WAGES offer program for at-risk youth and their parents
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on September 26, 2010 1:50 AM
If there's a way to prevent young people from going down the wrong path, Nicholas Worrell would like to be part of finding it.
The male involvement coordinator at WAGES says the statistics of juvenile crimes and teen violence are staggering.
According to the N.C. Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, in 2009 the state of North Carolina received 40,432 juvenile crimes and offenses complaints, he said. Of those, 75 percent were committed by males.
Romar Bartee is executive director and founder of REAL -- Realizing Early Intervention Affects Lives -- an organization striving to reverse these statistics.
Bartee, a motivational speaker, has been working to educate parents and link them to community resources to develop a long-term career plan and become more productive in society.
On Thursday evening, he will be featured speaker at a free program from 6-8 p.m. in the multi-purpose room of WAGES, 601 Royall Avenue.
"He'll be speaking on 'The Warning Signs of At-Risk Kids,'" Worrell said. "This program is for parents and teenager and anybody who wants to know some of the signs that their child is becoming at risk of becoming part of gang violence or the streets.
"I think this is going to be a very powerful training for our area to be a part of."
Knowledge is power, Worrell says, and hopefully parents and concerned community members will benefit from the information Bartee shares.
The event is free, and refreshments will be served, he added.
For more information on the program, contact Worrell at 734-1178, ext. 244.