Laserfiche WebLink
Orange County Youth Commission <br />Santa.4na, California <br />We have always encouraged parent involvement. We welcome them to observe <br />the activities in the boxing club and to assist with our after-school programs. <br />However, we are serving a community where mothers and fathers are both <br />working two or three jobs. Consequently, many are not available to become <br />involved other than to speak with the tutor/mentor or with the boxing <br />coachlmentor. So, we have beginning and ending of school events and invite the <br />parents to these events to get to know them and have open communication with <br />them. Parents and family are always invited to the boxing tournaments. Anthony <br />has successfully developed trust and communication with parents and family <br />members. Many of the parents call him for counsel when they have a problem <br />with their adolescent (e.g., drug/alcohol use, school involvement, social conflict). <br />Anthony is a licensed Drug/Alcohol Counselor, so he has been able to <br />successfully intervene to prevent these youth in continued substance abuse. <br />Placement in Jobs or Continuing Education <br />We actively refer working-age youth to local job opportunities and instruct them in <br />applying for jobs, such as part-time employment to complement their schooling. <br />One of our guest speakers, an owner of a mattress company, hired one of our <br />participants, and another was hired at a counseling center after job-shadowing <br />one of our staff. <br />Currently, we have two prior or regular boxing club members who are paid <br />employees. We plan to continue this practice of providing work experience to <br />promising young men and women in our program. <br />Follow-up and Retention <br />As clients exit the program, we will follow-up to make sure they are progressing <br />in their personal goals and working toward employment and career training. We <br />currently have approximately 11 WIA exits, for which we are following up on a <br />monthly basis. Some continue to attend the boxing club. We plan to call clients <br />monthly after they exit to see how they are doing, provide on-going counseling <br />and invite them to boxing club activities, including field trips and community <br />project events. Hopefully, many of them will stay in the boxing program after <br />they have completed their year with us. Clients who have exited the program will <br />be invited to different inspirational events and activities as well as field trips and <br />community service activities. <br />During follow-up calls, staff will provide individual counseling to encourage youth <br />to continue to seek a higher education. Mr. Serrano will use this time to assess <br />whether the youth is experiencing obstacles to meeting life goals for higher <br />education. He will then refer student to appropriate assistance (e.g., drug/alcohol <br />15 <br />