Youth Service Coordinators provide case management, individual and family counseling, restorative services and one-to-one and group education that builds moral reasoning, anger control, and life skills. Issues range from truancy and assault, theft, substance abuse, and other delinquent behaviors. These services work to divert youth from the juvenile justice system and/or reduce re-offending behavior. Referrals are made by Juvenile Court Judges, Intake Officers, and Probation Officers. Goals of services are to address issues of trauma and risky behavior, and to empower youth to succeed in school, at home, at work, and in the community. The following evidence-based services are provided

Youth Educational Shoplifting Program targets youth with first-time petit larceny charges, educating them about the consequences of shoplifting and building moral reasoning. Program components include a 6-hour interactive, offense-specific, online home study, and at least one counseling session. Details are below:

•   Youth are required to provide a $45 money order, made payable to the City of Alexandria, and complete an on-line Youth Educational Shoplifting Program home study.
•   Depending on the risk-to-reoffend, as identified by the home study, youth may be required to participate in a class designed to address cognitive behavioral distortions, make amends to victims and develop a plan to stop stealing.

Aggression Replacement Training is a research-based program that includes three coordinated and integrated components: Social Skills Training teaches participants what to do, helping them replace antisocial behaviors with positive ones. Anger Control Training teaches participants what not to do, helping them respond to anger in a non-aggressive manner, and rethink anger-provoking situations.  Moral Reasoning Training helps raise participants' level of fairness, justice, and concern for the needs and rights of others.

Effective Practices in Community Supervision (EPICS) utilizes a variety of tools and interventions that help translate risk, needs and responsivity principles into practice. Some of these research-based interventions include the Behavior Chain, Cost-Benefit Analysis, Structured Skill Building, and Problem Solving.  

Transforming spaces and transforming lives, Space of Her Own (SOHO) empowers underserved girls through visual arts, carpentry, life-skills lessons and creative one-to-one mentoring.  Our first-year programs serve fifth grade girls. Matched with volunteer adult mentors, girls experience the visual arts as a means for self-expression and confidence building.  Additionally, they learn healthy eating habits and healthy ways of interacting and collaborating with others.  As a result, the girls attend school more regularly and their academic progress improves as they become more generous and active participants in their lives. The first year of the program culminates in a bedroom makeover, giving each child a personalized space of her own, which encourages creativity, conveys a sense of value and worth, and gives her a daily reminder of her circle of support and care.  The SOHO Club provides STEAM activities during the girls' middle school years and further builds long-term mentoring relationships.