RANCHO SANTIAGO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT (17) - 2012

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Recreation Center, including the Youth Health Ambassadors, history, civics, green living scholarship, fitness and Teen Library clubs as well as arts, literature, video production and graphic arts workshops and tutoring in math and reading. Half of our part time staff are involved exclusively in assisting with these projects, and are experienced and committed to the growth and development of the young people they work with (refer to attachment #13 for list of teen programs). The majority of teens hired through our grant programs have begun their contact with the library through the volunteer program (see attachment #25). Our volunteers are mentored by staff and older teens and transition age young adults (18-24), and encouraged to develop personal and academic goals and an understanding of the importance of their work to themselves and others. The library has also been unusually effective in working with probation youth volunteers. Annually, forty to fifty probation youth complete their community service at the library. Ten to fifteen of those continue volunteering at the library when their community service responsibilities are concluded. In all of our youth-centered programs, two guiding principles have been primary: The Circle of Mentoring concept and its logical successor, the Seeds to Trees concept. The first emphasizes the value to both mentor and mentee of a close and lasting supportive relationship, and the second the value of providing long- term mentoring, teaching and financial support for developing youth. These principles are the basis of our success with WIA youth in our 2011-2012 program. All full-time employees at the library are involved in mentoring the students we employ under WIA. In addition, the library has been able to supplement this personal support with organizational support in the form of educational and personal counseling, transportation to classes, and paid internships at the library. The library again plans to supplement staff experience with required attendance at appropriate InfoPeople and IMLS webinars and/or workshops on STEM, digital technology and youth development. These courses cover a variety of topics such as personnel management, grant writing, and budgeting. Among the conferences attended by staff this year is an IMLS conference on Technology in Libraries that focused on propagation of STEM content through library materials and programs. The library has also cultivated extensive interactions/partnerships with area agencies which are, or should be, working with youth, including the Orange County Probation Department, the Foster Youth Collaborative, Latino Health Access, Santa Ana Building Healthy Community Initiative, Santa Ana Community College, and local historical associations and museums. The trained staff devoted to this project has included one full-time city employee who served as Lead Case Manager and whose sole responsibility has been to implement and monitor the program. Beatriz Preciado has extensive experience working with young people and substantial organizational skills, and has been instrumental in the success of our current 2011-2012 WIA program. In addition, our Young Adult Librarian has devoted nearly half of her work time to guiding and overseeing the program. The librarian in charge of CTV-3 programming for the city has been responsible for effective cooperation with Ranch Santiago Community College District's Corporate Training Institute, with the result that class schedules and locations, content and student monitoring were implemented and problems solved promptly. She also has had oversight of the work experience of the youth participants, coordinating filming, editing, and web content design through the efforts of her staff. Additional staff has roles as tutor and project mentors (refer to attachment #11 for a list of SAPL Project staff). The efforts of these staff members have produced notable successes, especially with WIA-mandated goals. The program achieved full enrollment very early in the cycle, and has only lost one enrollee due to relocation. All participants completed the first phase of the training successfully, and were awarded certificates from Rancho Santiago Community College District testifying to their mastery of digital media preproduction skills. Our out-of-school participants are working to complete high school requirements under staff supervision, and one has already been awarded a GED. In pursuit of WIA employment development goals, participants have been able to take part in the RSCCD Young Entrepreneurs Program, which exposes youth to mechanisms and methods of increasing the marketability of their products and skills. The program is organized and running efficiently. Staff is skilled in providing the mentoring, support and monitoring required by the grant. Participants receive a well-balanced digital media training curriculum taught by qualified instructors, and receive RSCCD certificates at its conclusion. They experience the workplace and its requirements while working for the library and are paid an hourly wage. They are supported by staff and outside resources in pursuit of educational goals and needed personal counseling. The youth are Exhibit A