Redwood City`s Youth Agenda

Redwood City’s Youth Agenda
Educate, Empower, Enrich
First Quarter 2011
Who are we and what is the Redwood City Youth Agenda?
We are a collaboration of the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department (PRCS),
the Library, the Police Department, and the City Manager’s Office. We provide extensive
programs and services that educate, empower and enrich the youth of our community. It is our
Purpose to “Build a Great Community Together”, and we believe that providing quality
education, recreation, health and safety services that help kids to succeed, are the building
blocks necessary to meet our Purpose.
The Youth Agenda team focuses on collaborative strategic planning to maximize effectiveness
and share each department’s expertise and resources. Several collaborative programs have
been implemented and many more are planned. And more importantly, new programs and
services are not planned and implemented in isolation. Examples of this collaborative approach
include: “Bookstock”; after school tutoring and active learning programs; teen activities;
truancy training by the Police Department; and inter-departmental community communication
of our services and programs.
The City Council has developed Strategic Initiatives which represent areas of focus for the entire
City. Strategic Initiatives are high-level policy areas, and are generally reviewed every five
years. They serve as a guide to help focus the efforts of the City Council, the City’s Boards,
Committees, and Commissions, and City Staff, and offer guidance to effectively align resources
and priorities.
The current Strategic Initiatives are: Effective and Efficient Service Delivery; Community
Building and Communications; Economic Development; Public Safety; Transportation; and
Youth.
Why Youth?
Bringing our community’s youth issues into the forefront through programs and policies that
support youth development, education, after school care, family support, and enrichment; and
creating partnerships with our youth, recognizing youth as an asset that enhance the quality of
life for all members of our community.
“Children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future” – John F. Kennedy
What are we doing to support Redwood City Youth?
Every day, the Library; the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department; the Police
Department; and the City Manager’s Office support youth in Redwood City. We intentionally
focus on five main supports and opportunities that young people need to experience in a youth
development program in order to move towards positive long-term outcomes. They are:
Safety, so young people feel:
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Physically and emotionally secure.
Supportive Relationships, so young people can experience:
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Guidance, emotional and practical support
Adults and peers knowing who they are and what's important to them
Meaningful Youth Involvement, so that young people can:
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Be involved in meaningful roles with responsibility,
Have input into decision-making,
Have opportunities for leadership, and
Feel a sense of belonging.
Skill Building, so that young people can have:
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Challenging and interesting learning experiences which help them build a wide array of
skills, and
Experience a sense of growth and progress.
Community Involvement, so that young people gain:
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An understanding of the greater community, and
A sense of being able to make an impact in their community.
Youth Development Framework
As depicted below, the Youth Development Framework for Practice provides a clear path
from nine clearly-defined organizational practices to the desired outcome of young adults
who have achieved economic self-sufficiency, healthy human relationships and positive
community involvement. It has become an invaluable tool for organizational change,
program design, staff development, program assessment and strategic planning and
decision-making within organizations and across the youth services community. Together,
we make links between these supports and opportunities and the organizational practices
necessary to support quality youth programming.
Developed by the Community Youth Development Initiative (John Gardner Center for Youth)
Examples of what we do to support OUR Youth:
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70 teen and adult casual employees, supervised by 8 adult Recreation Coordinators,
provide quality after school programs at 8 different school campuses where we serve
over 1,000 children a day. We provide students with homework support, recreation
enrichment, community services opportunities, and life skills.
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Teen Advisory Board (9 -12 grades) consist of 31 members from surrounding high
schools. This group volunteer approximately 986 hours from September through June
on various community service projects, and programs for teens. This past year, Teen
Advisory Board collaborative with John Gill After School Program to provide “STORIES”
Student teaching others reading in elementary schools.
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Youth Advisory Board (6th, 7th and 8th grades) consists of 14 members from the greater
areas of Redwood City. This group volunteer approximately 1,232 hours from
September through June on various activities and programs for youth. Youth Advisory
Board was recognized this year by receiving the “Bronze Medal” for outstanding efforts
in helping to reduce youth obesity, from the California Governor’s Council on Physical
Fitness and Sports for their program “Stay Fit & Play A
Bit”.
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Leader in Training Program provides teens age 13 15years of age the opportunity to learn hands on job
training. In addition, they attend workshops on
leadership, teambuilding, interviewing tips, and how
to fill out a job application. Teens who have
completed our LIT program for two years has an
higher success rate of getting a position within the
Parks and Recreation Department and other
organizations.
SAFE Program operates at Sequoia High School with 21st Century Funds in collaboration
with City 2020 and Sequoia High School. Teen staff brings recreation classes and
program to teens on campus. We offer Baseball/Softball, Dance, gym activities, Wii
fitness, geo-caching, horseback riding, and more. We provide a safe place for hundreds
of teens after school on campus.
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The Police Department’s Juvenile Specialist administers the Juvenile Diversion Program.
The program diverts youthful first time offenders from the traditional criminal justice
system. It gives the participants a real opportunity to correct their mistakes, take full
responsibility for their actions and to repair the damage they have caused. Diversion
requires these “at risk” youth to participate in programs that are designed to increase
their competencies. Intervention can consist of individual counseling, family mediation,
drug and alcohol prevention classes, gang prevention trainings, life skills classes or
referrals to academic tutorial services.
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The Police Department, in collaboration with Juvenile Probation and the Police
Activities League, provide laser tattoo removal for those youth and young adults who
no longer identify with gangs. In exchange for community service, tattoos are removed
free of charge.
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The Police Department offers Drug Abuse Resistance Education classes (D.A.R.E.). This
is a school based early intervention program that is facilitated by police officers.
Children from kindergarten through 12th grade learn how to resist peer pressure and
live productive drug and violence-free lives.
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The School Resource Officer at Sequoia High School and our part-time School Resource
Officers at middle schools provide accessibility and one-on-one contact opportunities
for youth who seek mentoring or guidance.
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This past summer the City Manager’s Office started the Redwood City Verde
Ambassador Program, which is a summer youth workforce development program for
Redwood City teens. The program employed 12 Redwood City High School students and
2 college leads and were trained on environmental education, emerging green jobs, and
community building education.
“Juvenile Street Crime has been reduced by 44% from 2009 to 2010 and we can attribute much of this to
the outstanding youth programs in Redwood City.” - Lou Cobarruviaz, Redwood City Police Chief
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The Juvenile Specialist facilitates gang prevention training that is designed to provide
communities and families with the information, resources and contacts necessary to
identify gang activity and help make a difference.
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The Verde Youth Volunteer Corps is an environmentally focused community service
group of 15 high school students from Redwood City high schools. They participate in a
variety of different volunteer activities in Redwood City and on the peninsula.
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All Kindergarteners receive a library card through our KinderCard Campaign, an annual
program that works to ensure every kid in Redwood City kindergarten—public and
private—gets a library card. It’s really proven to help young kids develop an early love of
reading and learning, and to understand that their library is theirs!
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72,980 Redwood City library cards are active, including 18,353 children.
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900,000 children’s materials were borrowed annually, or 2,500 a day!
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The ‘Lil Learner Preschool program provides young toddlers ages 2.5 -5 years of age
opportunity to interact with other kids their ages, develop their motor skills, and
preparing them for Kindergarten. In addition, we offer a Spanish immersion pre-school
programs which give toddlers the early opportunity to begin to be bi-lingual in English
and Spanish.
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This year, Traveling Storytime Program volunteers read 19,600 times at the city’s
preschools and daycares. Reading to young children has proven to be a leading indicator
of future school success.
“I see a better attitude coming from those students in after school program.” – Fair Oaks School Teacher
“My students feel extremely supported by the Youth Development Leaders who run the after school program.”
– Hawes School Teacher
“Kids in the after school program behave better and have more respect.” – PRCS Site Coordinator
“One of our more trouble-some teens, one who has been removed from Sequoia High School,
had a very honest discussion with Project READ staff about the choices he has in life. He is now
matched with a first grader to tutor! He has done a complete turn-a-round in attitude; and to see
this very rough looking kid become very nervous before he meets his first grader, is a sight to
see! He has since been reinstated at Sequoia. The power of caring adults in our community!”
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Numerous specials events are offered throughout the year that are youth and family
focused and helps build community. From Downtown Events (such as Target Family
Days, Movies on the Square, Fiestas Patrias, Mother’s Day celebration, Pet Parade) to
Library events (such as movie nights, puppet theater, Harry Potter book nights) to
Halloween Spooktacular and Make Time for Fitness event at Red Morton Park –
thousands are served.
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Five Family Author Nights, a terrific collaboration between the library and schools,
brings learning into the home, with author events and free books for classroom
instruction. The Library was honored by the Redwood City School District in recognition
of the “valuable contributions made to the District” by the Family Author Nights. But the
real impact is most satisfyingly summed up by the remark of a Garfield teacher who
came to the library the day after and told us “You know, that was the biggest deal for
my students all year.”
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This school year our web-based online one-on-one homework help site augments our
city’s homework centers with our students interacting with expert real time assistance.
The average session was an hour, and mostly used by middle and high schoolers. These
grades are very difficult to help in our city’s homework centers due to the difficulty of
some of the material.
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Over 3,000 youth and parents participated in the Reading, Listening, Parents, and Baby
Clubs this summer that encourages children and their parents to make reading and/or
listening to stories an integral part of their summer activities, a key indicator of school
success.
“The single most significant factor influencing a child’s early
educational success is an introduction to books and being read to at
home prior to beginning school.” - Richard C. Anderson
The 2nd floor Library Learning Center, which includes the
Teen Center and Project READ has experienced a tremendous
growth this year allowing us to serve an average over 250
teens, children and families daily. With the help of our Teen
Advisory Council, volunteers and staff, we now have a
continuum of educational services for our youth from 1st grade through high school
which include homework help, literacy intervention, college preparation information
and varied art projects. We’ve also created a collaborative space for parents, teens and
community volunteers.
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Youth used library computers over 350,000 times to do homework and access the
Internet. In a national study on libraries, half of the nation’s 14- to 18-year-olds reported
that they used a library computer during the past year, typically to do school homework.
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Project READ's free literacy programs serve 400 Redwood City youth annually with an
average of 3.0 grade levels of reading growth in one year. Redwood City K - 12 teachers,
schools, parents and human resource agencies refer children to Project READ when
their programs cannot meet.
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Project READ’s Kids In Partnership (KIP) program is a dual
intervention program that matches academically at-risk teen
tutors with struggling elementary school students—
simultaneously increasing the literacy skills of both the
elementary school students and high school student tutors.
Teen tutors are recruited, extensively trained and then
partnered with a young student with whom they meet twice
a week after school. All the
materials and activities are
student centered, individualized and based on the
elementary students' reading assessments and the
classroom teachers' recommendations. In addition, the
teens are mentored and trained throughout the year to
help them to improve their own literacy, academic and
professional skills.
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Project READ’s Families In Partnership (FIP) program matches K - 12 youth in one-onone pairs with trained community tutors. Students in this program are at least two
grade levels behind in reading when they start the program.
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The After School Sports Program (in partnership with the Police Activities League)
provides soccer, cross country, flag football, volleyball, basketball, and golf to over 2,400
children each year.
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We work with nearly two dozen youth sports organizations to manage field use on 22
sport fields serving over 3,000 youth players each year.
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The Downtown WOW! Program pays particular attention to youth activities through
outdoor movies, Mother’s Day concert, Pet Parade, arts and crafts during major special
events, Zoppe Circus, and more. A sense of community and an increased sense of
safety are built through these offerings.
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Over 300 families attended the annual Preschool Preview Night in partnership with the
Redwood City Mother’s Club, the Bay Area Parent Magazine, and the San Mateo County
Child Care Coordinating Council (4Cs).
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Hundreds of requests by local and regional businesses, and local child care providers,
are managed by our Child Care Coordinator for information and referral services,
technical assistance, and plan input/supervision.
What are we planning to do in the future?
The future is bright for the Youth of Redwood City, that’s our job to make sure of it. Over the
next year, through the effort of the Youth Agenda and the teamwork of the Parks, Recreation
and Community Services Department; the Library; the Police Department; and the City
Manager’s Department; and as set in City Council’s Strategic Initiatives, we will:
1. Develop a quarterly progress report on City programs that support youth.
2. Develop an annual action plan that fosters implementation of interdepartmental youth goals and that aligns with Redwood City’s Strategic Plan by
September 30th of each year.
3. Provide a library card to every youth participating in a PRCS after school program
by January 30, 2011.
4. Develop a youth website providing a central source of information of city-wide
youth services by June 30, 2011.
5. Employ 14 youth through Verde Youth Ambassador Program during the summer
2011. And, develop a business plan for sustaining the program beyond initial
funding by December 2011.
6. Enroll 20 youth in the Verde Youth Ambassador Volunteer Corps by September
30th of each year.
7. Conduct a minimum of eight Gang Prevention and Awareness Presentations (at
Middle and High Schools).
8. Grant funded resource officers at Hoover and Kennedy Schools will make at least
five home visits to chronically absent students, teach four gang awareness
classes, attend two school staff meetings and five parent meetings.
9. Locate and return 300 truant youth (contacts) to the schools they attend by June
3, 2011.
10. Refer and enroll 40 former gang members into the tattoo removal program by
June 30, 2011.
Want To Get Involved?
The City of Redwood City is committed to Our Youth. Through our collaborative approach of the
Library; the Parks, Recreation and Community Services; the Police Department; and the City
Manager’s Office, we are able to deliver many programs and serve many youth. However,
there’s a lot more that we can do…and with your help, we can help make Redwood City a Great
place for youth to thrive.
Will you consider joining our efforts? If you’re interested, please contact us and we’ll let you
know how to get involved. From tutoring, mentoring, coaching, and more, we could use your
help. Here’s who to call:
• Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department: (650) 780-7311
• Library: (650) 780-7018
• Police Department: (650) 780-7100
• City Manager’s Office: (650) 780-7300
And visit us at www.redwoodcity.org for more information. Thank you!
“I believe education is the great equalizer. Our children are our hope for the future, so we have an
obligation to provide them with the tools to succeed. There is no more powerful tool than knowledge.”
– Dave Heineman