Racine County Youth Care Facility
COMMUNITY BASED LEARNING PROJECT
Students in Dr. McDonald's Race, Crime, Law course partnered with Racine County's Youth Care Facility and participated in community-based projects. Students worked in groups developing recommendations for the Youth Center regarding community collaboration and training approaches for staff for a new facility in development in Racine County.
Click on the links below to view students' virtual presentations.
Community-Based Learning Projects in Partnership with Racine County's Youth Care Facility
BACKGROUND
Racine County was awarded a grant for design and construction from the State of Wisconsin to build a facility, which will co-locate a Secure Residential Care Centers for Children and Youth (SRCCCY) and Detention Center for both male and female youth from Racine and surrounding southeastern Wisconsin counties including Kenosha, Walworth, Washington, Ozaukee, Waukesha, Rock, and Jefferson. The proposed design is a 48-bed facility, approximately 70,000 square feet, located in the City of Racine. The design is projected to take place from October 2020 through July 2021 and the construction is projected to take place from May 2021 to July 2022.
THE PROJECTS
Community Collaboration for Racine County’s Youth Care Facility
SESSION 1 | TUE NOV 30 | 12:30-1:30 PM
SESSION 2 | THU DEC 2 | 12:30-1:30 PM
Engaging youth housed in the care facility in the community is a cornerstone of what Racine County hopes to do with the new facility. Students researched innovative and creative ways that community-based organizations can support youth housed at the facility and post-release.
Staff Training for Racine County’s Youth Care Facility
SESSION 3 | TUE DEC 7 | 12:30-1:30 PM
SESSION 4 | THU DEC 9 | 12:30-1:30 PM
Many philosophies exist to change behavior of youth generally, but specifically it is even more contentious when discussing youth in the corrections system. Some argue that existing behavior modification systems are too punitive and really do not accomplish the goal of changing behavior and only serve to make things worse. Students researched alternative approaches to behavior modification that are more in line with an appreciation of racial differences, mutual understanding, and accountability.
COMMUNITY BASED LEARNING (CBL)
Community-based learning (CBL) is an opportunity for students to apply their knowledge and skills to real-world experiences while serving their communities. For these projects in particular, students advanced discourse with members of the community to enhance their understanding of timely and prominent issues. CBL projects promote civic engagement, help students develop leadership skills, and provide networking opportunities within the community.