A Peer Juror's Experience

A Peer Juror’s Experience

By Haley Beube

Now I’m a college student, but I consider my 3 years in high school as a peer juror a rewarding and educational experience.  It definitely taught me to stay out of trouble.  Because of the Peer Jury Program, I have seen the results of mistakes being made by kids just like me. I learned from them, and we learned from each other how to make good choices and to stay safe.  Also, I learned valuable lessons and developed skills I continue to use today and will continue to use in the future, including effective communication skills in highly tense situations and being able to ask the right questions. 

From my experience, the Program is also beneficial to our community because it relieves police of run of the mill issues, like underage drinking, so they can focus on more serious issues to support our community.  Part of the Peer Jury Program was having teens do mandatory community service.  As a result, I learned of the wonderful service opportunities we have in our County, and I have looked into helping at them as well. Also, because I volunteered my time I felt I was giving back to my community and helping others.

Kids who took take advantage of a second chance were from all backgrounds.  I observed kids learn their lesson and lend their time with mandatory court-ordered community service.  Also, the Program is preventative because kids are told clearly what the repercussions and sentence would have been if they did not have access to Peer Jury.  

The Program makes our community better with the service as well as allowing our kids to succeed and not have it jeopardize their future. 

My hope is that our Board will think logically and clearly about the repercussions of discontinuing a successful Peer Jury Program. Not only will it jeopardize the futures and potential of our County's children, but it will reflect badly upon the community as whole. When our youth succeeds, our whole community succeeds. 

Message from the Chair

Message from the Chair

By Kim Savage

Can you remember a more robust mid-term election? With numerous Democratic candidates for Governor, Attorney General, 6^th Congressional District, County Board districts, and Circuit Court Judges, I have never seen so much local activity for the Primary. The good news is that there are outstanding candidates to choose from. It is important to show appreciation for all of the candidates who have stepped up to represent us; running for office is no easy task.

With so many great candidates running, it can be challenging to decide who to vote for. There have been a several opportunities to meet candidates at our meetings, and to attend meet and greet events and candidate forums. We have links to candidate websites at www.dgdemocrats.org so that you may do additional research. It is vital that you learn about the candidates and vote Democratic in the Primary Election. It is also important to make sure that your family and friends know about the candidates, are registered to vote, and are motivated to exercise their rights to vote.

Voting is important, but securing the integrity of our votes is vital. Unless you live under a rock, you have heard about Russian meddling in the 2016 elections. However, did you know that efforts to undermine our votes has long been part of the fabric of DuPage County? Even as I write this, just days before Vote by Mail ballots can be issued, the candidacy for the Democrat running for Forest Preserve District President is being challenged in Appellate Court. This issue was resolved by the Electoral Board and the Circuit Court, yet those rulings have been scoffed at by the Republicans. While Dan Hebreard will be on the Primary Ballot, dirty tricks like this are intended to frustrate candidates and deny voters a true choice at the polls. Voter suppression is also exhibited by perpetuation of the belief that DuPage is a Republican county. That belief has been instrumental in keeping Democratic voters at home on Election Day. You can help protect the integrity of our votes by encouraging others to register, by voting, and by being a watchdog on Election Day.

There are still opportunities to become involved in the Election Process for the March 20 Primary Election. Check out paid temporary positions with the DuPage Election Commission at http://www.dupageco.org/Election/Get_Involved/37074/ or volunteer to be a pollwatcher as outlined elsewhere in this newsletter.

Here is your checklist for February:

·       Check your voter registration online

·       Make sure that your family members who will be 18 before November 6 are registered to vote so they can participate in the Primary Election on March 20. Register to vote here.

·       Learn more about the candidates.

·       Stop by the office at 906 Curtiss Street and find out how you can help local candidates.

·       Request a Vote by Mail ballot online and vote.

Please stand strong and help make the Blue Wave a Blue Tsunami. Never forget November 2016. Vote!