THE PHOENIX PROGRAM
Global treatment goals for families are to develop new family patterns that will be more successful. This includes developing new skills for handing old problems, increase problem-solving skills and plan for new actions, and to develop awareness and acceptance that hard work and persistence will yield important changes. The Phoenix Program is a delinquency prevention program focused on educating first time adjudicated youth about how to build individual resiliency and how not to engage in
personally destructive behavior. Madison County has operated this program for 22 years and has utilized volunteers from a wide range of professional backgrounds to help educate first time adjudicated offenders about the juvenile justice system and the dangers of continued delinquency. The Phoenix Program is coordinated by juvenile probation officers and attempts to rely on donations from concerned citizens or community businesses. Through the use of structured delinquency prevention courses, the courts hope to target and improve some of these issues common among the majority of court-involved youth. This is done in an attempt to decrease delinquency issues and to provide conflict resolution counseling to youth just entering the juvenile justice system. The program also attempts to promote positive family interaction and create supportive family relationships. Topics other than family interactions, such as drug abuse and school issues, are addressed in group settings in an attempt to educate and guide youth toward more positive choices. The Madison County Juvenile Court probation department is responsible for the coordination of the Phoenix Program. The program operates on Tuesday evenings from 6:00pm to 8:30pm. A ten week criteria is designed to address multiple issues impacting adolescent youth. Volunteers selected from various professional arenas instruct classes under the supervision of the probation department. Volunteers for class instruction include local attorneys, the juvenile court Assistant District Attorney, the Madison County Juvenile Court Referee, Juvenile Court Mental Health liaison, Department of Public Health and local physicians, local business owners, local licensed counselors and victim impact panels. Also included is a self-esteem development program coordinated by the Redstone Army Officers panel. At the end of each ten week program the juvenile participants must complete a one-day community services project to assist with issues in the community.
- Instructional Sessions and Discussions:
- The Phoenix Program topics are as follows:
- Social Skills/Employability Training
- Self-Esteem Development/Redstone Army Officers
- Legal Consequences of Teenage Crimes
- Substance Abuse
- Developing Behavior Patterns that avoid AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases
- Victim Impact Panel
- Conflict Resolution/Decision Making Techniques
- Domestic Violence
- Community Service Project (Saturday)
In the youth group, emphasis is placed on education and problem-solving relative to a variety of topics including anger management, conflict resolution, inter-personal skills, drug abuse, child abuse and neglect, school performance and attendance, and developing positive relationships with parents, family members, and peers. Significant emphasis is placed on addressing issues with peer pressure at school and in the community and helping youth to learn ways to combat this and develop more positive peer relationships. The principles applied here are also put to use to help youth initiate and cultivate positive relationships with adults in their families, at school, and in their communities. There is also emphasis placed on setting positive goals for their immediate and distant future and making positive choices that will help them reach those goals.
Youth are able to:
- Learn effective anger management and conflict resolution strategies.
- Show and increase in problem solving ability, inter-personal social skills and intra-personal reflective skills.
- Increase knowledge of substance abuse and addiction; understand the consequences of using/abusing tobacco, alcohol and other drugs.
- Recognize and address unwanted peer pressure
- Recognize and address bullying issues
- Learn about the importance of abstinence and safe sex practices
- Develop an understanding of their community and their roles as future adults
- Understand the importance of education with respect to the present economy
Parents are able to:
- Describe the importance of demonstrating love and affection.
- Demonstrate and utilize effective discipline methods with their out-of-control or strong willed children.
- Demonstrate effective methods of reducing family conflict.
personally destructive behavior. Madison County has operated this program for 22 years and has utilized volunteers from a wide range of professional backgrounds to help educate first time adjudicated offenders about the juvenile justice system and the dangers of continued delinquency. The Phoenix Program is coordinated by juvenile probation officers and attempts to rely on donations from concerned citizens or community businesses. Through the use of structured delinquency prevention courses, the courts hope to target and improve some of these issues common among the majority of court-involved youth. This is done in an attempt to decrease delinquency issues and to provide conflict resolution counseling to youth just entering the juvenile justice system. The program also attempts to promote positive family interaction and create supportive family relationships. Topics other than family interactions, such as drug abuse and school issues, are addressed in group settings in an attempt to educate and guide youth toward more positive choices. The Madison County Juvenile Court probation department is responsible for the coordination of the Phoenix Program. The program operates on Tuesday evenings from 6:00pm to 8:30pm. A ten week criteria is designed to address multiple issues impacting adolescent youth. Volunteers selected from various professional arenas instruct classes under the supervision of the probation department. Volunteers for class instruction include local attorneys, the juvenile court Assistant District Attorney, the Madison County Juvenile Court Referee, Juvenile Court Mental Health liaison, Department of Public Health and local physicians, local business owners, local licensed counselors and victim impact panels. Also included is a self-esteem development program coordinated by the Redstone Army Officers panel. At the end of each ten week program the juvenile participants must complete a one-day community services project to assist with issues in the community.
- Instructional Sessions and Discussions:
- The Phoenix Program topics are as follows:
- Social Skills/Employability Training
- Self-Esteem Development/Redstone Army Officers
- Legal Consequences of Teenage Crimes
- Substance Abuse
- Developing Behavior Patterns that avoid AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases
- Victim Impact Panel
- Conflict Resolution/Decision Making Techniques
- Domestic Violence
- Community Service Project (Saturday)
In the youth group, emphasis is placed on education and problem-solving relative to a variety of topics including anger management, conflict resolution, inter-personal skills, drug abuse, child abuse and neglect, school performance and attendance, and developing positive relationships with parents, family members, and peers. Significant emphasis is placed on addressing issues with peer pressure at school and in the community and helping youth to learn ways to combat this and develop more positive peer relationships. The principles applied here are also put to use to help youth initiate and cultivate positive relationships with adults in their families, at school, and in their communities. There is also emphasis placed on setting positive goals for their immediate and distant future and making positive choices that will help them reach those goals.
Youth are able to:
- Learn effective anger management and conflict resolution strategies.
- Show and increase in problem solving ability, inter-personal social skills and intra-personal reflective skills.
- Increase knowledge of substance abuse and addiction; understand the consequences of using/abusing tobacco, alcohol and other drugs.
- Recognize and address unwanted peer pressure
- Recognize and address bullying issues
- Learn about the importance of abstinence and safe sex practices
- Develop an understanding of their community and their roles as future adults
- Understand the importance of education with respect to the present economy
Parents are able to:
- Describe the importance of demonstrating love and affection.
- Demonstrate and utilize effective discipline methods with their out-of-control or strong willed children.
- Demonstrate effective methods of reducing family conflict.