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Orange County Youth Commission <br />Santa Ana, California <br />A major incentive for youth to focus on homework and academics is that it is the key to <br />boxing team membership. Boxing team membership serves as incentive to raise grades. <br />In turn, achieving the higher GPA becomes an driving incentive. Our unique approach to <br />character development (see element # 6) provides the necessary tools to achieve and do <br />well in both academic and career pursuits. And the teaching/mentoring from staff and <br />business/community professionals give them insight and connections needed to help them <br />along their chosen path. <br />We have Eleven years of experience with the boxing program and we are completing our <br />fourth year as a WIA youth-serving agency achieving the majority of the performance <br />goals. Students have raised their grades and gained a greater sense of self-esteem. <br />Element Number 4: As appropriate paid and unpaid work experience, including <br />internships and job shadowing. <br />An emphasis on older age youth, the Orange County Youth Commission is adding a new <br />employment mentoring component to move the young people into career exploration, job <br />shadowing and on-site youth internships. Along with this component our youth are <br />gaining successful life skills, education, and employment goal-setting with goal <br />attainment activities. Individual mentors will come to the boxing club gym and share <br />their experience in their professions describing what they do at work, and how they <br />prepared themselves for their positions. We will be seeking out mentors from a variety of <br />employment situations. Monthly we will have the Student clients and other interested <br />students listen to different presentation given by the different mentors. A compiled list of <br />employment interests will also be given to WIA students. Students will then be assigned <br />by the boxing club staff to one of the adult mentors with the goal of linking them to <br />mentors who share the same interests and desired employment pathways. It is valuable <br />for the client -Students to listen to a variety of different life stories, employment <br />opportunities and challenges. <br />Students will be asked to discuss life lessons with their mentors making the lessons <br />interactive. The Clients will be asked to attend classes for 12 consecutive weeks. The <br />lessons will be designed to be interactive as students will be asked to meet in small <br />groups and discuss the lessons with their mentors. Topics of discussion will include <br />anger management, financial responsibility with such topics as saving, budgeting, <br />banking, credit cards, planning for emergencies, and retirement, family relationships, and <br />avoiding negative influences from drug abuse, alcoholism, gang involvement and <br />premarital sex. Additionally clients will learn how to seek help, engage in proper <br />recreation, learn decision making skills and engage in goal setting activities. Students <br />will set individual personal goals with their mentors looking at immediate, intermediate <br />and long term goals. Together the clients and the mentors will chart a plan to achieve <br />their individual goals. Our adult mentors will hold these young people accountable to <br />specific activities that will help them reach their immediate goals and move them towards <br />their intermediate and long term vision. One follow up call will be made by the mentor a <br />month after the goal setting and goal achieving activities are over. After that staff at the <br />boxing club will continue with follow up monthly phone calls to check if they are on <br />track with working toward their life goal, or achieving meaningful employment. <br />4 <br />EXHIBIT A