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Today "quiet predators" threaten our youth: too much idle time, too little time, too little positive adult
supervision and too few healthy role models; drugs too readily available; more than a million cases of
child abuse and neglect each year; parents without parenting skills; inadequate attention to children with
special education and mental health needs, and the list goes on and on.
{ Juveniles in Florida }
76% live in a single parent home
57% are truant or have dropped out of school
52% do not achieve academically
70% have special needs in the areas of mental health,
substance abuse, and developmental disabilities
The U.S. Department of Justice's March 1996 report. Combating Violence and Delinquency: The National Juvenile
Justice Action Plan, recommends that state and local agencies "consider innovative ways to mobilize communities
that break out of traditional institutional practices and develop partnerships with community-based organizations,
businesses, parents and others." Clearly, this partnership should include the involvement of faith communities
that have as their foundation a philosophical framework based on values and morality.
Appropriate values guide how youths view themselves, others and society as a whole. These values include good
citizenship, truth, honesty, strong work ethic, responsible concern for others and personal accountability.
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