Alternative Educational Programs for City Youth
| The Foundation is pleased to announce its recent partnership
with the Special Programs Department of the Richmond Commonwealth’s
Attorney's Office, which has established three new programs designed to
promote the education, creativity and responsible behavior of inner-city
students. The Youth Court, currently in its second year of operation at
Huguenot High School, is a peer intervention program which holds student
offenders accountable for their actions and educates the participants about
the workings of the legal system. The Richmond Urban Debate League, a pilot
plan implemented at George Wythe High School, is an innovative program
that applies creative and analytical skills to current social issues, many
of which are chosen from the students' personal experiences. The Special
Programs Department has set a long term goal to become a member of the
National Association of Urban Debate Leagues, a nation-wide movement that
fosters competitive debate in inner-city schools. The state level of the
National High School Mock Trial Competition, held in Williamsburg each
year, allows student teams to examine witnesses and argue both sides of
criminal and civil issues. The local team at Richmond Community High School
is the first team in the greater Richmond region to participate in this
competition. The Foundation helps promote the development of these special programs by raising awareness in the business community, soliciting volunteer professionals to assist the students, and encouraging charitable donations from local business leaders. The Foundation is hopeful that its support will contribute to the long-term stability and expansion of these important projects and further the goal of the Commonwealth’s Attorney's Office to guide inner-city youths toward productive endeavors and lifestyles through education, the arts and intellectual as well as emotional discipline. |