SPRITE
Program Overview
Jo Mercurio
Program Director
Phone:
608.288-3356 Fax: 608.288-3378
E-mail:
joann.mercurio@wisconsin.gov
Address
2909 Landmark Place, Suite 104
Madison, WI 53713
SPRITE
(Support, Perseverance,
Respect, Initiative, Teamwork and Education) is a short term, high
impact, adventure-based education program designed to teach delinquent
youth the skills necessary for successful reintegration into their home
communities.
2009 SPRITE Schedule
|
Referral
packets due: |
MONTH |
START DATE |
END DATE** |
|
Dec. 23 '08 |
January |
7 |
30 |
|
Jan. 21 |
February |
4 |
27 |
|
Feb. 25 |
March |
11 |
April 3 |
|
Mar. 25 |
April |
8 |
May 1 |
|
Apr. 22 |
May |
6 |
29 |
|
May 20 |
June |
3 |
26 |
|
June 24 |
July |
July 8 |
31 |
|
July 22 |
August |
5 |
28 |
|
Aug. 26 |
September |
9 |
Oct 2 |
|
Sept. 23 |
October |
7 |
30 |
|
Oct. 21 |
November |
3* |
25 |
|
Nov. 18 |
December |
1 |
23 |
*November and
December sessions begin on Tuesday and end on a Wednesday to accommodate
the holidays. All other sessions begin on a Wednesday and end on a
Friday.
**Graduation Ceremony 10 A.M. SPRITE House
Map to SPRITE House
Direct County Referral Process
The SPRITE program is
available to all counties in Wisconsin as a diversion to an institution
placement. The referral is to be made by the county social worker that
is responsible for the youth.
To receive the
SPRITE schedule for 2009, request a referral packet, or find out about
session openings, contact Jo Mercurio, Program Director, at
608.288-3356.
To start a
referral, contact the Director to find out about session openings and discuss the appropriateness of the youth. If the youth is appropriate for the program, the following
required information and forms will be requested and an interview will
be scheduled.
Click here to see if the youth meets
the requirements for SPRITE.
There are two ways in which you can complete the SPRITE Referral
Packet. The first link will open a PDF of the entire SPRITE
Referral Packet. This packet can be printed off in its entirety,
and completed by hand. The second link will allow you to complete
each form in Microsoft Word, and print off the completed form.
Click
here for SPRITE Referral materials
SPRITE
|
Support |
|
Youth
will learn to give positive support, confront
constructively, and accept criticism and encouragement. The
program is designed to foster trust between youth and
authority figures.. |
|
Perseverance |
|
Holding steady to a course of action. The SPRITE program
teaches youth to face problems head-on and not give up or
look for short cuts. |
|
Respect |
|
SPRITE
youth will learn to hold themselves, others, and their
freedom in high regard. The program is designed to foster
respect for human dignity and the environment. |
|
Initiative |
|
Youth
will learn to take responsibility for their actions.
Challenges are designed so that completion is possible only
through strong personal initiative and volunteerism. |
|
Teamwork |
|
SPRITE
youth will learn to work together and trust each other in
order to accomplish goals. Youth are taught to think
cooperatively and are made aware of their responsibilities
to the larger community. |
|
Education |
|
Youth
will develop an educational/vocational plan that will help
them achieve their vocational goals. |
Program Statement
The SPRITE Program
has been an innovative and integral part of the State of Wisconsin’s
juvenile corrections system since 1978. SPRITE has served over 3,000
Wisconsin youth as a pre-release program for the juvenile institutions
and a diversion to out of home placements for county youth. From its
inception, SPRITE has been founded on the idea that delinquent youth
will greatly benefit from healthy personal relationships and
challenging, adventurous experiences.
The youth must be
referred to the program by a county social worker, or, if they are
already in corrections, through the
Office of Juvenile Offender Review.
The primary age group for youth selected for participation in the
program is 14-17. The program serves a total of 12 young men per month
who come from Ethan Allen School, Lincoln Hills School and directly from
counties throughout the state.
SPRITE youth learn
pro-social behavior, independent living skills, and responsibility
through problem-solving activities, wilderness expeditions, rock
climbing, community service, urban exploration, and pre-employment skill
development. SPRITE differs from a recreation program in that emphasis
is placed not on learning new recreational activities, but rather on the
process by which responsible decisions are made and by the acceptance of
consequences for inappropriate decisions or behaviors.
Program Activities
Orientation (Days
1- 4)
SPRITE
begins with an orientation, which serves to orient youth to the
expectations of the SPRITE program and groom them into a functioning and
cohesive team. The concept of teamwork serves as a foundation for the
entire program. Each day is filled with adventure challenges that impel
youth to cooperate, trust and problem solve with one another. Youth
participate in group challenges, a high ropes course, cave exploration,
and trust exercises. Frequent group discussions and journal assignments
reinforce the knowledge gained through experience.
Rock Climbing (Days
5–7)
After
learning knot tying and safety procedures and practicing on the SPRITE
House climbing wall, youth climb and rappel on the cliffs surrounding
Devil’s Lake State Park. Rock climbing is used as a high risk challenge
activity to foster self confidence, trust in others, and the ability to
work through fear.
Expedition (Day 8
at SPRITE House. Days 9-14)
While
winter expeditions concentrate on cold weather survival, a typical
non-winter expedition consists of a 25-35 mile backpacking expedition.
The expedition is designed to challenge the cohesiveness and decision
making abilities of the group. Youth are expected to establish a routine
and camp procedures, leave no trace, maintain their equipment and food
supplies and solve interpersonal problems. The role of staff members is
to provide counseling and ensure that safety standards are maintained.
Community Service
(Days 15- 17)
While
at SPRITE, youth are given the opportunity to make a positive
contribution to the community through community service work. Past
groups have worked on a variety of conservation projects such as the
statewide Ice Age Hiking Trail, in various County parks needing
assistance with trail development or maintenance projects for the
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Department of
Corrections. While protecting their individual details, youth also have
on occasion made presentations to middle school students. The Community
Service phase gives youth a work experience that is designed to improve
their job marketability. Successful youth earn reference letters which
may be used in their personal job search.
Independent Living
(Day 18)
Youth practice finding information about resources in their communities,
and assist with indoor and outdoor home maintenance in addition to
skills for daily living. Speakers may present workshops on nutrition,
parenting or budget planning.
Natural History
(Day 19)
Youth
explore Wisconsin’s physical and cultural history through activities
such as cave exploration or visits to Native American effigy mounds.
Evening programming can include the impact of stereotyping people of the
past and present.
Urban
Reintegration (Days 20-22)
Using
the City of Madison as an urban environment, this experience is designed
to connect youth with resources that will help them reintegrate
successfully into their home communities. Youth learn how to use job
center and public library resources, develop entry-level employee
resumes, understand a process for getting into post-secondary education
or trade apprenticeships, participate in mock job interviews and improve
social skills. Again, frequent group discussions and journal assignments
reinforce the knowledge gained through these experiences. Throughout
SPRITE, youth exiting the institutional setting practice peer counseling
which may dissuade youth from
additional negative behavior.
Pre-Employment
Skill Development (Day 23)
While at SPRITE youth focus on developing pre-employment skills by
completing
multiple job application samples and mock interviews and perform self,
peer, and staff-guided critiques to improve performance after each
activity. Again, frequent group
discussions and journal assignments reinforce the knowledge gained
through experience. Youth prepare for an intensive final interview with
the director and demonstrate their Post-SPRITE action plans and
graduation speeches and an action-packed final evaluation of physical
skills tests.
Graduation (Day
24)
Youth present their Release Action Plan, commitments to their families
and share the highlights of what they have experienced at SPRITE.
