O.C. YOUTH COMMISSION 6 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Exhibit A Orange County Youth Commission Santa Ana, California WIA 2007-2008 PROPOSAL NARRATIVE ABOUT THE PROGRAM EXEeUTlVE SUMMARY The Santa Ana Boxing Club is a unique asset in our community that draws teenagers to the exciting sport of boxing and the opportunity to become part of the Santa Ana Boxing Club Team. The purpose of the Club is to provide vulnerable, low-income youth with a safe, motivating environment and the necessary expertise and resources to strengthen their academic performance and build their character and leadership potential. The elub is an inviting, supportive environment for youth -- particularly at-risk youth -- as it provides professional boxing instruction coupled with focused academic tutoring, leadership development and individual counseling. The Club is also a site for mentoring and job development. Efforts are geared to preparing youth for successful high school graduation, post-secondary education, employment and self-sufficiency. Thus, this program mirrors the goals of WIA. The Santa Ana Boxing Club provides boxing training, academic tutoring and character education ill a historic boxing facility at 901 E. Fourth Street. The boxing gym is open weekdays from 3 to 4 p.m. for tutoring, and 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. for boxing skill instruction. This program focuses on developing discipline, sportsmanship, as well as boxing skills. Teens compete in boxing tournaments and gain perseverance and self- confidence. The boxing club also has an intensive tutoring program five days a week one hour prior to the boxing practice. The Boxing Club Director is a certified drug and alcohol rehabilitation counselor and a certified boxing coach with USA Boxing. We invite successful business people and community leaders to share their stories with the youth. They share about their professions, the lessons they have learned and mistakes they have made, inspiring our young people, exposing them to career options and showing them how to attain their dreams. Speakers often stay to answer individual questions and have one-on-one discussions with the teens. The gym is unique, and old historical street boxing gym, Clients are attracted to the exciting environment of students boxing in the boxing ring, punching bags, jumping rope and working out on equipment and with weights. Computers and a tutoring section of the gym enable clients to have a suitable place to study and do homework. Target Group: We serve the neediest youth from the community. Their families are low-income and all are in need of academic support and positive experiences. The target populatjon is defIDed as junior and high school students, who are "In-School Youth" between the ages of 14 and 18 who are or were considered "at-dsk" of academic failure, gang involvement, criminal/deviant behavior and/or substance abuse. The majority of these youth come to us deficient in basic academic skills (e.g., reading, writing, math, grammar). All require