POWER OF ONE CRISTIN CASTIGLIA EDU 635 WEEK 6 FINAL PROJECT INSTRUCTOR JAMES WOODWARD

MY PURPOSE The purpose of my initiative, vision and mission is to help the quality of life of the homeless youth population in Malta, New York. As there are already various resources and homeless shelters for homeless youth in the area, I would like to add on to these resources and provide services to make the time spent at the shelters a quality experience. My goal is to provide homeless youth with a healthy lifestyle while in transition back to a safe home by providing a garden they can eat from and help grow if they would like. This process brings the youth a sense of belongingness, and a sense of purpose back into their lives.

EXTERNAL ASSETS Support Homeless youth within the community need tremendous amounts of support to be provided with a safe and healthy place to go when they are unable to be in their homes. There are various reasons why youth are homeless, and it is the responsibility of the adults in the community to be there to support this population when in need. This asset is selected because when a child does not have their family support, it is important for the community to be there for them to make sure they receive any services necessary. Empowerment To provide youth with a sense of empowerment, youth need to feel that adults in the community value youth, and to be valued, we need to best serve homeless youth in the area with the best possible resources and services available. Providing a safe place for youth to come when they are in need shows youth that they are valued, and can feel safe when they are not safe in their homes. Boundaries and Expectations As a homeless youth may not have their family’s expectations, it is now an expectation that the community and other adults in the area take responsibility to model positive and responsible behavior for the youth. Through this process, homeless youth may take steps to transition back into their homes in a positive and healthy way.

INTERNAL ASSETS Positive Values A youth who becomes homeless has integrity, and will stand up for what they believe in to make sure they have a better life for themselves. It is important to highlight positive values within homeless youth, and to understand they possess all positive values as human beings. Positive Identity A homeless youth may lose sight of their personal power, but through programs helping this population, rehabilitation can help them to gain positive self-esteem, and sense of purpose in their lives. Homeless youth need to build a positive view for their futures, and these services and resources can help youth to reach that.

POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT Initiative will support a positive environment for homeless youth by providing them with a safe and healthy place to stay while they are in transition of their homes, or new home. The vegetable garden will create a positive environment that will allow the homeless youth to take part in something they find to be meaningful, and will build a sense of belongingness to the culture within the shelter during their time there. I believe this initiative will be able to enhance the current homeless shelters in the area to provide the youth with a positive sense of identity and build on their positive core values.

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Categories of Human Development Importance and Support in the Community Organizations in the Community EXTERNAL ASSETS Support Youth need support to have support for adults for various developmental needs. The YMCA in the local community provides external support for youth in the community. YMCA Mission: The Saratoga Regional YMCA promotes youth development and healthy living through various modalities. Contact Information: West Avenue Saratoga Springs, NY Phone: Empowerment Youth at-risk need to have individuals within the community to empower them when they may feel they do not have the resources to help themselves to safety. The Saratoga Center for the Family provides numerous services to meet the needs of those in the community who may need empowerment and to feel safe. The Saratoga Center for the Family Mission: Saratoga Center for the Family works to build stronger families in Saratoga County through mental health counseling, child advocacy and prevention programs. Contact Information: Ballston Avenue Saratoga Springs, NY Phone: Boundaries and Expectations Youth should have boundaries and expectations within their families, school, and neighborhood to take responsibility of any actions they take. The model the community takes is that both parents and teachers have high expectations for youth. Franklin Community Center Mission: Franklin Community Center in the city of Saratoga Springs believes children hold the key to the future of our community, but not every child has that special person to guide them along the way. Through Project Lift, a free, after-school prevention program for youth in grades 1-5, children are provided with the role models and education needed to help set them on a more positive developmental path. Contact Information: 10 Franklin Street Saratoga Springs, NY Constructive Use of Time Creating well-rounded environment and community for youth to experience is essential to their development, such as creative activities, recreational activities, religious communities if applicable, and time spent with family. The local Boys and Girls Club offers various programs for recreation and creativity. The Boys and Girls Club Mission: The Mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Schenectady is to help youth of all backgrounds with special concern for those from disadvantaged circumstances, develop the qualities needed to become responsible citizens and leaders. Contact Information: Van Vranken Ave Schenectady, NY (518)

Categories of Human Development Importance and Support in the Community Organizations in the Community INTERNAL ASSETS Commitment to Learning Youth need to have a connection to their school to be engaged through homework, school involvement, and their academic achievement. Programs designed to highlight students to “read for fun” are excellent for youth development. Franklin Community Center Mission: Franklin Community Center in the city of Saratoga Springs believes children hold the key to the future of our community, but not every child has that special person to guide them along the way. Through Project Lift, a free, after-school prevention program for youth in grades 1-5, children are provided with the role models and education needed to help set them on a more positive developmental path. Contact Information: 10 Franklin Street Saratoga Springs, NY Positive Values Youth should possess numerous values such as caring, equality and social justice, integrity, honesty, responsibility, and restraint. Local schools practice the “Character Counts” programs for students to learn about positive values. Character Counts Program Mission: To improve the ethical quality of society by changing personal and organizational decision making and behavior. Contact Information: Airport Blvd., Suite 300 Los Angeles CA Social Competence It is important for youth to experience a diverse group of quality friendships, interpersonally, and understand how to resolve conflicts. Within the community, youth have access to school-based services to promote positive and healthy friendships. Parson’s School Based Clinic Mission: Parsons Child and Family Center and the Saratoga Springs Central School District are partners in the development of a wrap around clinic to support families within our school district. This clinic is designed to provide a variety of services to school-aged students and their families who have social, emotional, or behavioral needs. Contact Information: 3 Blue Streak Blvd Saratoga Springs, NY Positive Identity Youth should have a sense of personal power, positive self-esteem, and a positive vision for their future. Parents, schools and various programs such as the YMCA and The Boys and Girls Club help to empower youth in the community. YMCA Mission: The Saratoga Regional YMCA promotes youth development and healthy living through various modalities. Contact Information: West Avenue Saratoga Springs, NY Phone:

COMMUNICATION GUIDE CommunityPositionOn SocialMedia AgeElementary School (K – Fifth Grade) Middle School (Grades 6-8) High School (Grades 9 – 12) Type of Communication Guidelines for Personal Use Children in this age group should stick to age-appropriate websites, and should have strong safety features on these websites. If children interested in getting a Facebook or Twitter, it should be up to the parents of the child first. If they are at least 13 years old with parent permission, make sure that the children have advanced privacy settings, and are not using their location. Also, have a conversation with your child about what is appropriate, and he or she should and should not post on their social media account. Talk to your children about the seriousness of social media, and that anyone can view their pages. Also keep children aware of what is appropriate, and again to not use their location when posting, especially at home since that can be dangerous. Type of Communication for School or Community Use Social media is a great tool for parents of elementary school students to use to communicate with there teachers to see what they are doing during school. Facebook or Twitter can be used to communicate events, clubs, sports, and other activities for middle school students. Some of the best professional development opportunities for educators take place as a result of interactions in social media spaces” (Ferriter, Sheninger & Ramsden, 2010). As high school students have a lot of new opportunities in their lives, Facebook or Twitter can help communicate these opportunities to them, such as summer jobs, or college scholarships.

REFERENCES Ferriter, B., Sheninger, E., & Ramsden, J. (2010). Social media in schools. Retrieved from cial%20Media%20in%20Schools cial%20Media%20in%20Schools Search Institute. Retrieved from institute.org/Search Institutehttp:// institute.org/