Macon YDC: Sip and Paint

Photo and story support from Macon YDC Institutional Program Director Cameka Anderson

The Macon Youth Development Campus (Macon YDC) continues to soar in 2018 with its  Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program.  In January, participating youth engaged in a "sip and paint" event at which they enjoyed milkshakes and unlocked creativity by painting hearts on a string on individual canvases.   Dr. Christina Charette, Macon YDC Clinical Director of Psychology, led the Sip and Paint with the security team, programming and mental health staff participating and assisting the youth as well.

PBIS is an evidence-based, data-driven framework proven to reduce disciplinary incidents, increase a school’s sense of safety and support improved academic outcomes. More than 23,000 U.S. schools are implementing PBIS and saving countless instructional hours otherwise lost to discipline. The premise of PBIS is that continual teaching, combined with acknowledgement or feedback of positive student over the counter behavior, will reduce unnecessary discipline and promote a climate of greater productivity, safety and learning. PBIS schools apply a multi-tiered approach to prevention, using disciplinary data and principles of behavior analysis to develop school-wide, targeted and individualized interventions and supports to improve the school climate for all students.