FY 20- HFY 1- Community Service Foundation- Empower Your Future

PM: Number/ percentage of youth who complete job readiness program at end of the program

PM: Number/ percentage of youth who complete Leadership and Self Development program

The biggest challenge that Community Services Foundation (CSF)- Empower Your Future Program is experiencing is the consistent program participation and attendance at the Oxon Hill, Maryland location.  The Oxon Hill Maryland site has fewer program participants compared to the program offered in Capitol Heights.  CSF had to establish a relationship with St. Mark AME Church in Oxon Hill in order to secure a facility to host the program. The partnership with the church was easy to develop and formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding.  However, the process of developing participants is harder to establish than the Capitol Heights location.  Each month, a staff member distributes, at least, 250 flyers throughout the community.  However, recently the shopping center that is near the site has banned the staff from distributing flyers in the parking lot as young people walk by and where they often congregate throughout the day.  To combat this, many of the businesses now allow the staff member to distribute flyers within their stores.  Additionally, CSF staff is reaching out to homeless teen organizations in DC and are asking them to refer participants to the CSF program with a focus on those participants that are also marginally housed in Prince George's County.  This is very important since the site is located closed to the DC/Prince George's County line. 

Oftentimes participants are drawn to the program because of their access to the computer lab or food items that are being given away.  These items are provided to participants through CSF's community partners who give in-kind donations to help support the program.  CSF believes that these services that are provided, coupled with our referrals of our participants to social service programs, should be considered as development programs because the program is teaching participants how to identify needs that they have, reach out for assistance from trusted sources, advocate on their behalf and to implement information that they receive.  These are important life skills that we are finding that many of the participants are missing.  CSF stated and proposed that these skills development activities should be classified under the development focus of the program as part of leadership and development.

FHY2:

PM: Number of youth who completed a Leadership and Self-Development Program

PM: Number of youth who completed the Life Skills Training Program

During FY19, community outreach was made in and around two community centers located in central Prince George’s County.  The program demonstrated that only 1/3 of youth outreached would engage with the program. As a result, the provider learned other aggressive outreach methods and other measures in order to increase participation. The were interested in life skill and self-development functions (opening checking accounts, applying for jobs, applying for apartments; personal hygiene, setting goals and breaking those goals into achievable and measurable steps). The provider expressed that some of the youth were reading on elementary school levels and were embarrassed to receive services in front of their peers.  Based on the outcome; the provider modified the program to include plans to provide more one on one academic support when possible and at varying times to accommodate the individual needs of participants. 

FHY1:  FY19 is the first year that Community Services Foundation is serving the Disconnected Youth Population. Based on the mid year data, they are definately trending in the right direction and on target to meet their target performance measures. 

Due to contractual issues this program had several setbacks so to hit their targets with a delay is a major milestone.

The program will provide 6 hours of enrichment activities each week for 32 weeks. The program will include job readiness workshops, field trips to job sites as well as recreational activities, computers for Digital Literacy Instruction, and leadership and self-development skills.

Initial outcomes for participants in transition to adulthood programs are expected to include changes in knowledge and attitudes with regard to the following:

• Educational achievement and attainment;

• Work and Self-sufficiency;

• Family Formation;

• Civic Engagement;

• Health and Safety;

• Risky Behaviors; and

• Improved Social and Emotional Development.

The program will provide services to 50 youth residing in low income and/or first generation U.S. educated households in Central Prince George’s County (Capitol Heights District 6 and Mount Rainier District 2). Youth that reside in communities surrounding Seat Pleasant High School and Central High School were targeted.

FY 20- HFY1

PM:  % of youth enrolled in post-secondary education, apprentice/training program or employed at program completion

Score card is not calculating the data. The data should be 3 youth over 27 youth = 11%