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

2. 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.

3. Key Emphasis Areas Education Workforce Development
Childcare Assistance
Recreational Opportunities
Mentorship

4. 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

5. 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 unemployed

6. 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 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

7. 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

8. 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)

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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.

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. Thank you!