Success Story:
Role-Plays Popular in Juvenile Center
Michael Parker, Caseworker
James H. "Tiger" Morton Juvenile Center
Dunbar, WV
When case worker Michael Parker began implementing the SECOND STEP Middle School program at the Tiger Morton Juvenile Center, he was dubious. "I thought, 'We're just gonna set ourselves up for chaos.'"
But not only did the kids love role-playing, it turned out to be a very effective tool. He found that the "hard cases"—those youth who had committed the most grievous offenses or had the most serious behavioral problems—were often the most enthusiastic about it. "They could not wait to get up and role-play," says Parker.
This turned out to have a profound effect on the other residents, too, because "Some of them may be looking up to this kid for the wrong reasons, but they see him get up and do the right thing in a role-play situation. You're planting a seed."
That seed continues to grow when the residents start to apply what they've learned in role-play to their daily lives. Many of the kids get tired of hearing things from a counselor's point of view: "In this situation, I used to do that…." But the role-plays help them realize that they really do have options for the situations they find themselves in, and they don't have to react the way their peers would.
"They can put a different spin on how it turns out. They think, 'Hey, I can do that. I don't have to do what they say.'"
