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Welcome to Mercer Street Friends Back on Track Program
The Back On Track program, which operates in conjunction with the Trenton Police Department, provides an alternative to Family Court for young people, ages 9-17, who have committed one minor offense. The program, which takes place after school and during the summer, offers group and individual counseling, educational and cultural enrichment, and recreation and community service after school as well as during the summer. It provides safe, pro-social activities for young people.
Each participant is required to attend for 90 days, but many continue to attend after they have fulfilled their requirements.
We want to get kids off the streets and show them another side of life that they don't even know exists, says Otis McMillan, better known as Mr. Mac, a counselor for the program. Many of these youngsters have never even been outside their neighborhood in Trenton, and their parents can't afford to take them anywhere. That's why it's so important to show them that there's a whole world of possibilities out there.
At Back on Track, our young people don't see fistfighting and they don't hear swearing. They see polite behavior and people being nice to each other. We don't talk down to them and we don't allow the kids to talk down to each other.
Because the young people we serve are too old for day care and too young to work, the summer program is particularly important in helping to steer them in a constructive direction, says Dr.Shannon Mason, director of the Youth Services division at Mercer Street Friends.
To volunteer, please call Phyllis Stoolmacher, volunteer coordinator, at (609) 406-0503. To contribute, click on Donate Now or Ways of Giving. |
