ServiceCorps initiative described as positive example of youth outreach
By Kathleen Brady Shea Special to CoatesvilleTimes.com
Ashlee Jones (from left), Olivia Lewis, and Bronze Small participated in last summer's program.
COATESVILLE — A Coatesville summer employment program for teens has been touted as a positive example by the White House, a thrill for its organizers.
A blog entry this week on the web site for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy congratulates the Brandywine Health Foundation’s Coatesville Youth Initiative ServiceCorps, a free program for Coatesville Area School District low-income youth aged 14 to 18, now in its third year.
“We’re super excited,” said Chaya Scott, the program director, explaining that the news coincided with this year’s selection process and wonderfully reinforced everyone’s enthusiasm for the program.
Scott said she learned about the honor on Wednesday after receiving an email from Washington. She said the White House had solicited information about successful summer-job programs in February, and she submitted a one-page form. About a month later, a representative from the Drug Control Policy office requested more information, the point at which guarded excitement started to build, Scott said.
In a message on the web site Tuesday, President Obama announced the launch of SummerJobs+, an initiative to reverse the record unemployment trend for young people. In conjunction with that initiative, the Office of National Drug Control Policy said it would continue its series of blog posts highlighting the work that federal grant recipients are doing to help young people find jobs while also supporting healthy, drug-free communities.
2011 ServiceCorps participant Samaria Turner (right) enjoyed working with young campers at a Regency Park Apartments program.
Here is what the posting said:
“Today, we highlight the Brandywine Health Foundation’s ServiceCorps Program. The ServiceCorps is a free program combining an eight-week employment experience with a challenging life and leadership skills development curriculum.
Each summer, 40 students between the ages of 14 and 18 in the Coatesville Area School District in Pennsylvania are selected to participate in the ServiceCorps program. Students are assigned to various work sites throughout the community, where they will work for the entire 8-week period, engaging in full-time employment. Each Friday of the program, participants take part in the skills and leadership development component of the program, called Resource Days.
Resource Days are an opportunity for staff to connect with youth, and for participants to talk to one other about lessons learned, share great stories about their experiences, and address challenges they have faced in their workplaces. Resource Days are also a chance to display the gifts and talents in the room, and develop the students’ leadership abilities. In addition to the skill-building, students receive hourly wages for the 35 hours worked per week.
ServiceCorps students also complete a student-led, community-wide service project. This summer, ServiceCorps will build on its successful ServiceCorps Recycling and Living Green Festival. Youth will expand on the existing plans and create their own plans to implement the recycling awareness and collection event.
During last years’ ServiceCorps program, participating students completed a total of 9,882 hours of community service, 19.25 hours of leadership training, and 10 hours of life-skills training while earning a total of $74,000 in wages. ServiceCorps students leave the program inspired and prepared to become healthy, contributing members of the greater Coatesville community.
We congratulate the Brandywine Health Foundation for their efforts to encourage summer employment for youth in their community and to build a drug-free workforce for the future.”
Scott said she is eager to share the recognition with last year’s participants, who meet twice a month. “The kids become like a family and want to stay connected,” she said.
This year, 147 kids are vying for the 40 spots, Scott said, adding that although she wished the program could accommodate more, she does not want it to lose its tight-knit, hands-on approach.
The opportunity to direct such a program is particularly rewarding for Scott, she said, because people “did this for me when I was at Henderson High School.” She said she participated in a program that resulted in a job at Domestic Relations. “I learned how to dress and how to present myself,” she said. “Now, to be in a position where I get to share that kind of knowledge with the next generation is just ideal. I absolutely love it.”
For more information, please visit: http://brandywinefoundation.org/cyi/meet-our-youth-making-difference-coatesville
