Whitney Fountain, Toby Kirkland, Morgan Riddle and Jenny Rodgers CYD Presentation Whitney Fountain, Toby Kirkland, Morgan Riddle and Jenny Rodgers

Vision Statement We see the city of Granite Station and the Newton community transforming to a thriving area devoted to positive youth development. By expounding on and improving the areas of education, workforce development, child care, recreational opportunities and mentorship, we believe that the people of Granite Station will have the ability and resources to reach their maximum potential. Renovating the key spaces we have and reaching out to other community resources will help kick-start the transformation. When all is done, one of our main goals is to ensure that youth of the community have the tools they need to excel.

Key Emphasis Areas Education Workforce Development Childcare Assistance Recreational Opportunities Mentorship

Stakeholders Director and staff of the Joan M. Connelly Community Center Local church leaders and members Licensed general contractor Local community volunteers Local business owners Local Town Council members or government officials Director of the Recreation and Aging Commission

Environmental Scan and SWOT Analysis Strengths Granite Station Community Nice community: parks, beaches, community center, athletics Economic mixture Many schools, parks, a museum Safety: Own police department, fire department, EMS Joan Connelly Community Center “JC” in Newtown Shows an effort in getting kids involved in recreational activities Provides day care, homework help, 3-4 computers and recreational activities Weaknesses “JC” Not enough space to help out a large part of the community 20 children approx. and 3 workers = cramped High School Dropout / Unemployment 60% dropout rate 60% young adults 19-24 unemployed

Environmental Scan and SWOT cont’d… Opportunities  Newton Elementary School – Vacant With renovation throughout the whole school this can turn into their second after school program / day care in the area. It’s spacious and can allow more than 20 children to attend Since the unemployment rate is high for 19-24 year olds, working this afterschool program can be a job opportunity for them   This can take the kids off the street to get them interested in positive activities – an opportunity to get the crime rate lower

Environmental Scan and SWOT cont’d… Threats Crime rate in Newton Higher than the whole city Greatly higher than the surrounding county There are so many unemployed young adults that have too much time to spend out on the street There are no positively challenging facilities for most of the youth to attend Children taking care of babies Siblings spend their after school time taking care of younger siblings- can result in future dropouts

Needs Assessment and Methodology Focus groups with the stakeholders (surveys) What is one way that your organization is helping the community What supplies/resources does your organization need to better help the community? Would your organization need more money and/or more volunteers to extend helping the community? Focus groups with the schools that serve Newton (faculty and staff)(surveys) What is the biggest need that you see in your students? In what way can the school help with the issues? Could offer after school classes for high school students with jobs or looking for a job (taxes, financial situations, rent, mortgage, cars, etc)

Needs Assessment and Methodology Classrooms (students K5-12th grade) (surveys and scales) What do you like/dislike most about school/community? What do you do after school? Find out the family situations for each child

Goals Outcomes and Strategies Education Goal Improve the dropout rate among Granite Station High School Students Outcome Decrease the Newtown dropout rate by 10% in five years Strategies Begin a campaign to petition for the lease of the former Newtown Elementary School to the Joan M. Connelly Community Center for one dollar per year on a ten-year renewable term Find a local general contractor that owns property in the area whose property sales would benefit from the school improvements. Have the general contractor donate his time to identify the needs and estimate the amount of money that would be needed to up fit the community center

Goals Outcomes and Strategies Education Strategies (cont…) Find local churches that would be willing to “adopt” the Joan M. Connelly Community Center. This alliance of churches would be responsible for the maintenance and utility cost of the new center. Additionally, they would commit amounts of money or in-kind donations in order to insure the former school meets occupancy requirements required by local building official Identify and recruit an after school volunteer base for homework assistance program. This would allow for the expansion of the Joan M. Connelly Community Center to serve an additional 40 kids for homework assistance within one year after completion of the facility up fit Secure grant funding or donations from local businesses to fund the purchase of 20 computers for the students and computers and office equipment for the staff and volunteers.

Goals Outcomes and Strategies Workforce Development Goal Have a positive impact on the employment rate of Newtown 19- to 24-year-olds Outcome Decrease the rate of unemployment of Newtown 19- to 24-year-olds by 10% in five years Strategies Increase the number of students that can attend after school programs that provide homework assistance as listed in the “Education” section to improve the graduation rate Implement a “Youth In Training” program at the Joan M. Connelly Community Center. The goal of the program would be to assist in the operation of the center and to help the students gain soft skills that will increase their likelihood of securing gainful employment Identify volunteers from local businesses and churches that would create apprenticeships to teach business skills to high school juniors and seniors

Goals Outcomes and Strategies Childcare Assistance Goal Improve childcare options for Newtown community members Outcome Increase the amount of affordable childcare options for Newtown community members by 20%, which should decrease the amount of students that take care of their siblings after school Strategies Work with local government officials to start a childcare assistance program through the Federal Child Care and Development Block Grant program Lobby for them to market these programs effectively in the Newtown community through flyers, churches, and local media campaigns Train volunteers at the Joan M. Connelly Community Center to provide application assistance for qualifying parents whose children attend day care programs at the community center

Goals Outcomes and Strategies Recreational Opportunities Goal Make a positive impact on recreational activities for Newtown students Outcome Increase the amount of safe recreational opportunities for students in Newtown Strategies Host a community workday to improve the playground and field space at the former Newtown Elementary School. This would include general cleaning, maintenance, and grass cutting Secure funding and volunteer time from the local churches mentioned above to restore the equipment to a usable state (i.e. basketball goals and nets, soccer goals, and football goal posts). Partner with the local recreation and aging commission to develop weekend sports leagues using the Joan M. Connelly Community Center

Goals Outcomes and Strategies Mentorship Goal Provide mentors for Newtown youth Outcome Provide Newtown youth with 20 new mentors within the next 18 months Strategies Identify possible mentors from partnering churches Recruit the Student or Family pastor at these churches to train volunteer mentors using a free mentor training resource manual There are many high-quality online resources available for mentor training Using the relationships established at the Joan M. Connelly Community Center, have community center staff pair youth with appropriate mentors Have community center staff and mentors meet once a quarter to discuss the development of the youth and ways to customize and improve the mentorship

Thank you!