As they walked up to the front of the room to accept their certificates one-by-one, teenagers from Muskegon County gave speeches about responsibility and knowing when to walk away. As part of the program known as Project Justice, the teenagers attended the graduation ceremony Wednesday, Aug. 27 in the Blue and Gold Room at Muskegon Community College.
The program is an eight-week leadership course organized by the Social Justice Commission in cooperation with Muskegon Community College. Project Justice was created to prepare teens for their future and to give them a second chance.
“We have students that are referred to us from the Social Justice Commission, which works closely with the county authorities,” said Trynette Lottie-Harps, the dean of Community Outreach at MCC. “Students are referred to us if they have challenges or may have been in situations of curfews or other laws.”
Instead of being charged for minor crimes, the 17 teenagers agreed to participate in Project Justice, allowing the crime to be expunged from their record.