Grant continues juvenile diversion, development program

Earlier this month, the Las Cruces City Council approved a grant of almost $309,000 from the New Mexico Children, Youth & Families Department (CYFD) to the city Parks and Recreation Department to continue the city’s Juvenile Citation program (JCP). The city’s matching funds for the program exceed $123,500.

The diversion and development program for at-risk youth ages 11-17 began in Las Cruces in 2003, said City Youth Services Administrator Robert Nuñez, who works in the city’s Parks and Recreation Department.

Program staff work with school districts, law enforcement and other agencies in Las Cruces and throughout Dona Ana County, including expanding the program in Hatch, Nuñez said, to assist young people who have “hit a speed bump” and need guidance and direction in their lives.

JCP’s six full-time and two part-time staff work with youth at three levels, he said. Dealing with truants and runaways, minors who have been cited for allowing themselves to be served alcohol and similar issues is the program’s first level of service, Nuñez said. Staff and volunteers work with youth on the choices they make and help them learn about “making those right decisions,” he said.

JCPS level-two and level-three programming is gender-specific, Nuñez said, as staff and volunteers work with youth on personal issues like pride and respect, having a positive body image, communicating well with others, avoiding self-harm and developing healthy relationships. Again, he said, the underlying goal is to help youth “make better choices as they move forward.”

Other issues addressed in the program include adolescent mental health, alcohol/drug use, abuse and prevention, bullying, civic responsibility, conflict resolution, leadership, self-esteem and teen dating violence, according to the JCP website.

The public health pandemic “did slow us down a little bit,” Nuñez said, but the program was still able to serve 175 youth last fiscal year, he said. In a normal year, it serves more than 250. Staff continue to provide virtual classes and other services to the youth they serve and their families.

“Staff has done a tremendous job in coming up with alternatives to families and youth that need our assistance,” Nuñez said.

Public outreach is an important part of JCP, he said, because guest speakers from various businesses, agencies, organizations and nonprofits are invited to present to youth in the program. These professionals talk about the challenges they faced growing up, and they help youth “create something positive for themselves and their families,” Nuñez said. They also help them create a “positive impact for our community here in Las Cruces and countywide and make those right choices for the future,” he said.

Guest speakers also talk about job opportunities, education, hobbies and personal interests and other ways to help youth “get on track,” Nuñez said.

To volunteer as a JCP presenter, call 575-541-2349 or visit www.las-cruces.org/1455/Juvenile-Citation-Program.