Mission of Restoration for Youth

Early findings from the Bexar County Juvenile Probation’s Advancing Racial Justice and Equity Continuum of Care initiative have articulated four clear objectives: 1) Improve Understanding of Racial/Ethnic Disproportionalities and Disparities; 2) Strengthen Youth and Family Voice; 3) Connect Youth and Families to Culturally Responsive Community Organizations; and 4) Facilitate Understanding through Storytelling. The proposed Mission of Restoration for Youth project seeks to address the Continuum objectives first and foremost by allocating 40% of the project budget to support population-specific organizations in Bexar County. In compliance with OJJDP and local procurement regulations, Bexar County Juvenile Probation will contract with multiple organizations who serve historically marginalized populations through victim services, prevention initiatives, re-entry services, or other means of support. Two grant-funded Mission of Restoration for Youth Training and Technical Assistance Professionals will support the evidence-based program development and fiscal incubation of community-based organizations and more importantly will support Culturally Responsive Community Organizations as they develop strategies for tracking and monitoring effective outcomes thus strengthening the sustainability capacity of these organizations. The Training and Technical Assistance Professionals will also identify and facilitate participation in national-level training opportunities that can further our community’s efforts in effectively reducing racial and ethnic disparities. Expected outcomes include reduced unnecessary youth justice involvement, redirected emphasis to restorative, upstream programs, such as community mental health care, and reduced race-based inequities in treatment.