As a probation officer, I have seen my caseload triple. We aren’t equipped to deal with the girls’ needs. They are missing basic human needs: affection, attention and self-esteem. -Necole Muhammad

As part of her effort, the Shades of Ebony’s founder and executive director is sponsoring a specialized training in-service, “Dangerously in Love,” for social workers, probation officers, teachers, counselors and other clinicians working with at-risk girls. These professionals will explore female juvenile relationships with adult men. Topics will include “Attraction, Power & Control,” “Responsibility” and   “Looking for More.” Information on Illinois’ legal statutes and codes and resources for effective communication with girls facing challenging issues will also be presented.

The goal of the training is to provide professionals with resources for bringing the girls’ issues to the table. Two curriculums will be presented: “Looking for Love” developed by Ohio’s Planned Parenthood and “Unequal Partners” developed by New Jersey’s Planned Parenthood and information from Night Ministry, a local organization that deals with runaways and homeless youths. The curriculums include a video of five young women in relationships with adult men.

“Trainees can hear in the girls’ own words what their experiences are like and what their needs are,” Ms. Muhammad continued. She told The Final Call that the female juvenile offenders’ population is elevating so quickly that the system is unable to deal with it.

“As a probation officer, I have seen my caseload triple. We aren’t equipped to deal with the girls’ needs. They are missing basic human needs: Affection, attention and self-esteem,” she added. “They (the juvenile justice system) see incarceration as a protective tool. ‘The girls are emotional, let’s lock them up to protect them.’”

Last October, Ms. Muhammad and a group of women sponsored a conference held at Salem Baptist Church, entitled “My Sistah’s Keeper.”  The conference, with more than 300 participants, provided a forum for dialogue among young women.

“We discussed relationships with older men, dysfunctional families and poor choices,” Ms. Muhammad said. “We wanted to draw the wisdom out of them. No one argues with their own data,” she added.

Ms. Muhammad is also currently facilitating a 16-week workshop at the DuSable High School, covering various topics including anger management, building self-esteem and job readiness, a program she hopes to bring to other city schools.

“During the first session, the girls determined the interests, needs, concerns and diversity of the program. It was built around their needs,” she explained. 

Ms. Muhammad shared that her interest in the field was born out of her experiences as a girl. “Although my experiences and issues were very different from the girls I service today,” she said, “I have made wrong decisions in my life even though I was raised in a functional family and had basic human needs.”

She continued, “As a young woman, I had issues, but nothing like what today’s young women are dealing with. These girls between 8 and 18 are dealing with violence, drug abuse and sexually transmitted diseases. They need skills in conflict resolutions and instruction in professional development.”