Local News in Brief : Orange : Program for Troubled Teen-Agers Begins

A new program by the Orange County Juvenile Connection Project to help trouble-prone teen-agers officially began Wednesday.

Officials of the private, nonprofit organization announced in November that they would begin providing juvenile delinquency prevention services and referrals to Orange County youths and their families.

A grand opening ceremony was held Wednesday at the project’s offices at 916 Town & Country Road.

The Juvenile Connection Program will function essentially as a clearinghouse, linking youths with services designed to keep them out of trouble. Those services could range from removing identifying tattoos from gang members to dental work that will help build self-esteem, officials said.

“We will identify and assess what the needs are and refer them to agencies that provide the help they need,” said Paul Carey, executive director of the project. “We are looking for pre-delinquent youth, those in the fourth through seventh grades, predominantly under age 15, who are just beginning to demonstrate traits that will get them into trouble later on.”

The youths generally are referred by schools, law enforcement officials, the courts and social services agencies, Carey said.