City of Trenton
Municipal Prevention Policy Board
Summary Report
Date Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Time 10:00 AM to 12:15 PM
Location Compstat Conference Room, Trenton Police Department
I) Welcome & Introductions
Marygrace Billek, Director, Mercer County DHS
o The business portion of the meeting was called to order at 10:00 AM by Marygrace Billek. She welcomed everyone to the meeting and asked the attendees to introduce themselves, their positions, and the organizations they represent.
II) Review of February’s Minutes
Marygrace Billek, Director, Mercer County DHS
o Minutes are emailed to everyone in advance. Please read the minutes prior to the meeting. Should you have any questions or changes bring them with you and present them to the Board.
o The Board approved the April 13th minutes.
III) Updates From Board Members
a. The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) Bonner Center’s Role/Staff Assistance/Support Roles
o Tracy Swan, Senior Project Coordinator, WRI, spoke about the support role TCNJ Bonner Center’s staff will play on the Trenton Prevention Policy Board. TCNJ Bonner Center plays a critical role in promoting civic engagement in the City of Trenton and has established a number of relationships with stakeholders relevant to the work the TPPB is doing. Patrick Donohue and Heather Camp, TCNJ Bonner Center, and Tracy Swan and Paul Smith, WRI, met to discuss the history of the Board and to outline the specifics of a collaboration between WRI, the TPPB and The College of New Jersey’s Bonner Center.
b. Planning Board Wiki Invitations
o Paula Figueroa-Vega, Associate Director, TCNJ Bonner Center, gave a brief presentation on the Wikispace page that was setup by Bonner Center staff. The Wikispace allows Board members to manage information in a more efficient and effective manner by providing them with a mechanism to conveniently share and receive information. Board members can edit and add to the information uploaded on the Board’s Wikispace. Every time information is edited, Board members will receive a notification email (can choose to opt out). All meeting minutes and other relevant documents will be uploaded to the Board’s Wikispace.
c. Cities of Service
o Patrick Donohue met with the Cities of Service Steering Committee and both agreed to suggest to Mayor Mack that the Cities of Services initiative be built into the work done by the Board. The City will draft a letter stating that the Cities of Service will help provide volunteers and advertise opportunities associated with the Work plans of TPPB.
d. Draft of Coalitions Conference
o The Board reviewed a draft of the mission, objectives, and outcomes of the Coordinating Our Coalitions Conference. There are a number of organizations, coalitions, and other entities in Trenton that seek to address a variety of different issues adversely affecting the citizens of Trenton. Since many of the entities share the same objectives and goals it is imperative that stakeholders are aware of what other stakeholders are doing to make sure services or tasks are not being duplicated. Children’s Futures, in collaboration with the Trenton Prevention Policy Board, is sponsoring a conference to bring all these coalitions and entities together on September 29, 2011. The purpose of this conference is to exchange information on coalition goals, objectives, and membership. The draft is attached at the end of the summary notes. Board members were asked to review the draft and agenda for the conference and provide feedback.
e. Examples: Policy, Program and Practice Recommendations
o Paul Smith gave a short presentation reiterating the ultimate task the Board is charged with completing, which entails the implementation of policies, programs, and practices that will lead to a positive shift in the system(s) that play a significant role in preventing youth from entering the Juvenile Justice System. Paul used volunteerism as an example of a tool that can be used to positively affect more than one of the data points. He explained the differences between policies, programs and practices using the example of a volunteer program as the basis. Below is an example of a policy change, a program and a practice implementation as they relate to volunteerism:
· Policy: Changing graduation requirements to include a specific number of volunteer hours.
Comment: Changes in policy could be effective but trying to change policy has its political restraints, however in many cases it is easier to change a policy than to fund new programs. Practice and program can lead to policy change.
· Practice: a. Creating mechanisms to enforce existing policies. For example, hiring an administrator to enforce volunteerism policies. b. Creating mechanisms to influence desired actions. For example, collaborating with local organizations for the purpose of referring youth to volunteer opportunities.
· Programs: An optional after-school program that provides students with volunteer opportunities.
f. Work Group Discussions Overview: Proposed Action Plan & Regular Committee Work
o Tracy Swan, Sr. Project Coordinator, WRI, reviewed a proposed 6 month action plan for staffing and managing the TPPB process. Tracy discussed the role of TCNJ Bonner Center staff in assisting the Work Groups, the need to finalize the list of Work Group members, and the creation of an executive steering committee, which tentatively, should include the Board’s Chairs, Trenton Police Department Acting Director Joseph Juniak, a Chair or Co-Chair from each Work Group, representatives from TCNJ Bonner Center and WRI, Director of Community Justice, Wanda Moore, and the Mayor’s Director of Communication and Policy Lauren Ira. Tracy also mentioned the importance of educating Board members about Policy, Practice and Program recommendations, supporting the creation of evidence based recommendations, and developing an annual schedule of deliverables.
o Attached is the proposed 6 month action plan.
IV) Work Group Break Out Session
o The Board broke out into Work Groups to discuss their Work Group membership, specifically what members are needed to complete the work/goals of each Work Group. The Work Groups were also asked to provide feedback regarding the creation of an executive steering committee and the development of an annual schedule of deliverables.
V) Reports From Work Group Break Out
o The Juvenile Crime Work Group discussed the need to include a member with knowledge/experience in education (specifically truancy) and job creation, as well as a representative of the clergy. Accordingly, Wanda Moore and Trevor Melton, Coordinator, New Jersey Department of Education, will collaborate to find an appropriate representative from the school district. They stressed the need to inform the school district about the work the Board is doing and the importance of having direct input from the school district. Additionally, the Work Group will collaborate with Aaron Samuels from the Unemployment Work Group to recruit someone with knowledge pertaining to the job market. Lastly, Board Chair, Pastor Darrell Armstrong joined the Juvenile Crime Work Group.
o The Unemployment Work Group suggested that they need a member from: a faith-based organization; the County Vo-tech School: and a member from the private sector. Tracy Swan suggested recruiting someone from the Mercer County United way or Chamber of Commerce as they have direct access to private sector entities. Work Group members also identified goals for system change. The short-term goals include utilizing volunteerism as a tool to expose youth to and educate youth on professionalism and the basics of job networking. Long-term goals include job retention and sustainability. Obstacles include the lack of basic skills, family issues, and poor employment history plaguing many of the youth in Trenton.
o The Domestic Violence Work Group will seek a community-based and a faith-based representative to join their Work Group. This Work Group supports the creation of a steering committee and developing a schedule of deliverables. A suggestion was made to come up with benchmarks to better measure the success of the Board.
o The Education Work Group suggested that Liz Johnson, Chief Operating Officer, Isles Inc., and Monica Weaver, Provost and Dean, Mercer County Community College, also join the steering committee. The Work Group also identified three main goals: increasing parental involvement, increasing graduation rates, and decreasing absenteeism and the truancy rate. Brittany Aydelotte, Education Coordinator, TCNJ Bonner Center, will conduct research on best practices regarding parental involvement.
o Specific and more detailed notes on the Work Group break out sessions as well as notes from Work Group meetings that take place in-between the monthly full Board meetings can be found on TPPB’s Wikispace.
VI) Youth Development Forum
o Michael Simmons, Rutgers-New Brunswick, spoke about the Youth Development Forum to be held June 13th. Michael Simmons pointed out that the previous forums served as opportunities for practitioners and youth to discuss current practices and programming as they relate to youth development in Camden; and that the next forum will concentrated on potential policy changes that could positively affect youth development in the state of New Jersey. Michael Simmons encouraged Board members to attend the forum.
VII) Next Steps
Tracy Swan, Sr. Project Coordinator, Walter Rand Institute, Rutgers-Camden
The next Trenton Prevention Policy Board is scheduled for Wednesday, June 8th, 2011 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
The Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs at Rutgers – Camden
411 Cooper Street, Camden, NJ 08102
http://wrand.rutgers.edu
Individuals in attendance:
A Better Way
Perry Shaw, Executive Director
Attorney General’s Office
Wanda Moore, Director of Community Justice
College of NJ-The Bonner Center
Paula Figueroa-Vega, Associate
Director
Kristi Cordier, AmeriCorps VISTA
Leader
Brittany Aydelotte, Education
Coordinator
Natasha Perez, Senior Bonner Scholar
City of Trenton-Department of Health & Human Services
Joseph Rubino, Director of Health and
Human Services
Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS)
Mary Thiele, Planner
Fathers and Men United for a Better Trenton
Jason Rogers, Chairperson
Galilee Baptist Church
Marc Freeman, Assistant Pastor
Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse
Monica Barria, Mercer County Alliance
Coordinator
Isles Inc.
Liz Johnson, Chief Operating Officer
Juvenile Justice Commission (JJC)
Anne Mendoker, Court Liaison
Lynn Lucas, Re-entry Coordinator
Mercer County Community College
Rakima Stokes-Little, Assistant Director
Mercer County Probation
Robert MacDonald
Mercer County Division of Human Services
Marygrace Billek, Director
Karen Conti, Assistant to Director
Robert Taylor, Acting Chief, Division of
Youth Services
Mercer County One Stop
Aaron Samuels, Youth Services
Manager
Mercer County Probation
John Duarte, Juvenile Supervisor
NJ Department of Education
Trevor Melton, Coordinator
Shiloh Baptist Church
Darrell Armstrong, Pastor
T.E.E.M. Gateway
Jhinoos Rajaei, Executive Assistant
Trenton Police Department
Alexis Durlacher, Domestic
Violence/Grant Manager
Tom McDonough, Youth Information
Officer/ Youth Section Supervisor
Stephen Varn, Lieutenant
Walter Rand Institute (WRI)
Tracy Swan, Senior Project Coordinator
Paul Smith, Research Project Assistant
Dania Kazan, Project Assistant
Youth Stat
Lois Krause, Coordinator
Those Invited, But Not in Attendance:
Capitol County Children's Collaborative
Deb Megaro, CEO
Children’s Futures
Floyd Morris, President
Dynell Kellyman, Associate Director of
Communications and Public Policy
City of Trenton Mayor’s Office
Lauren Ira, Director of Communication
and Policy
Anthony Roberts, Mayor’s Aide
Bishop John Vaughan Jr., Mayor’s Aide
Corporation for National and Community Service
Erin McGrath, State Program Specialist
East Trenton Collaborative
Karriem Beyah, Communications
Coordinator
Tom Clark, Executive Director
Juvenile Justice Commission (JJC)
Kylthia Roberts, JJDP Manager
Mercer County Division of Mental Health
Michele Madiou, Administrator
Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office
Wesley Richardson, Agent
NJ After 3
Traci Scott, Program Officer
P.E.I. Kids
Rob Fiorello, Program Coordinator
Princeton Center for Leadership Training
Scott Albert, Director of Special Projects
The Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs at Rutgers – Camden
411 Cooper Street, Camden, NJ 08102
http://wrand.rutgers.edu