Challenge
Youth involved in the justice system in the United States are not always easy to engage—but with the right support, they can heal, grow, and thrive. The youth development support staff in cities and counties, including Washington, DC, have been lacking adequate support to better serve youth navigating the juvenile justice system.
Solution
The Washington, D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) engaged Making Cents International to boost staff capacity at the New Beginnings Youth Development Center—empowering frontline teams to better support youth navigating the juvenile justice system. Through this activity, our team equipped DYRS staff with the skills and tools to deliver high-impact, youth-centered, trauma-informed support that advances positive outcomes for youth in the juvenile justice system—a group that faces some of the toughest barriers to re-engagement and success.
Using a five-phase, user-centered process—Discovery, Development, Capacity Strengthening, Implementation, and Learning—Making Cents 1) Assessed employment readiness, reintegration strategies, and wraparound services, 2) Designed a tailored, evidence-based training grounded in Positive Youth Development (PYD) and community violence interruption principles, 3) Facilitated an immersive 4-day training focused on collaboration, self-reflection, and practical skill-building across departments, 4) Onboarded supervisors as “Champions” to reinforce and sustain learning and 5) Concluded with a final learning session and toolkit of resources to sustain impact.
Building on the successful completion of this DYRS engagement, Making Cents is conducting follow-on targeted technical assistance and capacity strengthening support for staff at New Beginnings. Through the first phase, several priority needs and opportunities for continued support emerged. Making Cents is currently deepening and operationalizing the work initiated in that phase. The proposed support combines practical technical assistance, applied learning opportunities, and sustainable “leave-behind” resources that can continue supporting staff beyond the life of the engagement. Through this effort, Making Cents will deliver three interconnected capacity strengthening tracks alongside the development of interactive learning tools that reinforce learning and support long-term institutionalization of best practices.