O.C. YOUTH COMMISSION 5 -2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Exhibit A WIA 2006-2007 PROPOSAL NARRATIVE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY DESIGN & RESPONSIVENESS OF PROGRAM Target Group: The target population is defined as junior and high school students between the ages of 14 and 18 who are or were considered "at-risk" of academic failure, gang involvement, criminal/deviant behavior and/or substance abuse. The majority ofthese youth came to us deficient in basic academic skills (e.g., reading, writing, math, grammar) All require individual counseling and/or mentoring service to accomplish educational goals. Many have past gang involvement. Others have been suspended or expelled from school at one time or another. Some of are members of families on welfare The majority is potential school "drop-outs." Every element of our after-school programs is geared to prevent school "drop-out" The numbers of youth that attend the boxing club fluctuate; however, we serve approximately 30 to 35 youth. They all live within inner city limit of Santa Ana, California, designated as a high crime area. Those youth who will participate under this grant are legal US. residents who reside in Santa Ana, California and are members of low-income families. They all presently attend the Orange County Youth Commission's (OCYC) After-School Boxing Club All of these youth require incentives to participate and some of these youth are on probation, or in foster care. Many of these youth live with relatives other than father and mother and many have only one parent. Recruitment: Anthony Serrano, Sport Club Director and Isabel Monje, After-School Club Director contact and meet with junior and high school administrators for the purpose of introducing them to our after-school clubs, which include the boxing club. We not only get referrals for Santa Ana school administrators/teachers, but we get referrals from California Hispanic Commission and Teen Challenge. Recently, we haye had media attention from the Orange County Register and Channel 7 Eye Witness News This media attention has served to inform the Santa Ana residents of the boxing club. Moreover, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and US. Representative Loretta Sanchez have indicated an interest in visiting our boxing club. If, indeed, they do visit our club, the resulting media attention from their visits will again serve to infonn the community about the availability of our program to their youth. Nonetheless, we do not rely on these venues as our only recruitment options. We also reach out to other local community organizations and business for mentors and referrals. The California Hispanic Commission and Teen Challenge currently refer youth to our programs. 1