Youth-ALIVE Comprehensive Program Proposal

• Academic
• Life Skills
• Intervention
• Vocational
• Enrichment

Executive Director: Kris Bellemare, Director of Youth Ministry, Calvary Baptist Church

Advisory Board: The purpose of the Advisory Board will be to review the vision, goals, and strategies of the Youth-ALIVE program and make recommendations on making it as effective as possible.  Board members include:

Gail Peloquin – MSW, LCSW (DCF Worker helping troubled teens)

Karen Rissinger – M.S. School Psychology (School Psychologist)

Joe Cullen, Ph.D., -- (High School Psychologist and Graduate School Teacher    on Educational Psychology and Students with Exceptionalities)

Location: Calvary Baptist Church, 262 Bee Street, Meriden, CT  06450

Time: All Weekdays from 2-6PM and Friday Night from 6-9PM

 Time Breakdown: 2:00-3:30PM -- Games, hang out, snacks

           3:30-4:30PM -- Homework time (volunteer assisted)

           4:30-5:00 – Break time (snack and game)

           5:00-6:00 -- Work on specific skills

Purpose statement: Youth-ALIVE After School Program exists to change the lives of students from 6^th to 12^th grade, giving them an encouraging, productive, and fun environment to improve academics, learn life skills, get early intervention, and to build vocational skills, positively and constructively connecting them with the community in a symbiotic relationship.

Target Audience: All students who have free time after school, from grades 6-12 primarily in Meriden, but also in surrounding communities where they can get transportation.  Schools that will be directly involved would be Washington, Lincoln, and Edison (Magnet) Middle Schools; and Maloney, Platt, and Wilcox Tech High Schools. The total number of students in these schools is (taken from the State of CT Department of Education website, Strategic School Profiles):

Washington	935	55%	53%
Lincoln	707	49%	54%
Edison	762	38%	40%
Maloney	1,290	40%	29%
Platt	1,024	40%	39%
Wilcox	733	33%	31%

School   Population     Percent Minority Percent Low-Income*

*Low-income determined by percentage of students on reduced or free lunch program.

• Total Number of Students:  5,451
• Average Minority:  42.5%
• Average Low-Income:  41%

Transportation: The Youth-ALIVE program would be a drop-off point for school buses.  This still has to be worked out with the schools, but I have been told that it would not be a problem.

Cost: The cost to the students and parents would be zero.  The whole point of the program is to reach students based on need, not on financial means.

Staff: At the outset, with a minimal program, we would need one Executive Director and at least 8-10 volunteers. We could also start the program piece by piece with fewer people.

Part 1:  The Problem

 Many youth in our culture today are disconnected from their families and their communities. Parents who work are often not home to spend time with their children when they get home from school, and if they are, the students often go to a friend’s house or somewhere else to “hang out”.  This disconnection from family and community, as well as the “down time” after school leads kids to destructive behavior, both to themselves and to the community, including such as drugs, drinking, sex, vandalism, violence, and stealing.  Students need something positive to do with their after school hours that will build their sense of self-worth and value, as well as give them valuable skills to set and achieve high standards in school, in life, at home, and in work. The following are the findings prepared by Public Agenda, commissioned by The Wallace Foundation, who did an exhaustive and comprehensive study on what 609 middle and high school students and 1,003 parents thought about the need for after school programs (http://www.wallacefoundation.org/NR/rdonlyres/2E8E2E8F-7EE9-4E57-9534-B7D8671E1FFD/0/AllWorkandNoPlay.pdf):

• Those that engage in after school activities make good friends there (92%), learn a lot (86%), and have a lot of fun (85%).
• 8 in 10 kids who attend after school programs say that the adults in charge “really care about them”.
• Those that do not engage in after school programs often do not have anything productive to do.
• The vast majority of parents and students (77%) agree that there is a link between boredom and mischief.
• 69% of students say that when they hang out with their friends, they have nothing specific to do.
• Almost half (46%) of the students admit that when they get into trouble it is because they are bored or have too much time on their hands.
• Only 27% of students think their community is doing as much as can be expected when it comes to having enough things for kids their age to do. 72% say it could do much more.
• More than half of students (54%) agree that “there’s not much for kids my age to do other than go to school or just hang out”.
• Low-income and minority families are significantly less satisfied with their options, whether it be quality, availability, or affordability of activities.
• It is especially difficult to keep kids engaged in positive activities over the summer.
• Concerns about negative societal influences preying on children are magnified among low-income and minority parents.
• Substantially more (85%) minority and low-income parents say that communities could do much more in giving teens things to do outside of school.
• Only a fairly low percentage of white or higher-income parents think of after school programs as an effective way to help their kids’ academic achievement, although low-income and minority parents are far more likely to want academic support in an after school program.
• The study found that there is a troubling disconnect between what parents say their kids do after school and what their kids actually do.
• 19% of parents are concerned about what their kids view on the internet when they cannot monitor it, and the same percentage of students said that something has happened on the internet that would upset their parents if they knew about it.
• 20% more students use the internet for chatting, surfing, and playing games than parents who think they do.
• 81% of parents say that their children do not hang out at the mall, but 56% of students say they do.
• Of students who hang out at the mall, 27% say they have seen things happen there that would upset their parents if they knew about them.
• 60% of parents view the mall as a place “with a lot of potential for bad things to happen”.

 

Part II: The Solution

With the help of Meriden Public Schools, Thomas Edison Magnet School, and Wilcox Technical School, identify students who have free time after school who could benefit from academic enrichment, vocational skills, life skills, or early intervention.  The overall Youth-ALIVE program is holistic, where all the parts inter-relate and work together as a complete whole, even if a student is only engaged in one part. For instance, a student in the Academic Enrichment Program could have learning disability problems or issues at home which could be referred to a different part of the program or to another resource in the community.

Academic Enrichment Program:

 Students in the Academic Enrichment Program will be those who struggle in one or more areas in school. This program is based on well-researched, modern methods of pedagogy. The purpose of the Academic Enrichment Program will be to use fun and creative methods to help promote perceived self-efficacy – the belief in one’s own ability to accomplish a task (see Bandura http://www.emory.edu/EDUCATION/mfp/BanEncy.html). Thus students will be given opportunities to succeed in areas where they have not experienced success in the past. 

 Students will be tutored one-on-one or in small groups, with lessons engaging students in “higher order” thinking skills (Bloom’s Taxonomy) – no lesson will have the goals of “learning” or “understanding” but will encourage students to “create”, “modify”, “analyze”, “evaluate”, “synthesize”, “design”, etc.  The end result will be higher grades (measured by GPA), better test scores, and a positive self-image when it comes to the student’s ability to learn.

 One exciting aspect with the Academic Enrichment Program is its approach to learning.  Students will not want to spend a day at school, and then spend an afternoon at the same type of school.  The best academic program in the world cannot help students if they do not come -- the program must be fun and engaging.  Therefore, the following different sub-programs are proposed:

• Homework Help – Many students can use help with their homework as a basis for learning.  This encourages students to complete homework assignments, as well as to identify and correct areas where they are struggling.  Teachers will not do the students homework for them, but will provide any assistance in understanding the work that is necessary.
• Profiles – Helping students understand their own learning style (Concrete Sequential, Abstract Sequential, Concrete Random, or Abstract Random) and personality through assessment.
• Writing Workshops – Many students need help with writing, but will not attend a standard boring writing class.  Therefore, this program will have a small group class that is both creative and engaging where students will be taught the basics of good writing.
• General Tutoring and Workshops – There will also be tutoring and workshops for any student who needs it in any area, including reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, computers, and foreign languages (French and Spanish to begin with).  Other workshops will include CAPT and SAT preparation.
• Discovery – A general program will be in place to help students discover their talents, gifts, and interests. This is based on Howard Gardner’s “Multiple Intelligences” theory, where students can discover their “niche”, thus building their self-efficacy and achievement.
• Philosophy of Effective Teaching and Learning:
• Multiple Intelligences: The Academic Enrichment Program is not interested with “how smart a student is”, but “how the student is smart”.  All students are smart, but may not feel so, because traditional measures of intelligence only measure verbal and mathematics abilities, giving students weak in these areas low self-esteem. Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences understands correctly that there are many ways for students to be smart. There are seven basic intelligences:
• Linguistic-verbal intelligence
• Logical-mathematical intelligence
• Musical intelligence
• Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence
• Spatial intelligence
• Interpersonal intelligence
• Intrapersonal intelligence
• Higher Order Thinking: Rote memorization, lecturing, and engaging students’ capacities to “know”, “comprehend”, and “apply” information does not actively engage them in the learning process. It does not stimulate a lifelong love of learning, and it is not even an effective way for students to obtain knowledge.  Instead, students must be encouraged to “analyze”, “synthesize”, and “evaluate” what they learn. They will be encouraged to become critical and active participants in the learning process.
• Varying Models of Instruction: Most students in school are used to the Direct Instruction format, and it does have its place, however there are many more methods of instruction that will make this academic program more engaging and effective, including the Inquiry/Discovery Model, Synectics, and Cooperative learning.
• Student Motivation: Students must be motivated and excited about learning.  The teacher should relate the learning to the interests and curiosity of the students. The students should be empowered to design their own projects based on teacher recommendations that will help them in their particular areas of growth. Students’ accomplishments should be recognized regularly.  Expectations should be set at the outset of a student attending the program, and when the expectations are achieved, the student should be rewarded. Perceived self-efficacy is built when students are successful, and through small increments, students should be given every opportunity to succeed.  The teacher will “attempt to make the instruction authentic through real world applications, connections to the student’s frame of reference, the use of intrinsically interesting material, and/or efforts to point out the value of the material to the students’ goals and interests”.

• Staffing – In order for these programs to work effectively, we will need competent and passionate volunteers. The following are proposed staff needs to begin the Academic Enrichment Program:
• One volunteer certified school teacher to head the program
• Volunteer tutors in French, Spanish, Science, Social Studies, Reading, Writing, Language Arts, Math, Music, and Computers.
• Volunteer tutors can overlap.  In other words, a science tutor can also teach social studies if they are competent in both subject areas.  Tutor volume will be increased as needed.
• Volunteer base:  The volunteers will come from Calvary Baptist Church, and schools and parents in the community.  All volunteers must have passed a background check before working with children.
• Volunteer numbers: We will need one certified teacher and at least three multi-disciplinary volunteer tutors to begin the program.  It is the job of the Executive Director to recruit more volunteer staff.
• Head Teacher:
• Volunteer:
• Volunteer:
• Volunteer:
• Volunteer:

• Referrals: How will students be referred to the program?  This will be up to the schools (teachers or high school guidance counselors).  They will have to tell their parents about our program, and we will then work with the teacher of the class in which they are struggling the most and the parents to set goals for the student. In general, we are looking for students failing or near-failing at least one class. Also, with an average of 14% of students in the Special Education program, and understanding that generally 50% of those students have mild learning disabilities, that makes about 350 learning disabled students that we could help through the above philosophy as well as teaching positive self-talk skills (outlined in the Life Skills program).

 

• Outcomes:
• Assumptions: All students with a D or F in at least one class.  That class will be the focus of the Academic Enrichment program.  Or all students with learning disabilities.
• Solution:  The Head Teacher will discuss the individual situation with the student’s teacher and parents. The teacher will usually have insight into whether the lack of achievement is due to a lack of aptitude or a lack of effort (non-completion of homework). A lack of effort will result in homework assistance and a homework behavioral improvement contract and program.  A lack of aptitude will result in strengthening a student’s perceived self-efficacy in the problem area with creative assignments that relate to areas of interest of the student.
• Desired Results: The student will improve at least one letter grade in the class with which they are receiving assistance.  The student will also have a higher opinion of his/her own ability to succeed in this class.

Life Skills Program:

 One of the problems with students that affect all four of these areas is that they have no direction, goals, or purpose for their lives. They go to school, do enough to get by, if that, graduate, and get a low paying job with very little prospect for future advancement. If students can have help developing goals early, and then working on a solid and realistic plan to achieve those goals, they will have a path to follow rather than wandering aimlessly.  Some aspects of this program are designed for students who will be graduating high school, but many can also benefit from grades 6-12. Many students:

• Are not prepared for the independence that comes with being an adult
• Do not know how to balance a checkbook
• Do not understand the nature of debt
• Do not have the skills to resolve conflict in a non-violent manner
• Lack socialization and communication skills 
• Do not know how to appropriately manage their anger 
• Go through life day to day without setting goals for the future 
• Do not know how to effectively manage their time or money
• Struggle with a low self-esteem that pervades all areas of their lives
• Lack important critical thinking skills
• Engage in negative “self-talk” – an inner dialogue that repeatedly tells them that they “can’t do it” or “they are stupid”, etc. This negative self-talk permeates many areas of their lives, leading to low perceived self-efficacy.

 The purpose of the Life Skills program is to set a foundation of basic skills to promote future success in life both in school and after graduation.  Each of the above areas is addressed in this program.  This program also overlaps with the Intervention program in areas like conflict resolution, communication, and anger management, however these areas will be under control of the Life Skills program.  Exploring the online program truelifeinteractive which is outstanding for students to set life goals and make a solid plan to achieve it.  It helps a student match up their future goals with their education goals.  E.g. they plan what kind of apartment they want, what it costs to live there, along with all other living expenses.  Then they look at careers that interest them. If they do not match up, they need to increase education and income or decrease their expectations for where they live, etc.  It is a very strategic process with journaling and reflection at each step.  It would also fit a part of the vocational program as well and intervention programs as well. When they set life goals, they need to know what kind of career or job they will need to get them there.  Then they need to know what kind of education they need to get that career. Then they need to know what kind of grades they need right now to get that education. And they can even backtrack to what kind of work they need to do in school to earn those grades.  Mentors or tutors would assist in this process, getting them set up with the program. And the program stays with them their whole life.  If they move, they will still have their password and access to the program. At the same time, their mentors or tutors will have their own password to check on their students progress and offer encouragement.

 To handle the communication, conflict resolution, and anger management part of the Life Skills program, I am looking into The Dibble Fund, which provides resources for these topics.  Other topics, such as financial management and checkbook balancing can be taught from our own resources.

 Finally, teaching students positive self-talk will help them in the Academic, Intervention, and Vocational areas of the program as well, therefore it fits well into the Life Skills part of the program because it affects all areas of life. Students who engage in negative self-talk (most of the students in this program) will learn how to recognize self-talk, how to stop negative self-talk, and how to replace it with positive self-talk.  As they develop self-esteem as the natural outcome of the program, this will provide them with ammunition to begin positive self-talk.

• Staffing:  The staff for this program will consist of one volunteer to head this aspect of the program, as well as two volunteers to begin with who can assist the students in connecting with the individual programs.  The Director and volunteers will be experienced in financial management as well as the two programs (Truelifeinteractive and the Dibble programs).

 

• Volunteer Life Skills Program Director:
• Volunteer (to teach truelifeinteractive program):
• Volunteer (to teach Dibble Fund program):

• Program Goals: For the Truelifeinteractive program, the goal is for the student to set realistic life goals with a plan to achieve those goals.  For the Dibble program, the goal is for the student to improve his/her skills in the areas of struggle. If the student struggles with communication, perhaps giving a speech in front of classmates would be a worthwhile goal. Or just being more successful in areas where failure would have dominated in the past.  This can be measured by an entrance survey and an exit survey. 

Intervention Program:

 

•  The goal of Intervention is to identify at risk youth early through parent and school guidance referrals and working with them by providing an alternative to being at home or with friends after school doing drugs, drinking, sex, vandalism, or other antisocial behaviors.

 

• Intervention can take many forms.
• Drug and alcohol education
• One to One mentoring (connect with Meriden program?)
• Abstinence Education
• TNT (Teens in Turmoil) A Christ-centered Wed. evening program focused on helping students deal with alcoholism, drugs, sex, struggles with parents, etc. (Being overtly religious, this is separate from the overall Youth-ALIVE program).

 

•  A key to the Intervention Program is the other programs.  Students need positive role models, which can take place through mentoring.  They also need to build self-esteem by experiencing success and pride. This can take place through discovering a talent for music or art. This can take place through working as an apprentice in a job through our vocational program.  At Risk youth often struggle with identity and purpose.  They feel like their lives are going nowhere and they don’t know who they are or what their “niche” is in life.  The overall Youth-ALIVE program is designed to help people to find their niche – where they fit in to the grand scheme of things.  Planning goals through the life skills program, then apprenticing at a local business -- to get a better idea if their career choice is something they would like – gives them focus, purpose, and direction, with goals and a concrete plan of achieving those goals.  A student with no direction and ambition can be transformed into a motivated, purpose-driven individual with a clear drive to succeed. Their mentor could be a main catalyst in helping them along this path, along with the program volunteers.

 

• Staffing:  The staffing of this program would consist of one Program leader, who is experienced and licensed to work with youth in counseling and ten mentor volunteers to begin with, all trained in using the True Life Interactive program.
• Program leader with experience in counseling youth
• Mentor volunteers (10 to begin with), depending on if we can work something out with the Meriden One to One program, some could come after school to our program, and some could connect with kids in the schools that are part of our program
• All other volunteers would be crossover from the other sub-programs

Vocational Program:

 The purpose of the Vocational Program is to equip students with the skills and knowledge to get a job commensurate with their education and experience. This would include training in the following areas:

• Interviewing techniques
• Resume and cover letter building
• How to fill out applications
• How to post your resume online
• How to follow up on submitted applications
• Discovering what job is right for the student through personality profiles and career profiles
• Connecting students with people in churches or in the community who are willing to apprentice the student (show him/her “the ropes”) at their job site
• Connecting students with non-profit organizations for volunteer work

 A small picture of the vocational program is to take students who are uncertain of their future, help them build skills to effectively seek a job, and to plug them into the community where they can both “test” their career, and also experience a sense of accomplishment that would give them a more positive outlook on life. 

 The goal of the Vocational Program is to transform students without concrete plans for the future, and to build in them a sense of purpose and connectedness with the community, learning confidence, respect, and skills to be successful in the workforce. Students exiting this program will be equipped with the necessary skill sets to go right into the work force after graduation. This program links very effectively with the Life Skills and Intervention programs.

 Students would begin by taking a Career Inventory (we could get these from high school guidance offices). From here, we could ask students that if they could do anything, what would it be? (Dream careers – “video game tester” doesn’t count  ).  The Vocational Director would help the student along in this process to narrow it down into something that is reasonable. They would then be connected with the business that matches their needs.  We would also use the True Life Interactive program mentioned in the Life Skills area here to help students set appropriate goals and develop plans and strategies to achieve those.

• Staff: The staff would consist of one lead volunteer worker who would be responsible for organizing the other volunteers
• and connecting the students with volunteers who were willing to apprentice the youth
• The Executive Director will go into the community soliciting businesses to connect students with their career of choice.
• Volunteers from the church to apprentice students, forming a list of jobs to connect students with about one hour per week (This is also mentoring, in a way)