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MEDIA RELEASE: ARISE Demonstrates to Local Lawmakers the Need for Life-Skill Programs for At-Risk Youth |
CONTACT: Edmund Benson
Cell: 305-582-1460
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 14, 2007
JUPITER, FL – In April 2007, Susan and Edmund Benson, Co-Founders of the ARISE Foundation, escorted members of Congress on visits to Florida juvenile justice facilities receiving the ARISE Life Management Skills program. The focus of the visits was to demonstrate the documented success of the ARISE program for high risk incarcerated youth. |
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Congressman Tom Feeney met with a group of young men and women on April 5th at Stewart Marchman Residential Facility in Daytona Beach. The staff as well as the youth at this juvenile justice center were excited to have Congressman Feeney visit and experience firsthand how ARISE has become a vital part of their rehabilitation program. During the ARISE violence and conflict lesson, taught by an ARISE Certified Life Skills Instructor, Congressman Feeney listened intently as the incarcerated youth shared stories about their encounters with violence and conflict and how their inability to effectively manage these situations led them to incarceration. At the end of the session, the congressman praised the youth and encouraged them to persevere. He then proceeded to shake all their hands.
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Upon her arrival to Gulf and Lake Academy in Lutz on April 5th, Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite was greeted by the youth at the facility with a big poster expressing their enthusiasm and appreciation for her visit. The congresswoman also had the opportunity of taking part in an ARISE life-skills group lesson. She observed how the ARISE program empowers the staff as well as benefits the youth. During her visit, Congresswoman Brown-Waite wrote one of her favorite quotations on the board “If it is to be, it’s up to me” and explained to her apt audience how this quote held resonance in her own life and decision making skills.
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Congresswoman Ginny Browne Waite (third from left) at the Gulf and Lake Academy |
| Congressman Alcee Hastings (third from left) at the Palm Beach Juvenile Correctional Center |
Congressman Alcee Hastings visited Palm Beach Juvenile Correctional Facility (PBJCF) on Thursday, April 12th. His visit was very well received by the staff at this juvenile justice center. Greg Johnson, Regional Director Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, and Jasir Diab, Facility Superintendent were also present during Congressman Hastings’ visit. The congressman actively participated in an ARISE life-skills group session with 15 male inmates at PBJCF. Moved by the stories from the youth, Congressman Hastings shared powerful words of advice from his own personal experiences as an inner-city youth. |
As a result of these visits, all three members of Congress expressed their commitment to supporting the ARISE Intervention/Reentry program. ARISE Foundation will continue to invite congressional representatives from 17 congressional districts to DJJ facilities where ARISE staff training and life skills programs are taught across the State of Florida. The success of these visits demonstrated that lawmakers benefit from witnessing the impacts of ARISE life-skill programs on high risk youth.
Established in 1986, ARISE has trained and certified over 5,000 Instructors who have taught in excess of 3,500,000 hours of ARISE life skills lessons. ARISE is a leader in the development and design of interactive life-management skills lessons for at-risk youth and staff training. Since 1996, ARISE curricula and staff training has been used statewide in the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice facilities. In addition, ARISE social skills curricula are used in public, alternative, and charter schools, as well as faith-based groups. The Salvation Army, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s After-School All-Stars, and other organizations are currently utilizing ARISE lessons and staff training across the USA.
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