In her article, Aikido Teaches Skills to Troubled Youth, Trish Hollenbeck reports on a new program implemented through the Washington County Juvenile Court and Northwest Arkansas Aikido. She includes various information and quotes throughout the article, illustrating the positive results the program received.
“Adam Loomis, an intake officer for the Washington County Juvenile Court system, marveled at how youths reacted on the first day of their Aikido martial arts class in January.
‘One thing I noticed, right off, here are 10 kids with varying degrees of problems, either at home or with the law or with the courts,’ Loomis said.
‘All 10 of these kids were sitting quietly, watching the instructor, paying attention, not acting up. That was a shock.”
The Washington County Juvenile Court system offers various “diversion programs.” One of these diversion programs is an Aikido program.
Ten juveniles ranging in age from 13 to 17 began the ten-week course. Seven completed the course successfully. The degree of seriousness ranged from some first-time offenders on a diversion with nonjudicial supervision, to those who are Family in Need of Services participants and others who have been adjudicated and are on probation as part of their sentences.
The official mission of the program is:
“…to prevent at-risk juveniles and youth offenders from future and continued adverse encounters with law enforcement and the juvenile justice system through martial arts training.”
but Loomis adds,
“I would say the main goal of the program is to teach respect for themselves, respect for the instructors and authority, and also for the group,” Loomis said. “But also, it’s focused on being able to have options in life situations, as opposed to just having one option.”
Loomis continues by explaining how this is possible. He gives us a very basic overview of the principles of Aikido.
“Instead of meeting conflicts and problems in life head on, you would blend with them in more than one way, being able to handle situations in more than one way.”
“Instead of meeting aggression for aggression, he said, ‘you blend with the attack and disperse its energy.’ That carries over in life, he said.
Their instructor Jason Moreland, added:
“I’m trying to help them see that there’s more than one way to deal with a situation. There’s possibly a better way than they previously have chosen, that they can still get what they want without fighting the system so much. What I’m trying to show them is that for every situation, there can be more than one response.”
Apparently, the programs are enjoying success and therefore, the respect of the community.
“Juvenile diversion programs will receive about $50,000 more from the county in 2009 than what was budgeted last year because the Quorum Court Budget Committee of the Whole voted for the increase last year.
Diversion programs are designed to keep troubled juveniles out of the Juvenile Detention Center and/or Juvenile Court.”
Even the 4th Circuit Judge Stacey Zimmerman, who oversees the juvenile division in the county is quoted as looking upon the program favorably:
“…it teaches them self-control and they’re having to take instruction and that might include some criticism in how they’re doing something, and so they have to take that in a constructive way,” she said, “and they have to follow through with what their instructor is telling them, in a respectful way, and I think that’s a life skill that’s going to help them, just dealing with everyday life stuff.”
One of the participants in the program reported
“I’ve learned respect and showing people that you want to do better in the class. All your problems in life and stuff, it kind of leaves when you get to the mat,” she said. “It’s just a fun thing to do.
Some really wonderful quotes from a mom are included, too.
“Dakota has always had some issues. He’s had ADHD and a lot of focus problems and it’s really calmed him down,’ she said. ‘I’ve never seen Dakota stick with anything like he has this and really enjoy it and want to do it.”
“He used to not care if he went to school. Now we don’t have any problem getting him to go to school,’ she said. ‘His grades have gone up dramatically since he started the program.”
“Overall the self-esteem is much better,’ she said. She also said her son has had problems getting along with others in school. ‘Since he’s been in this program, he has not had one problem with anybody,’ she said. ‘He actually has a lot of friends and likes to go to school.”
Read the original article here.
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
