2003
MAYOR’S FAITH-BASED AND COMMUNITY MATCHING  GRANTS

PROJECT SUMMARIES 

This grant facilitated the implementation of seven community service projects by elementary school children in the Holden Heights area. The children formed “Kids Community Council” to research community needs and possible organizations to support with these projects, then planned and implemented a timeline for completion of the projects by the end of the school year. Holden Heights Neighborhood volunteers and The Golden Rule Foundation staff acted as facilitators to this process. This real life learning experience was designed to teach the characteristics of truthfulness, fairness, trustworthiness, responsibility and citizenship by giving children the opportunity to practice such traits and to develop a life-long passion for volunteering.

FOCUS was a character development program designed to foster the development of responsible, self-disciplined, ethical and caring youth and families. Using the eleven principles of effective character development as defined by The Character Development Partnership, the program employed both Peer-to-Peer and Parent Involvement components, supported by character development educators, to develop and foster value clarifications, conflict resolution skills, non-judgmental methods of support, leadership and modeling. Students were also given tutorial and test preparation support in challenging subjects, with ongoing assessment and weekly progress reports to parents. A Character Enrichment module provided field trips, special guest presentations, and student demonstrations of character lessons learned.

This project provided a character and leadership development program for high school students at the Dover Shores Community Center which met monthly on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays. The objective of this program was to foster the development of leadership skills, good citizenship, character, integrity, and responsibility. Volunteers from the Hispanic Resource Link and the Pine Ridge South Homeowners Association provided guidance, workshops and mentoring to the students. Parents of the students were required to participate in at least one of the events during the program, and offered a series of workshops titled “Parent Leadership Training”. Students were involved in three community service projects.
 

This project involved youth in various facets of the production of The Wiz and several smaller theatrical works, including costume creation, acting, lighting, sound, stage management, business aspects and other related skills. The project targeted 55 youth ages 7 to 17, using theater as a medium for educational and personal development in the areas of team-building, responsibility, accountability, dedication and self-discipline. Participants received workshops and hands-on experience in the various aspects of stage production and auditioned to be cast in roles as actors and crew for the theatrical productions. In addition, participants were given a variety of opportunities to showcase their skills in neighborhood and community events.
 

This project paired middle school students at risk from dropping out of school as mentors with elementary aged students at Dover Shores Elementary School. The program’s goal was to teach civic responsibility and good character traits that instilled good work habits, responsibility, patience, punctuality, and trustworthiness in the middle school students. Mentors were tutors to mentees before school. Parents signed an agreement for their students to be involved in the program, were invited to volunteer in after-school activities, and met monthly with the program coordinator to receive progress reports.

This project involved youth ages 5 to 12 in the production of musical performances. Success in this project required team-building, responsibility, accountability, dedication, and self-discipline. Twenty-four youth participated in each of three production sessions during the grant period. Participants received hands-on training and workshops on various aspects of musical production, including technical, memorization, and leadership skills. During this process, youth were assessed and section leaders identified who received additional training and responsibilities in the production phase of the project.

This project was designed to build a positive working relationship with parents, students and community leaders, by providing resources to participate in constructive and fun activities. Youth learned how to plan, implement and execute community service projects. Other goals of this project were to increase youth and parental involvement, teach civic responsibility, and decrease idle time that leads to negative behavior. During the project, nearly 1,000 teens were involved in six safe social activities, with 300 choosing from among four additional “alternative events” designed to target students who normally do not participate in WEEKENDS activities. Ten community service activities involved 100 teens in over 400 hours of service. Leadership Development activities included training and mentoring opportunities, as well as participation of students in a government meeting, a leadership conference and monthly Youth Leadership Council Meetings.

This project was an after-school program that focused weekly on service projects related to character development themes. The themes include caring, honesty, respect, responsibility and faith. The service projects included food drives, care packages and gifts for needy and homeless children and families, Valentine cards for nursing home residents, the creation and sharing of faith bead bracelets, and an Earth Day Clean-Up project. Parents were invited to participate in service projects and attend monthly family nights. They were sent program newsletters and Character Count Cards that recognize the growth of their child in a particular character trait.