ERIK SANZENBACH / L’Observateur / May 3, 2000

LAPLACE – The St. John the Baptist Parish Council was recently lectured onyouth crime and behavior and asked to help finance a new program to help stem the alarming drop-out rate in the parish public schools.

The Rev. Neil Bernard of the New Wine Christian Fellowship in LaPlace told thecouncil last week he has started a local chapter of the national program Project Destiny, a non-profit community-developed program that intervenes with troubled students and tries to get them back on the right path and stay in school.

Bernard gave the council some startling statistics.

“The penal industry is the biggest business in Louisiana,” Bernard said, adding that in St. John Parish alone over $200,000 a year is spent on juveniledetention.

Bernard said the horrendous dropout rate of 50 percent in St. John Parish ismuch to blame for most of the crime, and the parish spends zero dollars on programs to stop students from dropping out of school.

“Prisons don’t work,” Bernard said. “They are only a band-aid to thecontinuing problem in the parish.”He said Assistant District Attorney John Dissalless told him that of all the youths he has prosecuted over the years he knows of only one young man who did not return to crime after being released from youth detention center.

As it is right now, students who get in trouble with the law have to be specifically ordered to go into Project Destiny by a judge. School officialscannot do anything. If Project Destiny can get full support in the parish,Bernard said the project can provide the following: A resource for the courts. Bernard said 40th District Judges SterlingSnowdy and Madeline Jasmin would like to try the program.

An alternative to youth detention centers. Right now it costs $32,000 perchild to lock them up. Project Destiny would be a low cost method torehabilitating troubled students.

A method of dealing with potential dropouts. By tutoring, mentoring and re-training, the staff at Project Destiny can keep youth from leaving school.

Family crises intervention. Bernard said counselors in the program can sitdown with the students’ families and work out problems that are leading to bad behavior. This counseling is necessary before re-directing the student.To change one kid’s attitude, the family attitude has to change, according to Bernard.

Job placement assistance to help youth find and keep jobs.

Project Destiny is an outshoot of a group called Project Impact U.S.A. whichstarted in South Central Los Angeles. According to Bernard, the group hassome very impressive statistics. Of the students being counseled andtrained in Project Destiny, 55 percent do not become criminals and 89 percent do not become repeat offenders.

Most members of the council were impressed with Bernard’s presentation, but some wanted to know why he came to the council for funding and not the St. John Parish School Board.Ann LaBorde, director of personnel accountability for the school board, told the council re-direction schools mandated by the state had helped somewhat, but that there are some students just too dangerous to go to these schools.

Another place is needed, and she feels that Project Destiny is the answer.

“Financially, the school board doesn’t have the resources,” LaBorde told the council. “We can provide the curriculum, but not the money at the presenttime.”Bernard asked the council to consider a start-up cost of $87,000 to help the program. He presented a detailed budget to the council outlining where all themoney would go.

Bernard said he could provide most of the volunteers and counselors needed to run the program, which would cut down on operating costs. He also said hehas tentative support from local businesses and the sheriff’s department.

Councilman Dale Wolfe is very much in favor of the program.

“We’ve had four murders in this parish in the last month,” Wolfe said. “Weneed to help the youth of St. John. We need to treat the illness.”Council Chairman Duaine Duffy agreed whole-heartedly.

“We need to do something,” said Duffy.

Steve Lee tempered his enthusiasm.

“I am a huge fan of Rev. Bernard,” Lee said. “I thank him for the businessplan. We can’t promise you $87,000, but maybe $50,000. No matter theamount, at least we will know where the money is going.”Duffy said,” Hopefully, we can get something moving forward.”Job Boucvalt echoed the sentiment and added, “Education affects economic growth, and we need to get involved with the school system. We really needto do this.”The council thanked Bernard and agreed to take his proposal under advisement.

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