California State PTA gratefully acknowledges Deutsche Bank for its generous support of this section

Juvenile Camp Court School Support Program

A program of which Thirty-Third District is very proud is our ongoing support of the Santa Monica Mountains youth camps and community court schools run by Los Angeles County Juvenile Court System and the Los Angeles County Office of Education.

In the early stages, we simply provided baked goods for the youths incarcerated in the camps. Later, units would forward to district donated money, which was then used to purchase sports equipment for the camps, and individual gifts of toiletries and personal items for the youths around the holidays.

Now, our support is more focused on life after camp.

Several years ago, in response to people’s inquiries about doing more than donating money, we met with the directors, teachers and correctional officers assigned to the individual camps, to see if there was something that might be more beneficial in helping the students prepare for life after the youth camps and court schools.

We learned that many of the young men in the camps had never owned a book of their own, never read a book from beginning to end, and in some cases had never learned to read. At that point, we changed the focus of our donations.

Guidelines given by the camp directors determined what types of books were donated: new and slightly used, soft-cover books geared to reading levels from primary through high school. We had learned that several of the older students had children of their own who would visit them and so we made sure to collect books that would be appropriate for reading to young children.

Donation boxes were set up at association meetings, drop boxes were put in school offices, local bookstores were asked to contribute. Through the efforts of our units and councils, thousands of dollars’ worth of books and book carts were delivered to the camps: sets for use in the classrooms, individual titles for the young people to read on their own.

Two years ago, at the request of the camp directors and teachers, we added fully stocked backpacks to the items being contributed to the camps. The backpacks are stocked with typical school supplies such as paper, pens, pencils, rulers, and small calculators. Several units approached local office supply stores and received the backpacks and supplies as donations.

These backpacks are given to the students when they return to their community day schools to help them feel more prepared to participate in their education. This term, in addition to continuing to collect books and backpacks, we have added arts supplies and photography equipment to the items we are collecting. We are also working with the camps and the community day schools to encourage the youths to participate in the National Reflections Program.

For many, the time spent in the camps is a temporary escape from the life to which they will return. For others, it is the chance for a fresh start. To think that we are helping to make just a small difference in just one of these young men’s lives is one of the most rewarding experiences I have had with my involvement in PTA.