"The Bridge" programs - US Conservatives support Criminon and Narconon?

OTBT · Jan 17, 2011

TL;DR jump to the bold

Seriously, Scientology front groups in a city volunteer program called "The Bridge"? WTF?
Also, sounds like Applied Scholastics is thrown in "The Bridge" as well.

http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/2011/01/06/segel-people-do-need-people/

Segel: People Do Need People

By Thomas D. Segel January 6, 2011 6:46 am

America has said goodbye to the year 2010. It was not a passing of time that we looked at in nostalgia, but instead it was a year of disruptive political positioning and extreme hardship for many Americans. We not only endured the continuation of fighting on two war fronts, but also suffered continued loss of jobs by the millions and the worst economy in decades.

How bad were things in America? It is impossible to tell from looking at antidotal evidence, but such reports will give people a good idea of how black the clouds have been across the country. Perhaps some examples from a small city in Texas will help us to see how people have been handling some of the difficulties of our country.

Texas is in far better shape than most of our fifty states. This, however, does not mean things are coming up roses in Lone Star country. Take a look at just one volunteer agency in Harlingen, a city of about 65,000 residents.

During 2010 Loaves and Fishes of the Rio Grande Valley provided 133,597 meals to the hungry. A total of 6,837 services were provided by the organization’s job shop. There were 6, 894 bed nights provided to the homeless. In addition 3,808 family clients were assisted with food bags, utility payments, rent payments and prescription drugs by the Vera Nauman Family Emergency Assistance programs. This was all done with gifts of money and more than 22,000 donated volunteer hours of service by people within the community.

Within the same city of Harlingen a partnership program between the city and the Cameron County Juvenile Justice System has created a comprehensive range of community programs that are aimed at providing opportunities for success to the at-risk youth and young adults of the county.

Called “The Bridge”, this opportunity driven multi-service organization is only three years old and is now attempting to combine its programs at a single location, the former Harlingen Police Station. “The Bridge” volunteers are currently seeking donations totaling $250,000 to renovate that facility.

“The Bridge” programs include GED training, vocational training, general counseling, job readiness preparedness, job training a job placement program, a home construction program, Criminon and Narconon Life Skills and spiritual counseling. Many of these are volunteer efforts.

Does this program work? The figures don’t explain everything, but they provide a good view of what is taking place. In 2008 there were 2,632 juvenile referrals to the various programs being offered. There were 718 felonies committed by young people between the ages of 10 and16 years of age. A total of 692 young people tested positive for drug use and 671 youth were placed on probation. The success rate in correcting these behaviors during that year was 26%.

Moving to 2010 there were 1910 juvenile referrals. There were 475 felonies committed by the young offenders. 632 young people tested positive for drug use. There were 351 young offenders placed on probation. The success rate for “The Bridge” grew to 53%.

Through all of this volunteers, civic groups, schools and local government led the way in reducing the growth of criminality in the county.

This is only two small examples of citizen involvement and how people helping people sometimes outshines all of the governmental programs and the political pandering that has led to our country crashing harder than at any other time since the great depression. If this nation is going to climb back into a positive future, we must stop placing all of our hopes and dreams on a national governmental nanny and instead start reaching out helping hands to our own neighbors. People helping people are a winner every time.

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OTBT · Jan 17, 2011

Earlier related thread. Sorry, I suck at the new "search" function here on the new WWP

http://forums.whyweprotest.net/thre...reach-centre-to-host-narconon-criminon.65838/

timthephoto · Jan 17, 2011

OTBT said: ↑

the new "search" function here on the new WWP sux

fify

Scatman · Jan 17, 2011

The political side of scientology has chosen to ally with the Republican Party because it tends to support corporate interests over the human rights of real people. Major scientology political activists include John Coale and Greta van Susteren, who have majorly campaigned for the presidential candidacy of Sarah Palin.

OTBT · Feb 13, 2011

Article posted in a little Texas newspaper, Wilson County News, in Floresville. Criminon and Narconon are involved, and they are asking for $200,000 in donations.

http://www.wilsoncountynews.com/art...omas-segel-building-a-bridge-called-community

Building A Bridge Called Community

Tell It Like It Is
February 8, 2011

Harlingen, Texas, February 7, 2011: Across the United States increasing juvenile crime is taking a huge toll on municipalities and governmental agencies. Some cities report it is almost beyond control. Other locales either pretend it does not exist or downplay this ever-increasing crime problem. Here is how one county and city in Deep South Texas is addressing the issue.

The year was 2008 and in this city of less than 75,000 people concern was growing that the future of many local youth was facing serious peril. Already on record were 2632 young people who had been referred to the Cameron County Juvenile Justice system for actions ranging from criminal mischief to felonies. There were 450 teenage criminals in the 15 to 16 year old age group and another 259 young people ages 14 and under who had been apprehended for various felonious acts. There were even 5 convicted felons who were just 10 years old. It could no longer be denied, anti-social behavior among the juvenile population of Harlingen, Texas had passed the tipping point.

Mayor Chris Boswell convened a citizen’s committee to research what appeared to be a very serious problem. The group labored for a year seeking ideas and methods to salvage the lives of a troubled generation. The Harlingen Police Department’s Gang Eradication Team partnered with the Cameron County Juvenile Justice’s Border Gang Task Force to reduce the gang activity and crime committed by chronicoffenders in the City of Harlingen. To reach that objective the City of Harlingen and the Cameron County Juvenile Justice Department formed a partnership to offer a comprehensive range of community based programs designed to provide opportunities for success to the youth and young adults of the community.

It was agreed that a combination of services should to be provided for all of the teenage needs to be met. It was also felt that one-stop-shopping, or having all the required services under the same roof would lead to maximum participation. Toward that objective the city provided the use of its former police station, which would be converted into a Community Outreach Center. The idea was to develop the spirit of “inclusion” as opposed to “exclusion” of those living on the edge of society. It was felt this structure with all of its services combined would help to create a bridge between the youth and the community. What could be a more fitting name for the program…it is to be called “The Bridge”. This is a place where needs will meet opportunities.

The cooperative partnership between government and civic non-profit organizations is now in the process of reconfiguring the former police station into a functioning building where a wide variety of services ranging from a physical fitness gymnasium and a yoga-dance exercise room to a municipal juvenile court and a building-trades shop will all be housed under a single roof.

Program services will include such groups as the Valley Aids Council, Criminon and Narconon who will assist young people with gang related, substance abuse and health related problems. The Gulf Coast program will be in place to help educate those seeking to receive their GED certification. Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District will offer dropout recovery education programs. Spiritual counseling and faith inspiring ministries will be available, as will general counseling and family services. Texas Workforce Solutions will also be onsite to screen youth and young adults for possible job placement.

This, however, is just a small element of the overall program. The mission statement of The Bridge reads, “It is the mission of the Cameron County Juvenile Justice Department and the City of Harlingen to work in partnership with other entities to provide a comprehensive range of community based programs for the purpose of providing opportunities for success to the youth and young adults of our community. The ultimate goal is to create responsible and productive, job skilled and educated, law abiding and tax paying citizens for our community.”

Toward that objective Youth Build will be offering a strong vocational program, including the teaching of a variety of home building related skills. The Texas Workforce will be involved in job readiness, computer skills, job training and a job placement program. Texas State Technical College will be providing services, as will the Harlingen Family Dentistry Group and the Harlingen Sports Center.

All of The Bridge activities and services will be under the supervision of Juvenile Justice Department Chief Tommy Ramirez, Youth Programs Coordinator Annie Romero and Juvenile Probation Supervisor Michael Martinez. The youth leaders have already demonstrated these combined education and training programs work, even when not concentrated in a single locale. In the three years since those 2632 Harlingen referrals were made in 2008, they have reduced the number to 1918 referrals in 2010 for a 53% success rate. It is anticipated a much greater percentage of success stories will be seen when the programs operate under a single umbrella organization.

The construction of “The Bridge” is ongoing and is only limited by available funding. The Bridge group is seeking $200,000 in donations to complete the facility. This will be a one-time expense, as all participating organizations will provide their own funding once they become operational. Tax deductible donations can be made payable to Cameron County Juvenile Justice Department, P.O. Box 1690, San Benito, Texas 78586.

The poet Will Allen Dromgoole, in his lengthy work “The Bridge Builder”, had these words to offer: "There followeth after me today,   A youth, whose feet must pass this way.  This chasm, that has been naught to me,  To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.   He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;   Good friend, I am building this bridge for him." You too, can help build bridges to help our troubled youth.

Semper Fidelis

Anonymous · Feb 13, 2011

ahh yes...
was waiting for them to start changing their front group names once again to slink by
So is the Texas Workforce Solutions, and Harlingen Family Dentistry (possible new WISE member?) sci groups?

Where have I heard Cameron County before?
oh yes:
"The Cameron County Juvenile Justice Center invites you to attend the South Texas Area Regional Training Conference in Beautiful South Padre Island."
Ricardo Barrera – Criminon / Effective Criminal Reform and Crime Prevention Program
Joseph Saucedo – Narconon / Drug Effects on the Mind and Body

http://forums.whyweprotest.net/thre...ficers-on-19-january-2011.67778/#post-1345337

xenubarb · Feb 13, 2011

Fucking Texas and the GOP. What a great combination. Yeah, we'll expose this shit and see who starts backpedalling.

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"The Bridge" programs - US Conservatives support Criminon and Narconon?

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