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Proyecto
ACCESO is promoting the
rule of law throughout the Americas.
The ACCESO team works with all the sectors in the administration
of justice. We are judges, prosecutors, public defenders,
legal educators, and journalists. We are building new
systems for conflict resolution that are fair, efficient
and transparent.
By training legal innovators, together we are srengthening
the rule of law in our Hemisphere.
For more information contact us
[email protected]
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Judge Town makes the news again!
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Watch for the tour about problem-solving courts
in Ecuador and Peru with some judges from the ACCESO Team.
Judge's message aimed at keeping kids off drugs, out of court
By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist
For the past eight years or so, Judge
Michael Town has been handing out a list of how to keep kids out
of his courtroom.
Judge
Michael Town's 10 suggestions for parents
1. Know your child's friends. Encourage your child to bring friends
to your home. These friends will often be involved with you and your
child for the rest of your lives.
2. Visit your child's school. Let your child know that you are interested
and involved in your child's education. As you become aware of your
child's school environment, you are better prepared to deal with him
or her effectively during the evening and on weekends.
3. Set aside time each evening when you and your child can discuss
the day's events. This will help keep you in tune with your child's
thoughts and activities.
4. Encourage your child to discuss with you anything of concern or
interest. Understand that there is nothing too small or insignificant
for a child to discuss with you.
5. Make sure your child knows daily that he or she is loved. Consider
giving your child a hug and telling him you love him. Ask yourself
if you really like your child and if you enjoy having your child in
your life.
6. Set consistent standards of behavior for your child. Let her know
that there is socially acceptable and socially unacceptable behavior.
Make sure that your child has a clear understanding of your expectations.
7. Reward and discipline your child. Let your child know that there
are consequences for acceptable and unacceptable behavior.
8. Set a good example. Make sure your child sees you displaying the
type of behavior that you would have him/her demonstrate.
9. Discuss important values and attitudes with your child. Make sure
you sit with your child and discuss what motivates you to do your
best. A solid ethical grounding that sustains a parent through good
and bad times will help sustain a child as well.
10. Share a dream. Help your child understand that a dream shared
today can become a reality. By helping set realistic goals, you will
help your child control her destiny.He has given the list to every
juror who has served in his court. It has been circulated around the
Legislature, printed in newspapers and shared in door-to-door campaigns.
"I tell people if they like it, to use it in employee newsletters,
PTA bulletins, put it on the fridge; and if they don't like it, it
makes a nice paper airplane. I encourage people to pass it around."
Town
modeled the list after one written by Judge Jim Payne of Indianapolis.
Town's version has been molded and sculpted over the years by community
input. He's read it at Rotary clubs, solicited critiques from family
and friends, and incorporated comments from the board and staff of
the Boys and Girls Club, where he has served as a board member for
20 years.
"I wrote it down, but I'm more the steward than the author,"
Town says. "It's full of group energy."
"I first saw it and I thought wow, it's so practical," says
Boys and Girls Club executive director David Nakada.
So practical, in fact, that some may wonder why any parent might need
to be reminded to do these things. Like No. 1, know your child's friends.
You'd be surprised, Town and Nakada say. Some parents have no idea
who their kids are hanging with.
"Invite them over. Get to know them," Town says. "Lots
of times they'll grow up and still come to visit you. It builds community."
The list used to say "10 ways" but Town changed it to "10
suggestions."
" 'Ways' sounds like I'm the judge and I'm handing down rules,"
Town says. "I wanted something that would generate discussion
around the dinner table."
Many of the suggestions come down to being consistent.
"Kids want structure," Town says. "They don't want
a lot of rules, but they want clear, consistent, enforceable rules
that make sense. They're testing you all the time to see if you're
consistent. In my mind, we must walk the talk. Kids are fearless evaluators
of parents' behaviors."
For each of the 10 suggestions, Nakada has a real-life illustration
from his 30 years with the Boys and Girls Club.
He recalls one time when a former member, now all grown up, came to
visit.
"We were watching the kids play basketball, and one kid made
a really nice shot, and this guy, in admiration, said 'oh (expletive)!'
"
At the Boys and Girls Club, anyone caught using foul language has
to immediately drop down and do pushups. This grown man, remembering
the rules, dropped to the ground and started doing his punishment.
"I told him, 'Wow, that was so important for the kids to see.
Thanks.' "
No. 10, share a dream, is something that can be forgotten while you're
coping with every day life.
"Ask kids, 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' "
Town says. "Kids have dreams. Let them dream. Show them how to
turn dreams into goals."
Nakada shares a story about asking a teen if she might like working
as a bank teller after high school. "She was like, 'Bank? What
are you talking about?' ... Kids need to know what's possible."
Says Town: "Take kids to the edge of what could be their dreams.
Let them figure out the gateway could be open if they just push on
it."
Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
Reach her at [email protected]. |
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