ORANGE COUNTY CONSERVATION CORPS (8)

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interventions. OCCC staff also call youth, providing mentoring services and counseling support to problem solve issues, provide referrals to address specific needs, as well as provided supportive services to address further barriers. OCCC staff provide pick up points at various locations throughout Santa Ana, Anaheim and Buena Park to help with transportation barriers. OCCC staff link parenting youth to various childcare providers including Orange County Head Start. OCCC supports mental health issues with directly linking youth to the Health Care Agency Behavioral Health Services for intakes and assessments. OCCC refers youth to several domestic violence shelters and hotlines to support young men and woman, provide psychoeducation regarding the "Cycle of Violence" and the negative effects of violence in the household on early childhood development. Program Specialist for OCCC's Anaheim WBD Grant are led by Ms. Veronica Yepez. Ms. Yepez own life experiences include domestic violence, low-income housing and now she possess the skills to help mentor, guide, and counsel youth to succeed in completing program outcomes. Ms. Yepez recently was honored as a guest speaker at the Ruth House of Hope and shared her own survival story from domestic violence. Ms. Yepez has served youth at OCCC for 8 years. Ms. Yepez also has a Bachelor's of Science in Accounting. She is a talented and passionate role model for the young adults, especially those experiencing "hotspots". Ms. Yepez has years of experience in dealing with crisis situations. OCCC and CCPA provide quarterly back to school celebration events, as all the past students are given specific information needed to continue their educational goals. Staff BBQ and often hold icebreaker activities, complete tours and do everything in our power to re-engage youth in educational and employment programs. OCCC Program Manager Susan Soria often collaborates with local organizations, as she recently was able to get the radio station 97.1 to host a back to school event, which was featured on their radio station, and the campus held a friendly staff vs. Corpsmembers basketball game. OCCC holds Youth Advisory monthly meetings to address improvement of services, increased participation of youth in programs, and innovation within the OCCC. Dropout recovery is also addressed in these advisory meetings, in which OCCC youth present ways to better improve retention services. OCCC have raised funds to host a "prom" night, which Working Wardrobes was able to collaborate in donating dresses for the ladies, and suits for the men. The event provided retention services, providing a lot of excitement for the youth who dropped out of school and were never able to attend their own prom. The event was ultimately a success, and featured in the Orange County Register. The Corps job readiness and workforce preparedness training incorporates the SCANS Foundation Skills and the development of effective personal qualities: Basic Skills: Corpsmembers will become competent in reading, writing, mathematics, speaking and listening. Thinking Skills: Corpsmembers will develop the ability to think creatively, to learn, to reason, to make decisions and to solve programs. Personal Qualities and Leadership Skills: Corpsmembers will develop individual responsibility, self-esteem, self -management, self-control, stress management, sociability and integrity through OCCC participation. OCCC collaborates with the local Universities and Colleges to provide internship opportunities. Internships include students completing social work hours, organization development, and