| Project Descriptions |
| Four Oaks/Detention Alternative Program (DAP) | ||
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Click here for web site The Detention Alternation Program provides a community-based diversion to placement in a detention center for youth who have committed delinquent acts in Johnson County. DAP provides community based structure and supervision to delinquent youth pending adjudication/disposition in juvenile court. DAP has two key outcomes goals: first, to provide a successful diversion to a detention placement; second, to assure additional crimes are not committed by youth during the course of their participation. Housed on the site of Four Oak’s Phase Supervised Community Treatment Program, youth participating in DAP will be supervised in a structured milieu, and will have opportunities to attend social skills, anger management, and moral reasoning groups during hours after school until 8PM. Additionally, as needed, these youth may be Tracked or experience electronic monitoring at other hours of the day. |
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| Four Oaks/Pursuing Adventures in Learning (PAL) Program | ||
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Click here for web site The PAL Program is an after-school and all-day summer program for children ages 6-13 who have been diagnosed with a behavioral disorder and/or a developmental delay. Usually they are unable to function successfully in a regular daycare or summer program, but have the potential for success in a setting with higher staff ratios, more structure, and individualized goal setting. The purpose is to assist families to provide opportunities for their children to meet their educational, developmental, and behavioral needs. Families and children are supported to prevent out-of-home placement whenever possible. A Family Support Specialist and Program Coordinator work closely with families to support positive family functioning. A Parent Support Group meets twice a month and Family Fun Nights are offered throughout the year to decrease a sense of isolation. |
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| Mid-Eastern Council on Chemical Abuse (MECCA) | ||
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Click here for web site The JJYD funds will be used to support a 0.32 FTE substance abuse counselor at City High School, and a 0.32 FTE substance abuse counselor at West High School. These site based counselors will provide information, education, assessment, and referral to students, parents, and school staff. Activities will include individual substance abuse evaluations, classroom presentations, ongoing groups, and consultation. Funds will also be used to cover the cost of local mileage for the site based counselors. |
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| Iowa City Community School District | ||
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Click here for web site JJYD Funds support the Student Advocate/Juvenile Court Liaison Program at South East Junior High, and the Grant Wood Family Resource Center, and provides funding for bus passed and supplies to support students’ connection to school. The Student Advocate/Juvenile Court Liaison Program is a collaboration with the ICCSD, JJYD and the 6th Judicial Juvenile Court Office. The program provides support to students who are currently involved with juvenile court, as well as services to students identified by the school to prevent involvement with the juvenile court. The Student Advocate meets with students individually and in small groups, connects them with after school activities and other community resources, provides bus passes and organizes community service activities. The Student Advocate is a liaison between home, school, community agencies and juvenile court so that services for the students are coordinated. Expected outcomes include: reduced number of students who re-offend, increased attendance among truant students, decreased disciplinary actions, increased academic performance. The Grant Wood Family Resource Center (FRC) provides support services to students and families to strengthen parents’ and students’ connection to school. The FRC Director provides informal counseling, assists with basic needs such as clothing and school supplies, provides information and referral and offers after school activities for students to build academic and social skills and increase their connection to school. Expected outcomes include increased student attendance, parents reporting greater connection to school and increased access to services. |
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| Big Brothers Big Sisters | ||
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Click here for web site The School-Based Mentoring will be starting its 5th year. The program provides mentoring to a total of 170 elementary school students attending the following schools: Horace Mann, Grant Wood, Lone Tree, Longfellow, Penn, Robert Lucas, Roosevelt, and Van Allen. Students are referred by school teachers, principals, and counselors. Mentors are thoroughly screened, interviewed, and attend an orientation. Mentors meet with children once a week for an hour during the school day, in a designated location in the school, throughout the school year. Once the volunteer and child are matched, the School Based Mentoring Specialist checks in with both the child and volunteer regularly to make sure everything is going well with the match, offer activity ideas and suggestions, and help with problems that may arise. At the end of the school year, the teachers and mentors evaluate the match and note positive outcomes for the child. Evaluation elements include the child’s: self confidence, ability to express feelings, ability to make decisions, sense of the future, attitude toward school, school performance, school attendance, showing trust toward the volunteer or teacher, relationship with peers, relationship with other adults, as well as several other areas. |
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| Domestic Violence Intervention Program | ||
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Click here for web site JJYD funds help support a Youth Services Coordinator Staff position. The duties of Youth Services Coordinators include facilitation of the Love Notes Parent Support Program; implementing youth activities and discussion groups that run concurrently to the adult groups as well as provide individual advocacy for both parents and children that includes critical child welfare advocacy. The Youth Services Coordinator creates and implements support groups that provide education and emotional support to youth in areas of concern such as feelings, self-esteem, and responsibility for violence, anger and conflict management as well as violence within families. Group uses art, music and movement exercises to explore self -expression as well as personal accountability and responsibility. Support Group topics include: • Becoming a Supportive Person • Choosing Equality and Respect • Recognizing Abusive Relationships • Skills for Healthy Relationships The Youth Services Coordinator facilitates a bully prevention curriculum that includes class discussions, role plays, case studies, writing exercises, reading assignments, art activities, and independent observation projects. The lessons are designed to give youth a way to work through the gray areas of joking around, teasing and bullying as well as help identify ways in which to help those who are being bullied, figure out their role as a bystander and contribute to a “bully-proof” environment. The youth have the opportunity to explore physical, cultural and value differences and learn to judge people by their actions, not their looks; utilize creative problem-solving; identify adults who they can trust and differentiate between “tattling” and disclosing to protect yourself or someone. This curriculum is implemented both in support group and the ICCSD literacy program. The course continues to run weekly and is a favorite of the children. On several occasions, DVIP facilitators have received praise for their ability to tackle a difficult subject with children who have demonstrated little interest or have great difficulty in school. |
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| Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County | ||
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Click here for web site JJYD funds support community-based programs for school-aged youth, programs for families, and programs for the communities in which NCJC operates. Programs for School-aged Youth • Teen programs at Broadway and Pheasant Ridge; • Weekly tutoring programs at Broadway and Pheasant Ridge • Afterschool programs at Broadway, Pheasant Ridge and Clear Creek Programs for Families • Quarterly parent and family visits for school-aged youth and teens • Transportation and outreach to school events • Parent groups at Broadway and Pheasant Ridge, including breakfast support groups, getting your child prepared for school Programs for Communities • Monthly family/neighborhood events at Broadway, Pheasant Ridge and Clear Creek including back-to-school nights, summer cook-outs • Quarterly community events, neighborhood at 3 sites, including “Meet the Candidates” • Welcome packets for newcomers |
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| United Action for Youth | ||
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Click here for web site JJYD funds assist to operate and maintain the Youth Center in Downtown Iowa City and to provide youth development activities in other community locations in Johnson County. The Youth Center will be open weekly, Monday through Saturday afternoons, three evenings for drop-in, and at other times for special events and programs. Activities at the center include electronic music recording and use of the music studio; arts instruction in a variety of art media and youth organized exhibits in the art gallery and community sites; weekend performance events and band-shows; peer helping programs, the TeenLine, and support for youth civic engagement; drop-in counseling and skill building groups. Additional similar activities will be conducted in community sites weekly and in collaboration with the University of Iowa, UAY will conduct outdoor activities on the ropes course, MacBride Field campus, and in area parks. JJYD funds are used in part as match for the federal Youth Development National Demonstration grant and other state grants. The efforts are also linked to other prevention programs including the DHS Pregnancy Prevention, and the Comprehensive Prevention program UAY does in collaboration with MECCA. The project utilizes help from AmeriCorps members, if available, in collaboration with Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County. It is also supported by the Communities of Promise initiative of the Governor’s Office and ISU Extension. |
