DJJ Community Youths Serve as Pages in the Georgia House of Representatives

Two DJJ youths who are under DJJ community supervision, Keywanna Kaigler and Camillia Thompson, visited the State Capitol on February 14 to serve as pages in the House Representatives. Kaigler and Thompson were sponsored by Representative Bob Trammell of Luthersville (District 132), the Minority Leader in the House. Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) Commissioner Avery D. Niles, Associate Superintendent of Schools Jean Lee and Deputy Commissioner of Community Services Catina Martin-Fenner were also at the State Capitol to meet with the youth.

“This was the first time that DJJ youth participated in the Page Program. This was their first trip to the Capitol and they expressed sincere gratitude for the opportunity to participate,” said Martin-Fenner. “We want to provide more exposure opportunities for our youth so they can become better citizens of Georgia.”

As House Pages, Kaigler and Thompson spent the day delivering documents, bills, messages and letters between legislators and the public. Lee added, “This was quite an honor for our students to see how the state legislature works. Keywanna and Camillia are excellent students and were very excited to serve the state this way.”

Kaigler and Thompson are currently students at DJJ’s Bibb Educational Transition Center (ETC) where they are working hard to achieve their educational goals. TheETCs serve as an alternative educational setting to traditional public schools for youth who have reentered society but still need to complete their education. The concept of ETCs was developed by Georgia Preparatory Academy, the Department’s dually accredited school system and the state’s 181st school district. In addition to the center in Macon-Bibb County, there are also ETCs in Chatham and Richmond counties.

At the end of the day’s activities, Kaigler and Thompson were awarded certificates of participation and had their photo taken with Representative Trammell and House Speaker David Ralston. Commissioner Niles stated, “We are very proud of Keywanna and Camillia and we expect great things from them. We hope that they had a memorable day at the Capitol.”

For over 50 years, Georgia students have served in the Page Program. The program serves as a valuable educational experience and has inspired many students to pursue careers in politics and government. The mission of the program – “inspiring today’s young leaders, the Georgia House of Representatives’ Page Program strives to create an informative experience capturing the essence of Georgia’s legislative process. In a respectable, fast-paced, but safe environment, our program provides a first-hand observation of the State Capitol, elected officials and government; all the while encouraging students to continue to lead Georgia into the next generation.”