Group takes classroom to juvenile hall

Girls Inc. program teaches about preventing drug abuse, pregnancy.Girls Inc. of Orange County, the Costa Mesa office of a nationwide nonprofit group for young females, plans to expand its services this week with a program at Orange County Juvenile Hall.

The program, called Girls Inc.: Taking Care of Business, features classes about pregnancy prevention, preventing drug and alcohol abuse, communication skills and financial literacy for incarcerated girls ages 13 to 18. Staff members from the Costa Mesa office, which serves all girls in Orange County, will lead the courses at juvenile hall.

The nature of the youth-offenders program is a break from the center’s usual activities, said Girls Inc. development director Showleh Tolbert.

“Usually, our programs are prevention programs, and this is not going to be mostly prevention,” Tolbert said. “This is to bring them back to reality and change their ways so that they do become confident and acquire the expertise they need to become successful in life.”

In July, Orange County Juvenile Hall opened a wing, known as Unit Q, for adolescent girls. Through the Orange County Department of Education, the facility contacted Girls Inc. about leading a series of seminars for the youth offenders.

Girls Inc. has already worked extensively with the Department of Education’s Safe Schools/Healthy Students program, visiting continuation schools and other sites to mentor girls who have been in trouble with the law. The creation of Taking Care of Business coincides with an increase in crime among teenage girls, according to Stacey McCoy, an assistant division director at juvenile hall.

“In 1995, when I first worked at juvenile hall, we had 18 girls,” McCoy said. “Today, we have 80. Girls, basically, are stepping up to the plate and doing the crimes the guys can do.”

The Girls Inc. program, she added, could make a significant difference in the lives of the participants.

“A lot of these kids come from broken homes, and the more information we can provide them about pregnancy and STDs and rape prevention, the better,” McCoy explained. “A lot of these girls have been abused in the past, so to give them the tools to become a better person, that’s our goal.”

Orange County Juvenile Hall, located in Orange, is a 434-bed institution for boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 18. Of the facility’s 80 girls, 44 of them are in Unit Q.

Luz Vazquez, the coordinator of the college-bound program at Girls Inc., will lead the classes at first; later, staff members said, an intern will join her. The sessions will occur every Monday and Wednesday at 6 p.m., with the first meeting planned for tonight. Vazquez has worked with young female offenders for years under the Department of Education.

“Obviously, from their background, there’s a lot of time building trust,” she said. “They need to get to know you and understand that you’re there for them. They’re kind of withdrawn, but their personalities are like every teenager’s.

“Some are more outspoken, more passive or aggressive than others. They just need time to come out of their shells.”