit
Friends of Juvenile Justice.