Some of our city’s incarcerated youth are participating in a basketball tournament Thursday evening at the Juvenile Justice Intervention Center. An incarcerated teen told WDSU’s Shay O’Connor that there is a greater purpose of serving teens off the field. “Basketball is good for mental health. If you don’t know how to deal with anxiety and depression. You can deal with it through basketball,” the teenager said. Young people played to win, but the prize is something more. The teenager said: “If you feel frustrated, go out on the field. Score a lot of points.” This is the second basketball tournament of the year for a new initiative by the Juvenile Justice Intervention Center. The goal of the games is to encourage conflict resolution skills and mental health advocacy at the center, which houses about 70 of the city’s most violent juvenile offenders. Dichelle Williams, executive director of the Juvenile Justice Response Center, said, “We’re just trying to do our part as a village to do our part and make them better before we go into their communities.” » This event has been approved by the city. from New Orleans. Partners include ARTivism, which promotes dance therapy for adolescents, as well as the New Orleans Youth Coalition, which helps young people cope with mental illness and trauma through basketball. Thursday’s game consists of two youth teams facing off against each other. Then, the staff will play in two teams against each other. Incarcerated youth winners play JJIC staff winners. The overall tournament winners receive trophies and dinner at the restaurant of their choice. One incarcerated youth said it changed the way he felt about himself and others. He told WDSU, “My mother was incarcerated. Humility comes from helping, respecting and caring for others. Even if you don’t agree. That’s part of my humility.” Brideisha Harness-Parker with the New Orleans Youth Coalition, one of the partners who presented ART, Addressing, Recognizing and Addressing Trauma, Grief and Mental Health through Basketball and Sports . The goal and other organizers, fewer repeat offenders. Harness-Parker said: “It’s about teaching them alternatives and hopefully reducing recidivism. A lot of these kids have been here more than once. It’s about letting them know that there is a future outside of here for all of you.” will not be open to the public, but organizers said there will be many more events like this to come. So stay tuned.
Some of our city’s incarcerated youth are participating in a basketball tournament Thursday evening at the Juvenile Justice Intervention Center.
An incarcerated teen told WDSU’s Shay O’Connor that there is a greater purpose of serving teens off the field.
“Basketball is good for mental health. If you don’t know how to deal with anxiety and depression. You can deal with it through basketball,” the teenager said.
Young people played to win, but the prize is something more.
The teenager said: “If you feel frustrated, go out on the field. Score a lot of points.”
This is the second basketball tournament of the year for a new initiative at the Juvenile Justice Intervention Center.
The goal of the games is to encourage conflict resolution skills and mental health advocacy at the center, which houses about 70 of the city’s most violent juvenile offenders.
Dichelle Williams, executive director of the Juvenile Justice Response Center, said, “We’re just trying to do our part as a village to do our part and make them better before we go into their communities.” »
This event has been approved by the City of New Orleans. Partners include ARTivism, which promotes dance therapy for adolescents, as well as the New Orleans Youth Coalition, which helps young people cope with mental illness and trauma through basketball.
Thursday’s match will see two youth teams face off. Then, the staff will play in two teams against each other. Incarcerated youth winners play JJIC staff winners. The overall tournament winners receive trophies and dinner at the restaurant of their choice.
One incarcerated youth said it changed the way he felt about himself and others. He told WDSU, “My mother was incarcerated. Humility comes from helping, respecting and caring for others. Even if you don’t agree. That’s part of my humility.”
Brideisha Harness-Parker of the New Orleans Youth Coalition, one of the partners who presented ART, Addressing, Recognizing and Combating Trauma, Grief and Mental Health Through Basketball and Sports. The goal and other organizers, fewer repeat offenders.
Harness-Parker said: “It’s about teaching them alternatives and hopefully reducing recidivism. A lot of these kids have been here more than once. It’s about letting them know that there is a future outside of here for all of you.”
The games will not be open to the public, but organizers said there will be many more events like this to come. So stay tuned.
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