There is an organization on the island with a sole mission to make the lives of women and girls better; even those who find themselves in jail.
The American Association of University Women is a national group that has been advancing equity for women and girls through advocacy, education and research for more than 80 years. It has a membership of more than 100,000 individual members, 1,300 branches and 500 college/university institution members nationwide.
But the national arm of the group normally focuses on achievers and doesn’t usually help girls who struggle to stay in school.
The Whidbey Island branch of the organization has helped many island girls, offering approximately $5,000 annually in scholarships and awards for various artistic and academic challenges and achievements.
But this year, the island’s branch has sought to balance the scales by reaching out to girls in trouble.
They are girls whose track may not yet include graduation from high school, and can only dream about one day making it to college.
“We do reward the best of the best,” said education fund leader Rita Petersen. “But we don’t do anything to help troubled young women.”
Member Babette Thompson, a retired lawyer, had several conversations with other members regarding the pool of talent of retired professionals within the organization that might be put to good use in a mentoring program within the community. She invited workers from Island County Superior Court to their annual meeting this past November to talk about how they might help delinquent girls.
Present at the Coupeville meeting were Judge Vickie Churchill of Island County Superior Court and her team of managers, Brooke Powell and Channing Gredvig.
Powell is the program manager of juvenile and family court services. Gredvig is the drug court coordinator.
Churchill said Island County is the only one in the state with three drug courts — Juvenile Court, Family Court and Adult Court — and the courts are filled with programs that aim to help youths and their families change the course of their life’s direction.
“A lot is going on here in the juvenile justice system,” Churchill said. “And I have one of the best teams.”
One of those programs that seeks to restore function within a struggling family of a troubled teen is the Island County Family Reunification Project.
“With the most difficult cases of teens in drug court, our goal is to get kids back into a safe home — a permanent place that is drug and alcohol free,” Gredvig said.
Parents involved in family court are instructed on how to get clean, get counseling and keep the home safe for their children, Gredvig said.
Because the youngest children in such families bear their own burden, Churchill asked the association to help with a program that supplies toys for those who attend supervised visitation sites.
Children who have been removed for whatever reasons from the custody of their parents are allowed to visit with them under court supervision at four different sites throughout Island County. Churchill said interactive toys were needed such as coloring books, puzzles and other things that the parents and children could use at the court-supervised meetings.
Girls who are on probation will also reap the benefits of a caring community.
As program manager of juvenile and family court, Powell’s job is to create programs that benefit island youths and the community itself.
“I’m very excited by the programs that we have in place,” Powell said.
In a new program called “Girls Circle,” Powell appealed to the good intentions of the American Association of University Women and asked for their involvement.
Girls Circle is a model of structured support groups for girls and is designed to foster self-esteem and help girls maintain authentic connection with peers and adult women in their community. It also strives to counter self-doubt and give the girls a chance for genuine self-expression through verbal sharing and creative projects.
Gender specific programming is a very new but hot topic in juvenile justice, Powell said.
Juvenile court probation counselors work with young women involved in the juvenile system with many different issues. Some are looking for acceptance from anyone. Others are dealing with alcohol and drug issues, bad self-esteem, a past history of abuse and neglect, or a combination of issues.
These are just a few of the reasons a girl may enter the criminal system, Powell explained.
The Girls Circle curriculum, entitled “Paths to the Future,” is a 12-week course designed for females age 12 to 18. Each class includes a lesson and an integrated creative project.
Facilitators lead discussions on body image, shoplifting, friendship, trust, drug abuse, mother/daughter relationships, sexually transmitted diseases and goal-setting.
Powell and her team see it as an opportunity to change the paths of current behavior and show girls there is another way, as well as people who will support them.
“The structure is in place,” Powell said. “We need to move to the next step and work with girls who are committing crimes for various reasons.”
The Girls Circle, she said, will allow the team to work with girls on probation to let them know their worth. Powell said the circle will be ready to begin sometime in February.
Earlier this month, AAUW members brought many items to the annual holiday brunch to be donated in support of the Island County Juvenile and Family Court Girls Circle. In addition, three volunteers from the association have committed to teach crafts for the project.
“We are grateful for the support the AAUW has shown the young women of juvenile court and the Girls Circle program,” Powell said. “We appreciate the donations of craft supplies and their eagerness to volunteer their talents to promote building positive self-image, confidence and trust for girls on probation who will benefit from this program.”
Churchill is pleased by the extensive roster of programs that are helping both the population of troubled teens and the community.
“Superior Court has became a therapeutic court instead of simply throwing young people in jail,” she said.
Donations for the Girls Circle can be made by calling Powell at Juvenile and Family Court Services, 360-679-7325. Family visitation toy donations can be made by calling Nancy Franklin at 360-679-7163.
