Youth Volunteer Opportunities and Requirements
Youth volunteers, age 12 to 17, may volunteer for Columbia County Teen Court as a member of the Peer Jury.Peer Jury members are required to fill out an application and go through an interview process.Those who are chosen must then take part in a group training session before they can sit on a jury.They must also take part in yearly training updates.
Youth volunteers are also required to take part in at least three community service activities per year and at least two social events.The community service activities will include activities such as highway clean up, park clean up, working at a nursing home, etc.Social events may include roller skating,canoeing, a ropes course, etc.Volunteers will take part in the community service and social acitivites along with the youth they have sentenced in Teen Court.
Teen Court volunteers are also asked to mentor at least two youth offenders per year.By mentoring, we mean making weekly phone calls to youth offenders to encourage them and to field any questions or concerns that might come up.
What are the Benefits for Volunteers?
Volunteers will get experience as a peer juror, work with and help teens from all over Columbia County, learn about the legal system, and get to know local judges.They will have opportunities to take part in social activities with other Teen Court Volunteers and youth offenders, and take part in community sevice activities (i.e., Highway Clean-up, etc.) which can fulfill community service requirements for other organizations (i.e., National Honor Society, etc.) that they take part in.
Adult Volunteer Opportunities and Requirements
Adult volunteers, age 18 and older, may volunteer for Columbia County Teen Court in several ways:
- Assisting with Teen Court Hearings
- As a chaperone for Teen Court community service or social events
- Making phone calls to alert youth volunteers of cancellations
Adult volunteers must fill out an application and submit to a background check.
If you are interested in becoming a Teen Court member or adult volunteer, please click on the link below to access the application forms:
Teen Court Youth Volunteer Application/Media Release
Teen Court Adult Volunteer Application
For further information or to apply as a volunteer, please contact Meg McCullough, P.O. Box 564, Portage, WI 53901, 608/742-8814, #242, or e-mail: mcculloughm@cesa5.k12.wi.us.