The jury assembly room at the Duval County Courthouse on Wednesday wasn’t filled with people eager — or to some, not so eager — to perform their civic duties.
Instead, there were booths. Many booths, actually, with juvenile justice and youth service providers eager to recruit, network and make a difference in the lives of at-risk children and teens.
Circuit Judge Suzanne Bass dreamed up the idea last year. The juvenile court judge sees at-risk children daily in her courtroom and knows of the many services available in Northeast Florida that potentially could have helped them.
“There’s a need there,” she said Wednesday over a loud, bustling room.
The challenge, said Bass, is getting the right help to the right children. Every organization has its own niche and she wishes there was a proverbial traffic officer who could direct who to go where.
Some kids need mentoring. Others need tutoring, a job or transportation.
Many providers offering those services were at the event.
Stephen Kennedy, a volunteer with the local chapter of 100 Black Men of America, said the forum was important for his group because it was an opportunity to interact with other organizations while trying to bolster its ranks.
The group’s mission is to improve educational and economic opportunities for young men through mentoring. Right now, though, the local group is about 42 black men, Kennedy jokes. They’d like to hit that 100 mark to help influence more youth.
In all, the event had 43 vendors that included organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Florida, Daniel Kids, Florida Youth Challenge Academy, the Jacksonville Children’s Commission and Youth Crisis Center.
Kimberly Hixson, area director of Project Connect, spent parts of the afternoon going from booth to booth discussing and learning about the work and goals of vendors.
She spent some of the day talking to Sherie Smith of the Child Guidance Center, a local nonprofit that helps direct children and families to needed treatments.
Hixson and Project Connect are contracted through the Department of Juvenile Justice to help youths make the transition from residential commitment programs back into the community.
Meeting those vendors with similar audiences but different missions can lead to future collaboration, Hixson said.
That was part of Bass’ goal when crafting the event. However, after the initial contact, what comes next?
“That’s a good question,” she said. “I need help with it.”
Luckily, there were plenty of enthusiastic people around her to contribute.
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