Teen Court of Lea County (Teen Court) is a teen intervention program that helps first-time offenders recover their clean records. They also provide tutoring and accountability services for youth as well as debate training and career exposure for students interested in a legal profession. They provide teen volunteer opportunities and develop leadership skills of youth.
More importantly, Teen Court builds meaningful relationships with teenagers who often need a network of people to support them and lift them up. They have a long history of turning teen lives around. The long-time executive director, David Garcia, was intentional about caring for every student that walked through the doors of Teen Court. He has retired and will be sorely missed, but he passed on the torch to, Melinda Franco, an accomplished and caring replacement.
Melinda has spent a few years rebuilding the programs at the Lovington Youth Center and developing meaningful relationships with those students. Working in a similar fashion, Melinda would take students who needed to complete community service and build the type of relationship that caused the students to return after their mandated service hours were complete.
Melinda is joining the organization during a major transition. Not only is the director new, but so is the building. Teen Court has recently moved into the Jenkins-Nunan Learning Center on Kingsley Avenue behind the old Kmart. The facility, which is owned by Hobbs Municipal Schools, will serve as the Teen Court headquarters housing tutoring, trainings, and eventually court hearings for students. The building is in need of a facelift and some minor repairs, but it shows great promise for this meaningful organization.
We expect big things from Teen Court and its new leader. If you want to learn more about Teen Court, its services, or its plans, we recommend reaching out to Melinda and her team. They are always in-need of a few good hands and community support. Find out more about Teen Court here: https://www.teencourtofleacounty.com
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