Youth Outreach Services is doing a Methods of Analysis and Evidence Case Study to find out in what ways and to what degree does rehabilitation and employment for the juvenile offenders reduce recidivism.   Youth Outreach Services invited community leaders, politicians, educators, business leaders, and George Mason University students to our first Healing Our Community Panel to help discuss ways that they could connect with Youth Outreach Services to provide resources, partnership and help to implement the 12 week job readiness mentor program. The 12 week job readiness mentor program helps ex-juvenile offenders, at-risk teens, homeless teens and unemployed individuals to become employable and re-enter to the workforce.  On the panel, representing education and cross- culture was Dr. Mik’il Petin, Associate Director of African  and African American Studies at George Mason University, Black cultural production, African Diasporicity, race visual culture, American Cinema and television, media representations of masculinity, and Islam and Muslims in U.S. popular culture.

Another spokesperson on the panel representing the community was Chernoh M. Wurie Ph.D., the author of “Impact a Compilation of positive police encounters and influences on individuals.”  He is also a Professor in the Criminal Justice Department of George Mason University on the Prince William Campus.  He works full-time for the Prince William County Police Department as a police officer/crime scene technician/police planner.  He lives in Prince William County. Representation from the political arena was Delegate Michael Futrell. He is a member of the Virginia House of Delegate.  He is an American politician from Virginia.  He has been a member since 2014. He serves part of Prince William County and Stafford County. Michael Futrell and his wife, Bernadine Futrell, Ph.D. founded, “Make the Future,” a nonprofit organization which provides underprivileged and at-risk youth here in our community programs and activities to develop leadership and personal responsibility. He is Vice-Chair of the Prince William County Election Task Force and a member of the Prince William County Chamber of Commerce.  He lives in Woodbridge, VA.

Antoine Harris, Youth Outreach Services’ Chairman of the Board, represented YOS 12 week job readiness mentor program. He is presently working at the Town of Dumfries as their Cares Program Assistant at Dumfries Cares Mentoring Program.  Antoine Harris has a Master Degree in Public Administration from Strayer University and a Bachelor degree in Health and Fitness Resources Management from George Mason University. William Stephens is with the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice as a Regional Re-entry Specialist spoke on the necessity of the program for re-entry. Included on the panel was Christina Letellier, Admission Counselor, with Virginia Job Corps Outreach, and Admission and Career Transition Services.  Our last but not least person on the panel was Eugene Brown, who represents other non –profit organizations  such as the Boys and Girls Club and the community as a whole.

Businesses sponsorships were Target Stores, Chick Fil A, Olivia Gardens, Red-Lobster, and Wal-Mart.  Other businesses represented were Zurvita and Western Federal Credit Union. The community connection will help create a self-sustainable safe community to provide over 1500 jobs or more within the next 5 years and it will help provide income to an elderly couple who financed the sales of the property to YOS. They have health problems and needs the finances for medical bills. George Mason University Social Entrepreneurship Society and the professionals on the “Healing Our Community panel” will provide  love, hope, patience, mentoring, guidance, business and entrepreneurship skills to those in need of employment.

This is the true spirit of social entrepreneurship. Social entrepreneurship is the process of pursuing innovative solutions to social problems. More specifically, social entrepreneurs adopt a mission to create and sustain social value. Officers of George Mason Social Entrepreneurship Society (SES)  are  Jamal Sealey ,Treasurer; Michael Dawkins,President ; Taylor Lincoln, Vice-President, Ron Lapitan, Public Relations, Jasmyn Jordan, Acting Secretary, and Elizabeth Charity, Chairperson,   GMU SES students addressing the social problems in this project will provide a threefold blessing to Prince William County community; it provides jobs to the disadvantaged, develop 3 acres of prime property into a beautiful self-sustainable community, and provide economic growth to the area.

When the Social Entrepreneurship Business Mentor Center –Office-Complex and Administration Job Center is completely established and in operations,  it will bring in millions of dollars to the job industry in Prince William County.  If you would like to become a part of this worth-while community project by providing professionals and  community services, mentoring, donations and other acts of love and kindness during this Holiday seasons; please let us know.  You may contact me (Elizabeth Charity) at 571-314-7503 or give your donations online at http://www.yciyos.org.   A donation of   $1, 130.00 will provide 12 weeks of job readiness mentoring  program and  a membership to the Boys and Girls Club for a year.  Our goal is to sponsor 25  students from local Juvenile Detention Centers in surrounding counties by  December 31, 2014.  Thanking you in advance for your sponsorship and  I wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year as you  help bring about positive social changes in the lives of many hurting  youth.   Love –you   Liz Charity.