Juvenile Court Book Club, Inc.

Description

To date, book clubs have been implemented at four sites: three at the Girls' Rehabilitation Facility (GRF), Unit 800 in Juvenile Hall; the Salvation Army's Door of Hope, a program for pregnant and parenting teen mothers; and Polinsky Children's Center, the San Diego County receiving home for abused and neglected children. Monthly, at each site, 20-25 club members gather with adult volunteers to discuss a wide range of literature. The books serve as a springboard for discussions on personal issues important to participants. In addition to our monthly book club volunteers, JCBC tutors assist students in need of remedial reading help.

Did you know...

• 70% of juveniles who are incarcerated for first time offenses never have further delinquency charges.

• the average 16-year-old court school student reads at a fourth to sixth grade level.

• the Juvenile Court Book Club program is comprised entirely of adult volunteers and incarcerated youth who are all dependent or delinquent wards of the Juvenile Court.

• each month, approximately $250 per site is required to provide the student members with the book to be discussed.

• one-half of the books at each library site have been donated directly to the program.

• the annual cost of operating a book club site is approximately $3500 per site.

• opportunities to meet and interact with authors are provided at least twice yearly.

• field trips, speakers, and movies are often planned to coincide with the monthly book selections.

Juvenile Court Book Club, Inc. is a non-profit, public benefit 501(c)(3) corporation and a member of the San Diego Council on Literacy.