The Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches has been improving the lives of at-risk children
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/1546265
B efore Alachua County Deputy Branden was a School Resource Officer, before he was a corrections officer, and before he was a semi-pro football player, he was a camper. "I was born and raised in Marion County, and I remember they picked several students from our school, and it was pretty much leaders in the school. And they brought us to this camp." Deputy Branden's memories of summer camp place him at a Youth Ranches program called Project Harmony, which began in the late 1990s. It was designed to reduce violence and racial tension in schools by pairing leaders from different groups together at camp and showing them how to work together. "We had kids from several walks of life, including kids that were 'troublemakers,'" Deputy Branden recalled. "But we also had a lot of good kids. The idea was to take leaders, no matter what area you come from, and be a good influence." Deputy Branden was a straight-A student from a loving family. He remembers Project Harmony as a place for everyone to hang out together, no matter whether they were "good kids" or "bad kids." "It was a cool experiment. I loved it. I met people from other schools, made some friends, and hung out with people I didn't see on a day-to-day basis." Today, Deputy Branden is a School Resource Officer in Alachua County. He attended summer camp as a volunteer to work with kids from his community, including his son and nephew. "I love kids. My wife and I have four boys, I've always coached sports. So I figured, why not be a School Resource Officer? If I could reach a few kids over my career, that would make me happy." Deputy Branden's career in Corrections and then as a sergeant with the Alachua County Sheriff's Office showed him the effects of difficult circumstances that led to poor choices and a life of crime. "I've seen every level of the justice system at this point, and I decided I wanted to be in the community and see if we can stop this before it reaches the end. I wanted to see the beginning." Youth Ranches summer camp is designed to be a free camp experience for at-risk youth. These are good kids in bad situations, whose choices may be catching up with them. We use trauma-informed care, respect-based curricula, and team- building games to curate a unique summer camp experience. The most unique part? Our deputies! Every week, deputies from our campers' home counties join them here at camp. They eat meals together, play games, and share their thoughts around the campfire. Everything comes back to our camp motto: Law Officers Are Your Friends! YOUTH CAMP - PIERSON, FLORIDA Okeechobee County Deputy Gonzalez was one of many deputies to participate in a law demo at Youth Camp. Visiting deputies lined up their official Sheriff's Okeechobee County Sergeant Torres (at back) shows two campers her patrol car. They inspected the control panel, light switches, and loudspeaker, and even turned on the sirens! T H E R A N C H E R FA L L 2 0 2 6 5