The Showcase Group provides intervention services inside of Juvenile Detention Centers that make sure that our kids are prepared with the skills, the tools, the social and emotional intelligence that they need in order to succeed when they get out. We introduce a number of culturally relevant programs that help incarcerated youth understand their emotions and reactions and how to manage their behavior in tough situations. We want to raise awareness for this forgotten population of our youth – Youth in the juvenile justice system through the use of the SWAG Bag.
Showcase Group Youth Advocates are an integral component of our Advocacy work, as they facilitate relationships between community resources and our participants. Our Youth Advocates are mostly volunteers who serve as agents of social change, helping us to propel our participants forward. Youth Advocates provide support and encouragement to our participants by offering resources, expertise, and job or internship opportunities once trained with our organization. Join us for our next Youth Advocate Orientation!
Showcase Group Youth Advocates are an integral component of our Advocacy work, as they facilitate relationships between community resources and our participants. Our Youth Advocates are mostly volunteers who serve as agents of social change, helping us to propel our participants forward. Youth Advocates provide support and encouragement to our participants by offering resources, expertise, and job or internship opportunities once trained with our organization. Join us for our next Youth Advocate Orientation!
SG cultivates deep, intentional, and lasting relationships with participants. Together with Youth Advocates and program staff, we form an unrelenting tribe of supporters around each participant and become a source of consistency, stability, motivation, and encouragement. Youth Advocates engage participants in the typical activities you would expect from any role model or supportive adult. They can give rides to appointments, accompany a participant as he/she enrolls in school, attend a community event or sports game, help with homework, offer advice on relationships, or go out for a meal or coffee break. Youth Advocates also troubleshoot and help participants navigate real challenges that may come up related to school, court matters, housing, wellbeing and healthcare. While Youth Advocates schedule independent one-on-one activities with participants, the Showcase Group will also host regularly scheduled SWAG Bag Initiative activities.
Through participating in the SWAG Bag Initiative, Youth Advocates grow personally and professionally by being part of our community. Youth Advocates are trained and guided as they work with their youth participants and have the opportunity to build relationships not only with participants, but also with our Allies throughout the state of Georgia.
We ask Youth Advocates to connect with their assigned youth at least once a week, and that they commit to doing so for a minimum of 90 days. Think of it as making a new friend—the effort you put forward in maintaining that friendship is similar to the commitment you would be making as a Youth Advocate. Establishing a mutual and meaningful relationship takes time and your own social and emotional intelligence, so the more conversations and experiences you have together with your youth, the stronger your relationship will grow, and the more each of you will grow personally. Additionally, Youth Advocates are required to participate in our monthly training session (2 hours).
To learn more about becoming a Youth Advocate with Showcase Group, click the link below to register for an upcoming monthly orientation.
Showcase Group is a non-profit organization that supports at-risk youth and families through psychological and personal development services.
Currently over 2,000 young people aged 12-22 are detained in youth detention centers throughout the state of Georgia. The majority of these youth are from lower socioeconomic communities in Georgia, and struggle with having their physical and mental health needs addressed.
