Grace Schouten, Jennifer Swain and Keisha Head with Tina's Dipped Delights
As a 6th month marker, JJF’s Voices Project threw a summer celebration with their girls, aged 12-17, each of whom was allowed to bring a guest.
Darlene Lauth sketching a portrait
A fabulous Pop Cake was donated by Tina of Dipped Delights, and caricature artist Darlene Lauth made free portraits for each of the girls, which were framed and presented at the party. (See bottom of page for more information.)
“In the months the girls have been with us”, said Grace Schouten, Voices Project Coordinator, “we’ve seen the girls begin to take more internal initiative. There may not be anyone in their life who tells her she needs to come to group, but now I’m hearing girls say ‘It’s on me to get to group, and I’m going to find a way to get there.’”
They hear stories, do activities, learn about life skills: communication, healthy relationships, conflict resolution, and physical workouts. Grace mentioned one particularly meaningful exercise called the “burning bowl” where the girls wrote down one thing they wanted out of their life. They then mixed them up in a safe outdoor container o and lit it on fire, and just watching it all go up in smoke.
Grace Schouten reads Voices Interactive Poem
The party is actually one of the building blocks Grace uses to give the girls a sense of continuity and grounding — ways to connect with all the participants who make up the Voices Project, and to bond as friends in a healthy way.
“Teaching them to trust us is critical to making inroads into addressing the larger issues in their lives. When the girls come to us and are open about their lives, that’s when we can help them.”
Another highlight of the party was an interactive poem One Voice Can… , with everyone taking turns filling in lines to complete the thought:
One Voice Can…
inspire another
change a life
change your mind
say too much!
make you smile
save a life
heal a soul
lift you up!
change the world
The girls are also coming to JJF to perform community service hours, learning invaluable skills in the workplace.
Keisha Head, Voices Project Advocate especially enjoys the connection with the girls, having grown up in and out of the juvenile justice system.
Keisha Head, Advocate
“I see that the girls are able to use their voices more and more in ways that I wasn’t able to. I used my voice in anger. I wasn’t part of any program; I’m not sure programs like this even existed, and I knew of no way to improve my life and make changes.
“If you don’t have other people in your life to show you how to resolve problems, then it’s one of those emotions that you grab first because it comes easy. Having people in your life, like the Voices Project, helps you place everything. You get other life skills, and you learn to seek other emotions. You learn from the group and from each other.”
Did anyone reach out to you in this way, such as the Voices Project?
“No, and so this is just phenomenal. It’s very important that we’re here for the girls, and they’re seeing that people care for them.”
How does it feel working with the girls? Do you find yourself remembering yourself at their age?
“Yes, (laughs) you see their youthful faces, and they are so full of life. It gives me hope for our children, and for this generation. ”
Did you ever think when you were their age that you’d be here now?
Laughing hard. “No, I was completely self absorbed, and wasn’t thinking about anybody but myself. But now I’m glad I had that experience of going through the juvenile justice system. The changes in the system are good.
“The girls are at a place where they don’t know what they want. They are still just learning to ask questions. They are starting to think about things and about their future. Working here is an eye opener.
“I asked one of our girls what she wanted to do when she got out of school and she said she didn’t know. So we backed up and had to talk about what she liked. She hadn’t really gotten a chance to know herself yet.
“This is what our work is all about—is getting the girls to know themselves and begin to hear their own voice.”
Grace Schouten and Keisha Head discuss The Voices Project
Grace Schouten is pleased with the progress made in the past 6 months. “I definitely feel we’re meeting our objectives to deter these girls from become victims of commercial sexual exploitation.
“They are far more alert and aware about how they are talking to people, and how people are talking to them. This is a safe place for them to talk about what they might see at a party or at someone’s house. We give them another perspective on it.”
Next up for members of The Voices Project is a trip to see the Atlanta Braves in action. “The Cal Ripkin Jr. Foundation has offered a grant to use their curriculum, and they are kicking it off with free tickets for a Braves game. For many of the girls it will be a first experience in going out for summer fun in a safe, healthy group experience.
Enjoy pictures from the Voices Summer Celebration.
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- Grace Schouten and Keisha Head
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- Darlene sketching a portrait
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- Keisha Head, Advocate for AFNAP
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- Grace Schouten and Keisha Head
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- Voices Project Staff
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- Keisha Head opens cake donated
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- Sharon Joseph gets a glimpse of goodie bags
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- Customized Voices Cake Pops
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- Catching Up at the Voices Party
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- A Voices Cake
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- Grace Schouten reads Voices Interactive Poem
Thanks again to our friends who gave so generously of their talents to make the Voices Summer Celebration truly spectacular.
Darlene Berry Lauth, Georgia Grown Art
wahatchie@gmail.com
Donated Service: Caricatures
Value: $250
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Tina of Dipped Delights
catinamusic3@yahoo.com
Donated Service: Cake Pops
Value: $120
Martha Turner is the Communications Officer for the Juvenile Justice Fund
