|
A
project of YMCA Youth & Family Services
Community
Collaborations
Services Include:
·
Building Bridges (school-based
counseling and case management)
·
iCHOOSE (drug awareness and
prevention campaign)
·
Balboa Youth Center & Cyber Y Technology Center
·
Y-FRIENDz (mentoring for
children of incarcerated parents)
·
RESTART (after-school program in
Juvenile Court and Community
Schools)
·
PRYDE
Building
Bridges is
a California Healthy Start Program, funded since 1992. Building Bridges
works by bringing together community partners to provide services to
families and children at or near their local school site. By bringing
programs and services to the school site, families can easily and
comfortably access the resources they need in order to be successful.
Building Bridges staff and partner agencies provide comprehensive
school-based social services, mental health, parent involvement, and
prevention programs. Program components are uniquely designed for each
school site and depend on location, available services, local need and
community input. Building Bridges currently partners with Birney, Brooklyn,
Garfield and Washington
Elementary Schools and Roosevelt Middle School. For more information,
contact Jana Holsenback at (619) 281-8313 or by email at jholsenback@ymca.org
iCHOOSE is a drug free social marketing campaign, aimed at
reducing substance abuse among youth. The iCHOOSE campaign uses many
different tools to encourage youth to live drug free lives, and to
reinforce the idea that not everyone is using drugs and alcohol. We shine
the spotlight on youth who are positive role models in their community, and
work with youth to create positive messages that they feel are
effective. For more information,
contact Jana Holsenback at (619) 281-8313 or by email at jholsenback@ymca.org
Balboa Youth Center is an innovative center that serves the youth of
the North Park and City
Heights communities.
By providing youth with a forum to express themselves artistically, we have
become the after-school home to over 50 youth each day. We provide homework
help, tutoring services, and a wide assortment of clubs including drama,
basketball, arts and crafts and many more. We also have a technology center
that youth use to create music, design websites, complete research assignments,
and much more. The youth center is run in part by the Balboa Youth
Center “Junior
Volunteers,” a youth council that meets weekly to discuss program
activities, fundraisers, field trips, and the future of the center.
Cyber Y
Technology Center is a place where youth, seniors, and their families can learn and
share valuable skills. It is a place that inspires friendship and
cooperation while promoting personal development. Our vision incorporates
technology and learning opportunities that empower youth academically and
vocationally, and strengthens the learning/teaching capability of parents
and seniors. The Cyber Y Technology Center is a place dedicated to fulfill
youths’ most pressing daily concerns - somewhere safe to go,
something positive to do, a place to make friends and learn new things; all
within the mentorship of caring, and sharing adults.
The
Cyber Y Technology Center not only provides basic computer classes to
bridge the existing digital divide, it has become a tool that empowers and gives
youth, parents, and seniors a voice to create social change in their
communities as well as personal development. They have been able to achieve
this through acquired skills and the completion of special projects, such
as the creation of the Life on the
Streets website, which gives a view of homelessness in San Diego through the eyes of the
participating youth. Please click on
the following link: http://globalschoolnet.org/programs/lifeonthestreets/index.htm
For additional
details about the Cyber Y Technology
Center, visit the following website: www.cybery.org
You may also contact
Adrian Valdez for more information at 619-281-8313 or by email at avaldez@ymca.org
Y-FRIENDz is a mentoring
program for children, ages 4-15, who have one or both parents in
prison. There are over 15,000 children of incarcerated parents living
in San Diego County! Y-FRIENDz goal is to
match the youth with a quality adult role model that they can spend time
with. Mentors, called Y-FRIENDz, give
their mentees a positive alternative to crime and substance abuse.
Alternatives may encompass activities such as sports, games, arts and
crafts, museum visits, outdoor activities and helping with homework. Partnerships are also invited to participate in monthly
recreational and cultural activities such as live theater, athletic events,
miniature golf tournaments, field trips around San Diego and more. Additionally, they work together in
community service activities to help youth understand the concept of
"giving back" to the community. Life
skills are taught as part of the monthly events and include topics such as
Dealing With Peer Pressure, Getting Along With Parents, School as a Top
Priority, Relationships and more.
Partnerships commit to
meeting 1 to 3 hours per week for a year. Afterward, they may
continue until the child turns 16. At that time, they become alumni
and may continue to participate in events and activities with the hope that
the mentee will someday become a mentor. All quality adult role
models over the age of 18 are encouraged to become mentors. Step up
to the challenge! Make a friend. Make a difference. If you are unable to be a mentor for this
new and exciting program, there are other ways that you can help. Introduce
us to an individual or organization where we can present this opportunity
or help with planning for monthly activities and events.
Anyone interested in
being a mentor or helping out in other ways, please contact Tina Reyna of
Y-FRIENDz at 619-281-8313 or by email at treyna@ymca.org
RESTART Community Learning Centers offer exciting and unprecedented after-school
programs at three regional locations. These programs are unique because they
are the first and ONLY after-school programs funded by the California
Department of Education that target the at-risk high school youth who are
in the Juvenile Court and Community School (J.C.C.S.) system in San Diego
County. The main goals of these RESTART Community Learning Centers are to
provide the essential tools that these students need to succeed in life and
to become positive members of society. We will achieve this by offering
programs that meet students’ probationary needs and provide life skills
in addition to fun activities. This includes Aggression Replacement
Training (Anger Management), community service opportunities, as well as
alcohol and tobacco cessation programs. Additionally, staff act as role
models and provide tutoring as well as fun clubs and activities that will
encourage students to participate on a regular basis.
RESTART Community Learning Centers create an environment where
students are able to RESTART their day, their month, their year, and even
their life by choosing to actively participate in programs and activities.
For more information about the RESTART Programs or to find out how YOU can
volunteer to help RESTART these youths’ lives, please contact Mike
Osoff, Program Director of RESTART Community Learning Centers at (619)
281-8313 ext. 105 or by email at mosoff@ymca.org.
PRYDE is a prevention education
curriculum component for YFS. There are 5 PRYDE teachers on staff who
teach the Celebration Curriculum (Celebrate all that binds us together).
The curriculum includes personal development, prevention and health,
service learning/global issues, and cultural awareness/current issues.
PRYDE covers many topics, such as anger management, self-esteem, community,
as well as communication skills.
Each week the focus is on a different YMCA character development
value. In addition, every year the
PRYDE program implements a county-wide public speaking contest. The PRYDE teachers make connections with
the students through this educational component in our after-school
programs that can stay with them for a lifetime. Through these lessons we
hope to help our kids grow up healthier and stronger with respect for
themselves and everyone around them.
For
more information, contact Christiana Tasto at (619) 281-8313 or by email at
ctasto@ymca.org
Additional Information:
Patrick
Spears, MSW
Director of Community Collaborations
YMCA Youth and Family Services
2929 Meade Avenue
San Diego, CA 92116
Phone:
619-281-8313 x106
Fax: 619-281-8324
Email: pspears@ymca.org
|
