Child Advocates of Montgomery CountyNews
Child Advocates of Montgomery County launches first-ever Summer Programming for justice-involved youth
This summer, Child Advocates of Montgomery County introduced its inaugural Summer Programming Series for youth detained at the Olen Underwood Juvenile Justice Center. The initiative was designed to address a critical gap in engagement and support during the summer months, when traditional school-year schedules and the Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program (JJAEP) are paused.
Without the structure of daily academic programming, summer presents unique challenges for both youth and staff. In response, Child Advocates hosted weekly group lessons inside the detention center, offering trauma-informed activities that promote connection, learning, and emotional growth.
The programming included:
- Weekly Nurture Groups based on Trust-Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI®) fundamentals, focused on building self-awareness, emotional regulation, and healthy relationships
- Summer of Learning sessions covering life skills and creative expression, including:
- “Laundry 101”, time management, and goal-setting sessions that focused on practical life skills
- A letter-writing workshop to encourage reflection and communication
- Health and nutrition education
- Art and creative writing classes to foster hope, self-expression, and resilience
“These activities helped break up the day for youth in detention and gave them tools to build resilience,” said Ann Marie Ronsman, President & CEO of Child Advocates of Montgomery County. “Our goal was to create positive learning experiences that support emotional growth and reduce trauma-response behaviors.”
The initiative is part of the broader Justice-Involved Youth (JIY) Advocacy Program—a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Child Advocates and Montgomery County Court at Law #6, the county’s sole juvenile justice court—and is coordinated through Child Advocates’ Training and TBRI® Community Education Division.
Judge Scharlene Valdez, Presiding Judge of County Court at Law #6, shared, “As the Juvenile Justice Court Presiding Judge, I believe that justice-involved youth benefit significantly from the involvement and attention of supportive adults, not only within the courtroom, but in their lives overall. These summer sessions provided by Child Advocates offered mentorship, meaningful engagement, and access to information and resources that help foster a spirit of change and an optimistic future for the youth.”
Matt Miller, Assistant Deputy Director of Detention at the Olen Underwood Juvenile Justice Center, shared his perspective on the program’s impact. “We’ve seen a reduction in behavioral incidents among youth participating in the summer sessions. They genuinely look forward to each gathering, and many have expressed that they don’t want to jeopardize the privilege of attending. It’s clear these programs are giving them something positive to work toward, and that’s powerful.”
Child Advocates of Montgomery County remains committed to expanding trauma-informed programming for justice-involved youth and creating pathways to healing, growth, and long-term success.
For more information about the Justice-Involved Youth Advocacy Program, visit www.ChildAdvocatesTexas.org or call (936) 441-5437.
Source: Child Advocates of Montgomery County
