http://www.fastracprogram.org
The Mayor’s Youth Empowerment Program
re-introduces the Youth
Leadership Program to create opportunities for area At-Risk
Youth and secures the future of our community. The
mission of the Youth Leadership Program is:
“Creating opportunities for
today’s youth
and securing the future of our community”
The Mayor’s Youth
Empowerment Program is
accredited nationally by:

An estimated 9.2 million to 15 million
children are considered
“at-risk” in this country. These youth are at-risk because
they are at crossroads: one road leads to a successful transition to
adulthood, the other to dependency and negative long-term
consequences. Youth typically considered at-risk are more likely
to become pregnant, use drugs and /or alcohol, drop out of school, be
unemployed, engage in violence, and face an increased likelihood of
host of mental health problems.
Despite perceptions that “nothing
works” for at- risk
youth, or youth are just lazy, research has identified effecting
program principle and approaches in working with at-risk youth.
The most successful program models are those that employ the
combination of approaches to gear youth toward organized activities to
stay away to street corners which leads to unproductive and negative
activities. The trick is simply to keep youth busy with rewarding
activities and mentorship.
We have experienced and seen youth get into
trouble because they
lack the initiative to engage in productive activities that promote
continual learning, community service, youth employment and peers
bonding.
The Mayor’s Youth Empowerment Program
Youth Leadership Program
utilizes an away of services to introduce youth to positives behaviors
and creating opportunities for youth to give back to the community by
working with local schools, the community college, the University,
local businesses, local government and area service organizations to
address the issue of today’s at-risk youth by enhancing
relationship to develop and implement youth development policies and
programs:
The goal of the MYEP Youth Leadership Program
is to help youth
become socially, morally, emotionally, physically and cognitively
competent and contributing members of the community, and help them
become productive adults by supporting attitudes, behaviors, and skills
that enable them to succeed as parents, citizens, and workers.
The MYEP Youth Leadership Program uses four main areas that have proven
to fostered best results while working with youth.
The
MYEP Youth Leadership Program provides
the following services:
- Money
Management.
- Preventing, identifying, and reporting domestic, physical and
sexual abuse.
- Preventing bullies
- On-line safety tips
- Community Service, giving back.
- Loving your community.
- Dressing for the job you want, not the one you have.
- Higher learning, the importance of post secondary education,
and the key to a successful future.
- Getting and keeping a job, provides money in my pocket.
- How things work and how they are made.
- Community Service Organizations, where to find help when needed
- Self respect and confidence, I’m worthy!
- Yes I can: a course on dealing with and overcoming personal
barriers and every day struggle.
The MYEP Youth
Leadership Program operates and is funded by various
local, State, federal and businesses grants and fundraising. Some
of the fundraising events are:
Accountability:
MYEP measures the
effective of the Youth Leadership Program in many
ways and the results are publicly shared with the community and all the
contributors. Annually the MYEP Youth Leadership Program collects
data on all the youth participants including:
D’s
Success Story
D has had and
continues to have a very difficult life. School
has not been easy or enjoyable for him and due to his attendance and
behavioral issues; he has received suspensions multiple times. D
is a 16 year old sophomore who is nearly one year behind his peers in
credit. Many factors contribute to his lack of success at school
but his poor attendance has contributed the most.
After nearly being
asked to leave West High, his interdisciplinary
team came up with one last attempt to help D be successful at
school. Although a modified daily schedule which includes school
and work is typically offered only to seniors, it was going to be
D’s last option of continuing his education at West High.
In setting up this schedule, staff knew that if he didn’t receive
monetary compensation for his time on the job he wouldn’t give
his best effort. Mayor’s Youth Empowerment Program agreed
to pay his wages for 12.5 hours of work during the school week.
Since the modified schedule was implemented over 1 month ago, D has yet
to miss a day of work. In addition, his school attendance has
dramatically improved. His current attendance record only shows 2
missed classes as compared to more than 25 missed classes on his
previous attendance record.
For the first time
in a long time for D is experiencing success at
school. Much of his recent success is a result of the at-risk
employment program that is offered through MYEP. MYEP is not only
providing D with money but more importantly giving him the opportunity
to increase self-confidence, build a strong work ethic and to
experience success at school.
Written by: Russ
Johnson, Career Center Facilitator
West High School, Iowa City.