HomeMy WebLinkAboutTCA 1999-04-26 Minutes City of North Richland Hills
Teen Court Advisory Board Meeting
Minutes
April 26, 1999 ~
Present- Ron Moore, Luci Wolfe, Kathy Graves, Cherie Redenbaugh, Cheri Hanson
and Jim Wilkins.
Meeting Called to Order- 6:00
Old Business
Teen Court Scholarship-The members of the board decided to table any issues
remaining to be decided regarding the scholarship due to the fact that not all board
members were present and it was not a pressing issue.
Adult Volunteers-Cheri Hanson advised the board that she has made some limited
progress in the recruitment of adult volunteers. Cheri has placed ads in the Fort Worth
Star Telegram Hometown Star seeking adult and teen volunteers. The Hometown Star
has a section for non-profit agencies to advertise for volunteer opportunities at no cost.
Cheri also spoke to Christine McNiel, Director of Admissions, Texas Wesleyan
University Law School about recruiting law students as volunteers. Ms. McNiel advised
Cheri that law students are not required to do any community service hours as part of
their degree plan, but that they may be required to for some organizations that they
belong to. Ms. McNiel indicated that recruiting 4-6 adult volunteers should not be a
problem, but she has not yet contacted Cheri.
Cheri has contacted Citicable who agreed to promote Teen Court by advertising for
volunteers. Cheri was contacted by Ann Beal who directs the television program "Living
Well" on Citicable. She has scheduled a program with Cheri which will be entirely on
Teen Court with the focus on adult volunteers.
Cheri also e-mailed a message to Donna Huerta about the Volunteer Center of Tarrant
County. They maintain a database listing of volunteer opportunities. The cost to join is
minimal and is an excellent opportunity to attract a large base of volunteers.
Board Secretary-The board elected Kathy Graves as the secretary. Cheri will type and
distribute the agenda and minutes that Kathy provides. This action becomes effective at
the next meeting.
(OVER)
New Business
New Board Member-Cheri Hanson advised the board that she called the new board
member, Barbara O'Riley, and reached her answering machine. Cheri left a message
and invited her to the board meeting.
Attorney Training-Cheri Hanson advised the board that the Teen Attorney training held
on April 24, 1999 was a success. All of the judges for Teen Court were present and
very enthusiastic about the training. Four new Teen Attorneys and six current Teen
Attorneys attended the training. Cheri advised the board that she will appoint a mentor
for each new attorney. The mentor will be an experienced attorney and will be
responsible for the new attorney for a period of three months.
Attorney Length of Service-The board members agreed that the graduating Teen
Attorneys will be allowed to continue their service through the summer until the college
semester begins.
Board Meetings-The board agreed that many issues in Teen Court have been
resolved. The board agreed to meet on a bi-monthly basis effectively immediately with
the next meeting scheduled for June 28, 1999. The board agreed to meet more often if
needed.
Head Teen Attorney Length of Service-The board unanimously decided to place time
restrictions on the position of Head Teen Attorney. Teen Court currently has two Head
Attorneys and finro Assistant Head Attorneys. Head Attorneys will serve for a period of
three months. During that time, they will be responsible for many duties including the
training of the Assistant Head Attorney for their position. At the completion of the three
month period, the Teen Court Coordinator will review the Assistant Head Attorney's
performance. Performance factors will include but are not limited to: attendance,
attitude, leadership skills and acceptance of responsibility. If their performance is
unsatisfactory, a new Assistant Head Attorney will be appointed by the Coordinator and
he/she will be returned to Attorney status. The Head Attorney will remain in place to
train a new Assistant Head Attorney. If their performance is satisfactory, the Assistant
Head Attorney will be promoted to Head Attorney. The Head Attorney will be returned
to Attorney status and a new Assistant Head Attorney will be appointed. An Attorney
may serve as a Head Attorney more than once.
The board felt that this change was necessary to allow other Teen Attorneys the
opportunity to learn and experience leadership roles within Teen Court.
Adjournment 8:00 p.m.