Spring 2022 Newsletter

Fort Bend County Expose Excellence Youth Program

NEWSLETTER

“Providing a safe environment for youth interaction while promoting positive self-expression and development of life skills and artistic expression”

YOUTH SPOTLIGHT

SPRING 2022 RECAP! Watch out Fort Bend County! There's a new youth program in town!

“My biggest takeaway was “Be a doer, not a talker” it just resonated with me and it stuck.”

-Allison Cantu Willowridge High School Leadership Program

This year the Fort Bend County Expose Excellence Youth Program hit the ground running with programs, events, and activities not only for the youth, but for families and the community. Take a trip down memory lane with us a nd check out all the things we've done so far in 2022!

F2F Music Foundation

Expose Excellence Progress Report for 2022

FBDA Office Valentines Day Candy Grams

Students Reached- Goal: 500 Current: 311 Schools Reached- Goal: 50 Current: 58 Volunteer Opportunities- Goal: 8 Current: 4 Community Outreach Events- Goal:24 Current: 13 Family Engagement Events: Goal: 5 Current: 3

January 2022

Willowridge Leadership Program January-March

Expose Excellence kicked off the year with the Leadership Program at Willowridge High School. Students were handpicked by the school counselors and teachers as leaders on campus who would be great for the program. The students met every Thursday after school and had lessons on effective communication, resume building, conflict resolution skills and more!

February 2022 DA Candygrams - February 4th

Did you know that a majority of youth dislike Valentine’s Day because it makes them feel unloved and unimportant? The Fort Bend District Attorney’s Office assembled and decorated candy grams for youth this year to turn those frowns upside down! They made SO MANY that we were able to share some with local schools and teen group homes!

Exposing Black Artistry - February 19th

This year Expose Excellence celebrated Black History month with a BANG! Exposing Black Artistry was a family event that highlighted the artistic talents of African Americans and our youth. Everyone came out to paint and enjoy performances right here in the community.

Black History Month Poetry Contest February 19th

We also held an virtual poetry contest where students submitted poetry and short stories based on Black History Month. We received a lot of AMAZING submissions and were very proud of the effort these students put in their work.

The winner was Brooklin Jackson with “Can't Change For You”

March 2022 Youth Art Month March is Youth Art Month so you know Expose Excellence had to be a part of that! Students submitted their work to be showcased on our social media platforms. We were truly blow away by the submissions. If you want to see more, check out our Facebook page!

Willowridge Leadership Luncheon - March 10th

The students who participated in the leadership program got to dress professionally and meet the leaders in their community. They networked with political figures as well as professionals in their interested career fields. We had a blast! Thank you to HEB for sponsoring the event!

International Women’s Month High Tea - March 21st The ladies of EEYP (District Attorney’s Office) attended a high tea event in honor of International Women’s Month, hosted by Judge KP George, with a panel discussion led by County Attorney Bridgette Smith-Lawson.

April 2022 April is National Volunteer Month!

We featured some of our youth leaders on our social media pages doing community service and fulfilling their civic duties. You're never too young to give back and volunteer!

Check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for some great action pictures.

Main Event - Saturday, April 2nd

Laser Tag, bowling, and more!

Although the kids were bummed about the cancelled concert field trip, students enjoyed a Saturday evening playing games at Main Event. All for free thanks to EEYP! Thank you to the students and parents that joined us for pizza, drinks, 4 hours of unlimited bowling, and arcade games.

English 1 STAAR Tutorials Saturday April 2nd

Did you know that about 1 in 5 students in Fort Bend County fail the English 1 STAAR test? EEYP wants to change that.

In April, we partnered with Texas Tutor Team and sponsored multiple virtual tutoring sessions for the English 1 and Algebra 1 STAAR tests. Students were able to get the extra help at no cost.

2nd Annual DA Bike Rally and Color Run - April 9th What would be a better way to celebrate Volunteer Month than to provide not just one, but two volunteer opportunities for our students! 30 student volunteers signed up to assist with the DA Bike Rally and Color Run. Our volunteers helped with face painting, passing out water, and throwing chalk dust for the color run. Check out our slow-mo video on TikTok!

Spaghetti Cook Off- Saturday, April 23rd The Exchange Club of Sugar Land is a service club that strives to make the community safe. This year, they hosted their 35TH Annual Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser and sauce cook off.

Organizations from all over Fort Bend County took part in the sauce competition including the District Attorney’s Office. The competition was fierce, but the District Attorney’s Office won first place with the help of our student volunteers!

Needville Youth Fair- Friday, April 29th

The Needville Youth Fair, founded in 1956, is dedicated to serving the children of the community. Local businesses, educators and volunteers take part in making the annual weeklong fair a success. This year, EEYP wanted to check out the fair! EEYP set up an information booth and got to meet some of the local youth.

May 2022 National Photography Month- May 1st-31st

May is National Photography Month! It is a time to celebrate photography with competitions, exhibitions, and lots of artistic activities. EEYP celebrated the art form by hosting a virtual exhibition. We asked students of Fort Bend County to submit their photography works. We receive a few submissions, great job students!

EEYP Foundation Mixer- Friday, May 6th EEYP celebrated the launch of the youth foundation and welcomed the new board of governors with good old-fashioned BBQ. Delicious food and drinks were served as business professionals mingled and shared their achievements. Members were given pins and mugs as a token of appreciation.

3 on 3- Saturday, May 28th

The Expose Excellence Youth Program, District Attorney Brian Middleton, Judge Toni Wallace and Judge Sherman Hatton hosted the inaugural 3 on 3 Summer Slam Basketball Tournament. Eight teams from all over Fort Bend County competed to win the $500 dollar prize. Congratulations to Team B.H.B for winning first place! Dunkin Donuts won second place and 99 Problems (But a Swish Aint One) won best team name. Thanks to all teams who played, what a fantastic game!

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TIPS FOR STAYING HYDRATED THIS SUMMER! Texas summers are HOT! Beat the heat and make sure your family stays hydrated.

Good hydration can improve your mood, sleep, and overall health and wellness. Not a fan of water? Here's a few tips on how you can prevent dehydration.

Eat more "water-rich" fruits and vegetables like watermelon, strawberries, grapefruit, peaches and cantaloupe. Other good options include cucumbers, lettuce, zucchini, celery and tomatoes.

Choose coconut water over fruit juice.

Coconut water generally has fewer calories and added sugars than fruit juice.

It's also a good source of potassium.

Drink iced tea. There are many types of tea (white, black, green and oolong) and flavors to choose from.

In general, tea has about half the amount of caffeine as coffee. There are also herbal and fruit teas that are caffeine-free.

Add berries or citrus slices to your water for flavor, or try flavored sparkling water to increase your daily water intake.

5

Ways To Talk To Children About Safety Featuring EEYP Summer Intern, EEP

As we experience this current wave of unfortunate events like mass shootings and a global pandemic, we are reminded that this could be a very difficult time for children to process as well. Fear, anxiety, and grief are some of the emotions they are currently facing.

Our summer intern, EEP, has come up with 5 ways to talk to the children to help them cope with some of the negative thoughts and feelings they may be having. With our mission of providing a safe space for youth interaction, here are some ways you can do this at home too!

Allow them to ask questions Give children the opportunity to seek answers for the questions they have so they can process traumatic events.

Reassure them that they are safe Remind them that they have people in their lives who will protect them and keep them safe from harm.

Suggest self care activities Encourage physical activity to increase endorphins and decrease the feeling of stress.

identify safe adults List the "grown ups" they know they can trust and go to for anything like a teacher, aunt/uncle, neighbor, coach, or pastor.

Practice safety drills and routines Do fire drills and create emergency kits to help them feel well prepared.

THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR SPONSORS AND PARTNERS!!

If you would like to sponsor or partner with Expose Excellence contact Juno at Juno.Okoro@fbctx.com

3 ways to support EEYP

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Like, comment, and share our social media posts!

Sign up to volunteer!

Donate via our Amazon Wishlist!

Program Manager Juno Okoro

Email: Juno.Okoro@fbctx.gov Desk #: 346-481-6052 Cell #: 832-451-8751

Program Coordinators Raven Forrester Wendi Palomera

Email: Raven.Forrester@fbctx.gov Desk #: 346-481-6051

Email: Wendi.Palomera@fbctx.gov Desk #: 346-481-6053