THE CHALLENGES
Processing youth referrals and pairing a minimum of 15 boys with mentors.
Having low access to mentees for Y.3 only allowed us to receive 7 actively engaged youth who were mentor-ready. This was compounded by being connected with youth who are not mentor-ready. These youth have transitioned into our attrition rate. Attrition is defined as the rate at which members of newly enrolled youth who cannot or refused to be contacted over a given period of time After 3 unsuccessful attempts to contact youth, PMO recommended backbone agency or DCFS reestablish connection for youth who cannot or refuse to be contacted before they are reenrolled Additionally, to maintain agreed allotment of youth, PMO required replacement youth who are mentor-ready for those who cannot be contacted
Establishing pro-social skill relationships with youth, caregivers, and family.
Several mentees have been either moved to a new caregiver, reunited with their families, or unresponsive to our attempts to contact
Promote school success, college and career exploration.
Families, youth, and caregivers do not have access to college literacy resources at similar rates as their non-foster care counterparts
Mentors will use school data and assess youth to track baseline proficiency in English and mathematics
CANNS and TILP assessment were either not updated or unavailable and could not provide the necessary baseline information needed to identify current academic grade level, performance, or progress making it difficult for us to gauge the academic needs of each youth. Additionally, some of our youth have been hesitant to share their transcripts with mentors and require more time to build trust.
Mentors will promote literacy, critical thinking, and STEM training acquisition.
While we don’t offer STEM training, we do have access to math and science tutors However, based on our youth grade submissions, the majority of our youth are even enrolled in technology and engineering courses. EMERGE provides access to literacy and critical thinking development in year 3 through various workshop series: mental health and wellness Rap Nerd Ciphers.
Youth will be given tutoring support to support academic achievement, grade advancement, self-confidence, and graduation.
Some of our EmpowerMENtees experience some behavioral challenges in school and at home. In addition, academic 20/40 week progress report cards were not made available by CANNS/TILP assessments, CSW, nor caregiver. This made it difficult for us to identify and assess the overall areas of support EmpowerMENtees need.
Recognize youth on a quarterly basis for school success and milestone achievement as outlined in exhibit A attached to this agreement.
PMO did not have access to participants academic records.
Attend and participate in training and implementation meetings.
N/A
THE SOLUTIONS
Processing youth referrals and pairing a minimum of 15 boys with mentors.
See June Quarterly Report
Establishing pro-social skill relationships with youth, caregivers, and family.
PMO established a family liaison program to establish and maintain communication, pro-social skills, and positive rapport with youth, caregivers, and family Additionally, we hosted several film screenings, community hikes, and meet ups in an effort to connect mentors and mentees, meet caregivers, and to create family oriented events for siblings, friends, and caregivers to enjoy.
EMERGE, Los Angeles Hosts Screening of The Woman King at Cinemark 18
In the fall, EMERGE Los Angeles hosted a group of black male foster youth and their mentors to watch the film The Woman King at Cinemark 18 movie theater. The film follows the tale of a foster youth who grows up to become a warrior for the Djome tribe, and it gave our youth the opportunity to learn something about their cultural identity and the history of Africa. Let’s take a look at how this film screening impacted our foster youth and their mentors.
The Impact on Foster Youth
The screening gave our foster youth a chance to bring their families out for an evening, which is something that they don't get to do very often. Afterwards, one of our youth was reunited with his cousin, and Terique Jackson even got a job interview with the manager of Cinemark. This was an incredible experience that allowed these young men to grow both personally and professionally.
The Impact on Mentors
Our mentors also took away some valuable lessons from this event. Not only did they get to spend time with their mentees, but they also had the opportunity to learn more about African culture as well as gain insight into what it's like for these young men growing up in foster care. Our mentors were able to relate with the struggles these boys face on a daily basis and connect with them in meaningful ways.
Conclusion:
Overall, EMERGE Los Angeles' screening of The Woman King was an incredibly positive experience for everyone involved. Our foster youth were able to learn more about their cultural identity while spending quality time with family members or mentors. Our mentors were also able to connect more deeply with their mentees while gaining insight into what life is like for those in foster care. We are proud that we were able to provide such an enriching experience for both groups!
Promote school success, college and career exploration.
College Readiness Cipher- "How to Apply to College"
The EmpowerMENt Leadership Certificate Program lead a 5-week workshop series where EmpowerMENtees were exposed to the codes of college access This workshop series gave our youth the steps to apply to community colleges, California State Universities, UC schools, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
We launched our first How to Apply to College (HAC) workshop during our monthly mentor/mentee meet up, also referred to as our Rap Nerd Ciphers. Our partners from Long Beach Community College, El Camino College, and Cerritos College introduced our youth to learning communities. These included LINC, UMOJA, and PUENTE, which provide academic and social support, Northern California and HBCU college tours, and conference opportunities for black and brown students.
The second workshop our partners from Cal State Long Beach, Student Opportunity Achievement Program (CALSOAP), walked our youth through financial aid Cal grant applications and scholarships They also provided information on FAFSA and the Chafee Foster Youth Grant Program, which are essential for many students who need financial support to attend college.
Key Takeaways (Workshop 2-CSU):
Applying for college isn't as hard as it seems.
Keep a stable mind to survive in College
CSUs look at 10 and 11th grade and CSULB has a good engineering program
EOP I didn’t know about it
How to survive, these were great tips even now in a junior college
My key take from this event was to get access to a website that could help me apply to college as a transfer student.
My key take always from this event was the CSULB presentation. This is because this college seemed like my kind of crowd.
Time managing.
In the third workshop, our partners from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), helped our youth navigate the FAFSA application process. They provided guidance on what financial aid is, how to access and complete the application, and the various types of aid that are available for applicants.
Key Takeaways:
My key take always from this event was viewing the FAFSA application. Definitely mentioning the graduation rates based off the majors you select through FASFA.
Financial aid has a lot of opportunity
All
That fafsa is not as hard to apply to.
I gained a deeper understanding of how FAFSA works
That Fafsa is for everyone no matter your background or situations at home
How to apply for the FAFSA. I love how enthusiastic and organized the presenter was. It made me open my eyes and really see all the potential I could possibly have when I go off to college.
there is financial help out there.
How to apply to college
By making sure your grades are taking care of
In the fourth workshop, our partners from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) highlighted the unique opportunities available at these institutions and provided information on how to apply and qualify for scholarships. They also shared their own experiences as students and alumni of HBCUs, giving our youth an inspiring look at what they can achieve through higher education.
Key Takeaways:
Less price more community
you can make it happen when you have support
Things about college
The work
That there a place a don’t care what you look like or dress like.
The EmpowerMENt Leadership Certificate Program is proud to have connected with our partners to provide our youth with the tools they need to successfully apply to college. We believe that every young person should have access to higher education, and we are committed to supporting them in achieving their goals. We look forward to continuing our work in empowering the next generation of leaders.
Strategic Futuring Cipher- "Goal Planning and Career Exploration"
EMERGE proudly launched its first-ever Strategic Futuring workshop series on June 28, 2023. This unique program is designed to mentor young black boys in foster care, equipping them with skills and strategies to envision and plan for a successful future.
The inaugural workshop, led by EMERGE mentor Dr. Arthur Gray, focused on Goal Setting, Goal Planning, and Strategic Futuring. As a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Inc., the 100 Black Men of Long Beach, an adjunct faculty member of Azusa Pacific University, and a practicing attorney for 20 years, Dr. Gray brings a wealth of experience and passion to this initiative.
The workshop series began by introducing participants to the Four Approaches to the Future: Reactive, Responsive, Proactive, and Inventive. Mentors worked closely with mentees to help them understand their current approach to decision-making and planning for the future and identify areas for change and growth.
In subsequent sessions, participants were guided through self-exploration activities to answer the questions "Who am I?" and "Where do I come from?". They identified their values, achievements, strengths, and challenges, all of which were used to develop their unique purpose and mission.
Participants then learned how to leverage their unique gifts and experiences to project 15 years into their future. With this long-term perspective, they developed visionary milestones that will guide their path forward. The final session saw participants beginning to draft their personal life vision statements, which they will continue to refine with their mentors over the next year.
Strategic Futuring is a powerful tool and life skill that supports individuals as they work towards their desired future. It teaches participants how to use strategic foresight to create a vision for their lives, providing them with a clear and actionable plan for personal development and success.
EMERGE is excited about the potential of the Strategic Futuring workshop series to empower young black boys in foster care to dream big, set goals, and create a strategic plan for a bright and successful future.
Mentors will use school data and assess youth to track baseline proficiency in English and mathematics.
EMERGE developed and implemented Academic Progress Monitor were mentors request student transcripts from either caregiver or CSW within the first three meetings. Mentors upload 20/40 academic progress reports on a secured server with closed-loop access.
Mentors will promote literacy, critical thinking, and STEM training acquisition.
MENTAL HEALTH & WELLNESS CIPHERS
EMERGE launched the EmpowerMENt Leadership Certificate Program earlyThe program uses hip hop to connect black boys to mentorship, college/career readiness, and mental health and wellness skills building.
The EmpowerMENt program kicked off its first installment of the Rap Nerd Ciphers with a workshop series entitled the Mental Health and Wellness cipher led by the Music for Your Mental Health (MFYMH) team. Throughout the 5-week series, participants learned about how to respond to trauma, trust issues, dissociation, growth mindset, and how to develop healthy relationships
The mental health and wellness ciphers our EmpowerMENtees went through helped to build a better understanding of their own identities and better relationships with their mentors. The workshop series offers a unique approach to mental health and wellness, using hip hop songs as a text and as a tool to identify, comprehend, and develop socioemotional muscle and intelligence. This approach has shown to be effective in engaging and building self-trust with young black boys in foster care.
"We are thrilled to launch the EmpowerMENt Leadership Certificate Program and provide mentorship, college/career readiness, and mental health and wellness skills building to young black boys in foster care," said Lacey Harris, Director of Operations at EMERGE. "Our Rap Nerd Ciphers series has been a great success, and we look forward to continuing to support and uplift our EmpowerMENtees through this program."
The mental health and wellness cipher is set to continue providing support to young black boys in foster care through the EmpowerMENt Leadership Certificate Program. EMERGE is committed to providing opportunities for these young men to develop into successful leaders in their communities.
Youth will be given tutoring support to support academic achievement, grade advancement, self-confidence, and graduation.
Critical Reading and Writing Improvement Ciphers
The organization provides access not only to mental health and wellness ciphers, but also to our second series offerings entitled the Writing Skills Building workshops. By conducting the writing workshops, our focal goals and objective is to help our foster youth establish critical reading, writing, and thinking skills to build self-empowerment and confidence as leading members of their own communities. With a firm grasp on the fundamentals of writing, our foster youth have learned the ways in which to articulate verbal, written, and recorded expressions of communication for developing language and skills of leadership. For example, our workshops not only concentrated on discerning the central principles on which writing is based, but we focused on empowering our youth to establish a greater sense of self. In one of our workshops, some of the questions referred to strategic futuring as an exercise to help our youth decide where they want to end up in life. While they engaged in self-reflection, we asserted that there is only one answer that matters, and that is our youth finding out who they are in order to increase sense of personal and academic efficacy. Thus, the purpose of our workshops is to help our Foster Youth establish a greater sense of identity to ameliorate the caliber of one’s own emotional and personal well-being.
Besides helping our youth build a greater sense of self, we underlined the importance of solidifying pro-social relationships among youth, caregivers, and family members as well. Throughout our workshops, we attempted to provide in-depth discussion about identity building and development by engaging our Foster Youth as well as their caregivers and family members in pair-shared activities. More specifically, they learn to work together in workshop exercises to build a sense of mutual trust and friendship among one another. As a result, the importance of the pair-shared activities is to help participants build a relationship with other members in EMERGE for professional and personal intentions. Then, the goals and objectives of the workshops put relationship building as the leading forefront for developing future leaders from low-income communities to raise social awareness and produce a more just society.
In addition to discussing the goals and objectives of the workshops, Delon Edwards has continued to remain a star in our workshops. As an introduction, Delon who prefers to go by DJ is a developmentally delayed student at Warren High School. Moreover, DJ directs their hopes and dreams towards achieving the task of becoming a professional soccer during the time that they mentioned their vocational goal. In the course of the workshops, DJ has maintained perfect attendance and has provided a space for other participating members to engage in the workshop activities. Despite the fact that they have remained silent in group activities, DJ has shown the propensity to exhibit a level of optimism and positivity. When they turned their camera on occasion, DJ smiled to reveal their eagerness in the workshops for the most part. Consequently, they have continued to make their best effort to accomplish a greater sense of themselves as a human being and future leader with a positive attitude. On behalf of the EMERGE Community, we are there for DJ when they decide to take the next step in their life.
Writing Skills: Diagnostic Pretest (Sentence Structure) # of Responses-7
Recognize youth on a quarterly basis for school success and milestone achievement as outlined in exhibit A attached to this agreement
Youth who have submitted academic progress reports are recognized and rewarded each semester with gift cards based on our academic performance incentive structure; students who attain or maintain good behavior for the quarter are rewarded with gift cards in the following ways:
Academic Achievement & Progress- $/grade received; max total $120/youth
A-$20
B-$10
C-$5
Teacher Observations and Comments
Christopher Davis has made straight As in Term 2 of his 10th grade year. He also began taking CTE courses in retail sales and marketing and student store. He seems to have a interest in business administration/management.His GPA increase from 3.7 to 4.0 from fall to spring semester. He is doing quite well.
Ashton Carroll-A pleasure to have in class. Produces beyond the assignment.
Edward Redd: Ms. Spencer informed me of the following:
Youth becomes agitated when he feels that someone is asking a question/or making a statement that he feels is irrelevant to his beliefs
Argumentative, will over talk a person and at times this should be handled by authorities ( ex. Teacher, counselor, principal)
Wants to make sure that his point is proven and understood
Ms. Spencer stated that he has not become physical, his behaviors have calmed down a great deal since he has been attending school there and they will be transitioning him a little at a time from “a non-public school setting to a public school setting” ( home school) in the Spring Semester.
Ms. Spencer informed me:
1. that he is one of their best students
2. the transitioning would consist of half of the day of curriculum being conducted in the Non Public school setting and the remaining of the day, in the public school setting ( or vice versa)
3. this would take place at, Jefferson High School, which the youth and Paternal Cousins are not too happy with the home school
Ms. Spencer is available for more detail if needed,
