AFTER SCHOOL
In 2011 the Community Development YMCA served over 1,800 school-age children at 2 middle schools and 9 elementary schools in and around the city of Long Beach. We are a free resource for families who work during afterschool hours, giving their kids a safe, positive place to go. We are a resource for the school districts, schools, teachers and administration we serve, providing their constituents with enriching programming during off-school hours. Our weekly schedules include recreation, homework tutoring, enrichment, literacy intervention, math intervention, clubs and a SAFE healthy living curriculum.
YMCA/WRAP After School Sites
Burcham K-8
Burnett Elementary
Chavez Elementary
International Elementary
Keller Elementary
Longfellow Elementary
Roosevelt Elementary
Stevenson Elementary
Willard Elementary
Stanford Middle School
Stephens Middle School
A year-round program that uses technology as an integral mechanism for promoting positive youth development and developing pathways to post secondary education and career readiness of low-income, culturally diverse urban high school youth.
GOALS
1. To improve academic achievement and stimulate interest in post secondary education among low-income, culturally-diverse, urban high school youth.
2. To improve the technology, career, leadership and decision-making skills of these youth to promote readiness for post secondary education or career entry after graduation.
3. To promote bonding to pro-social adults and community attachment among urban youth to ensure that they remain engaged in their schools and communities.
MORE INFO
The project is divided into two components, the Summer Youth Institute (SYI) and the Year Round After School Youth Institute (AYI). Every summer 85 incoming youth and 15 alumni (graduates of the summer program) participate in a full-time (35 hours per week), eight-week summer program. Program recruitment occurs in the spring. We target youth for recruitment from referrals by high school counselors, other youth serving agencies and youth themselves. Youth are chosen based on the risk factors they face which might influence high school completion. The factors may include neighborhood violence, poverty, family conflict/poor family management, poor academic performance or lack of commitment to school, and involvement with antisocial peers. Youth are selected to ensure ethnic and gender diversity.
The first week of the SYI is spent on a wilderness retreat that focuses on team building, bonding, cultural diversity training, decision-making and life sciences. Youth are assigned to diverse project teams that are maintained throughout the summer. The focus of the retreat is to help youth develop the collaborative and problem-solving skills they will need to work in their project teams. Youth also participate in activities to help them to better understand their own culture and to develop an appreciation for other cultures. Thus, a strong bond among the youth, their peers and the staff is developed. This is where the ‘family’ in the YI begins.
The Year Round After School Youth Institute (AYI) operates 30 hours a week. Every day over 80 youth come to the AYI to enhance their technology skills, get help with homework and college applications, do service learning projects, and socialize in a safe and supportive place. Staff provides academic and emotional support, Internet access and assistance to complete school assignments. The AYI is critical to school success since many of the youth need to improve their academic performance but do not have access to technology at home or school. The AYI offers up-to-date software that is not available in most urban schools where teachers often do not have the knowledge to teach high-end, corporate technology skills.
REPLICATION
The success of this program has given us the opportunity to replicate the Youth Institute in new communities. Our hope is to achieve the same outcomes in these new communities that we have achieved here in Long Beach.
In 2012, the Youth Instititute will be replicated in 5 different cities (Anaheim, Azusa, Berkeley, Los Angeles and Santa Ana) alongside 4 different agencies.
Change Agent Productions is a social enterprise comprised of professional digital media artists who work alongside urban youth to carry out professional video productions, graphic design projects and digital media trainings with attention to detail, quality, creativity and promptness.
HIGHLIGHTS
We create positive business results for clients through our digital media and creative services as well as encourage our clients to tell their story, just like we encourage our youth to develop their individual stories and voice them through digital media.
We are professionals passionate about visual language and dedicated to teaching corporate skills to youth from traditionally underrepresented populations. Choosing Change Agent Productions provides youth and workforce development opportunities in our most challenging communities.
All profits go back into the community and fund our Youth Institute digital arts programs.
After-School University provides interactive project-based training for after-school professionals and paraprofessionals in the key core areas that are required in order to operate an affective after school program.
HIGHLIGHTS
The components of our training meet both ASES and 21st Century Grant requirements. Our training models the after-school environment in that we create an atmosphere that is positive, safe, engaging and fun. Parts of our training actually involve youth themselves!
We have developed research-based training techniques through theory and practice. In our training you will not get talking heads or PowerPoint lectures.
We provide our clients with trainers who are after-school practitioners so they receive the highest quality practitioner-based training.
Our courses include Youth Development, Homework Assistance, Policies and Procedures, Lesson Planning, Math, Literacy, Recreation, Science, Performance Arts and Project Based Learning.
FAMILY INVOLVEMENT
Our licensed social worker, Marisol Zobler, works alongside a team of MSW interns to provide parenting classes, community events, and other resources for the families we serve. They are continuously helping families in crisis, whether it be financial difficulty, crisis management or counseling/consultations.
GOALS
1. To improve school behavior and performance by providing high quality and integrated out-of school programming for children and families) improve school behavior and performance by providing high quality and integrated out-of school programming for children and familieS.
2. To provide adult programming to strengthen parenting skills and promote self-sufficiency.
3. To develop grass-roots community leaders with the skills to reduce barriers to positive child, family and school functioning.
4. To increase collaboration between the family, school and community to improve children's learning.
HIGHLIGHTS
Our Family Programs are comprehensive and include both adult and family classes. We provide strengths-based services that are community-driven and designed to help families support their children and become active in their community. All programs are held in the school so that parents have easy access. In order to meet community needs, our programs are offered in multiple languages and provide childcare, which are some of the barriers families encounter and prevent them from attending programs.
Classes that we provide for families include: family literacy, family math, communication skills, conflict mediation, and public speaking. Our elements include culturally sensitive outreach, training, crisis intervention, advocacy, resource referral, leadership and employment opportunities, and community mobilization. In addition, we provide extensive training to staff in our after-school programs and teachers and administrators in the schools that we serve on ways to effectively engage and involve parents. Our ultimate objective is to make our families more upwardly mobile, healthier and positive contributors to the community.
