Douglas County Celebrates Grand Opening Of Youth Innovation Center

Press release from Douglas County:

Jan. 10, 2023

Douglas County’s Board of Commissioners and Community Services Board celebrated the completion and grand opening of Douglas County’s first ever state of the art Youth Innovation Center with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, January 6, 2023.

“This day marks a special occasion to convey how successful government leaders and community partners can collaborate and seize a remarkable opportunity to showcase how critically important it is to provide services that help address our youth needs,” Dr. Romona Jackson Jones, Chairman of the Douglas County Board of Commissioners said. “The services of the Youth Innovation Center give us the opportunity to go from ordinary to extraordinary and be the model for other counties in the state of Georgia to follow.”

A few elected officials attended the celebration and delivered inspiring remarks to the heavily attended crowd. Those who spoke included Chairman Dr. Romona Jackson Jones, District I Commissioner Henry Mitchell, III and District II Commissioner Kelly G. Robinson.

The brainchild behind the Youth Innovation Center was Raye Lightford, Chief Operating Officer, of the Douglas County Community Services Board (CSB).

“Since everything rises and falls with leadership, full credit is to be extended to the center’s visionary, Raye Lightford,” Commissioner Robinson said. “Special thanks should also be given to Juvenile Court Chief Judge Harrison and other government officials, as well as the eight inaugural community partners who will deliver housing, employment, behavior, therapeutic, and other services to our youth and their parents.” Commissioner Robinson added, “This is community collaboration at its best-the manifestation of an 8-year-journey.”

The 5,000 square foot building, previously used as a bank, was renovated into a one-stop shop facility where technology, aesthetics, youth, and supportive services will be provided.

“America Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funds was used to create the project and programs included with the Youth Innovation Center,” Lightford said. “We specifically had to address gaps in the needs for mental health and that’s what this project does.”

The Board of Commissioners takes pride in using local contractors and on this occasion, the BOC succeeded. Mayes Massey, owner of A-Z Construction, a local Douglas County business, was the lead construction builder for the renovation and Massey was recognized at the event. Massey received a large sounding applause from the audience.

District I Commissioner Mitchell recognized many of the community partners and citizens in the audience and was touched by the emotion of excitement and positive energy in the room. “You deserve the glory for all your time, energy and effort for this accomplishment, give yourself a nice roaring applause,” Commissioner Mitchell said. “Our youth in Douglas County will be able to flourish and accomplish great things as a result of what the Youth Innovation Center brings.”

Some of the core services provided at the center, will be youth psychiatric services, job coaching, family and marriage counselling. In addition, supervised visitation, educational support services, GED prep and tutoring will be offered. The services are assisting the school system with alternative solutions to suspensions and expulsions as well as assisting with Individual Education Plan Development with the Douglas County School System.

Douglas County Juvenile Court Services will be using the Youth Innovation Center for some of its proceedings and programming such as the Hope Court Youth program because of all the resources it offers. “One of the challenges we are dealing with during and after the COVID crisis is how do we help our youth with mental health disorders?” said Jamie Dapremont, Assistant Director of Juvenile Programs. “Once we entered into this magnificent facility, Judge Harrison and I felt this was a good location that offers multiple solutions to many of the problems our youth face.”

Douglas County’s Juvenile Court Chief Judge Michelle Harrison, who is a veteran of the juvenile court system, expressed how favorable the Youth Innovation Center could be to help the juvenile court system. “This is a wonderful opportunity, and we are so excited to move forward with utilizing the resources it offers,” said Juvenile Court Chief Judge Michelle Harrison.

The Nichols Center is one of the contracted organizations Lightford partnered with to support youth mental health through holistic and therapeutic services at the Youth Innovation Center. They will also be maintaining two onsite twenty-foot green houses for teaching youth to grow their own foods and nurture plants while focusing on their own mental health.

Other organizations partnering with the CSB include the Douglas County Fire & EMS Department, which will have behavioral and mental health specialists traveling with paramedics to mental health crisis calls; Lift to Enrich, which promotes spoken word and literacy; Project Infinity Incorporated, which provides educational services for homeless youth; Never Alone Club House, provides services for kids battling addiction and Stomp The Sigma which provides alternative treatments, such as yoga and meditation.

This press release was produced by Douglas County. The views expressed here are the author's own.