Although I grew up in North Carolina, over the last 4 months I have had the opportunity to travel to parts of the state I had never seen. I have met so many incredible leaders along the way who have welcomed and helped orient me to Reclaiming Futures.

Leadership is a critical component of the Reclaiming Futures model, at the state level in the form of the State Champions Advisory group, the national program office and at the local level.

Each Reclaiming Futures site has a change team of five key leaders (or Fellows) who work to make the project successful. Many more leaders are participating in the local efforts to get court-involved youth screened, engaged in treatment and connected with long-term community supports.

The local fellowships include:

Project Directors—They help guide the change team to plan and implement the model.

Judicial Fellows—Judges help influence the substance abuse treatment that teens receive.

Juvenile Justice Fellows—Court counselors and ad- ministrators help guide youths and their families through the system.

Treatment Fellows—Providers help youths get the treatment they need to overcome drug and alcohol problems.

Community Fellows–Community agencies or organizations connect youth with positive supports in their community to ensure ongoing services after completion of treatment and probation.

Thanks to all of you for your leadership!
 

Jessica Jones is the Statewide Project Director for Reclaiming Futures in North Carolina. Before joining the N.C. Division of Juvenile Justice, Jessica was the Research & Evaluation Director for the Down East Partnership for Children, an early education non-profit in Rocky Mount, N.C., where she directed the evaluation, program development, and community collaborative initiatives for the organization. Jessica earned her B.S. in Mathematics from Elon University.