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Reconnecting Youth Program |
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In the midst of
disintegrating families, deteriorating communities,
overpopulated prisons, and emptying classrooms, it is
imperative that we provide effective, comprehensive
programming that will address the problems of today's at
risk youth and begin "reconnecting youth" to their
families, communities and schools. To that end, Santa Fe
Adolescent Services has implemented the scientifically
based and award winning Reconnecting Youth Program at
the Tarrant County Juvenile Justice Alternative
Education Program (JJAEP). The JJAEP is an innovative
collaboration of Tarrant County Juvenile Services, the
Fort Worth Independent School District, Lena Pope Home
and Santa Fe Adolescent Services to serve those students
who have been expelled from the public school system as
a result of school policy violations, law violations, or
persistent misbehavior. |
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Program Overview
Reconnecting Youth Program
(RY) undertakes the
difficult task of increasing resiliency in one
of this most elusive and challenging target
groups –adolescents at risk of dropping out of
school and abusing alcohol and drugs. The
Reconnecting Youth Curriculum is aimed at youth
in 9th –12th grades and is rooted in a subtle
but powerful shift of focus from one of
identifying "problem youth" to a focus of
"identifying youth potential". As a school based
intervention program, it allows a team effort to
effectively blend "reading, writing and
arithmetic" with a structured "Peer Group
Approach to Building Life Skills".
The program is unique in several important ways:
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It has a
psycho-educational framework that integrates
small-group work and life skills training
within a school setting.
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It is
delivered by trained facilitators capable of
creating a positive and supportive
environment.
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It is
expressly designed to modify risk factors
linked with adolescent risk factors
contributing to drug involvement (truancy,
poor school performance, depression,
aggression, suicidal behaviors, and deviant
peer bonding).
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It is
expressly designed to enhance personal and
social protective factors such as
self-esteem and personal control.
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Program Goals/Objectives:
The program has three central risk-reduction
goals:
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Decreased school deviance - reflected by
decreased truancy and increased GPA.
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Decreased drug involvement - reflected by
decreased frequency of alcohol/drug use and drug
use consequences.
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Decreased emotional distress - reflected by
decreased depression, aggression, and suicidal
behaviors.
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Program Design:
Risk reduction
and resiliency enhancements are
key objectives used in achieving
the goals in Reconnecting Youth
(RY). This means focusing
strategies on the individual or
environmental risk factors
linked with the co-occurring
problem behaviors of poor school
performance, drug involvement,
and suicide risk behaviors.
The
program incorporates social
support and life skills training
into a daily, semester-long
class using a 52 lesson daily
curriculum.
Reconnecting Youth integrates
four key elements into the
school environment:
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The Personal Growth Class
(PGC) - As an elective
course in the overall
curriculum, RY is conducted
in daily, hour-long class
sessions during regular
school hours for a full
semester (typically 90
days).
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School Bonding Activities
Component - This element
focuses on social,
recreational, and school
activities. Interventions
are designed to reconnect
students to school
activities as an alternative
to drug involvement,
loneliness, or depression.
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Parent Involvement
Component - Parents are
important partners in
Reconnecting Youth. They are
essential for providing
support at home for
day-to-day life skills
learned in Personal Growth
Class.
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School Crisis Response
- Provides teachers and
school personnel with
guidelines for recognizing
warning signs of suicidal
behaviors and suicide
prevention approaches.
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To speak with someone
about RY please
contact:
Cora Mosley,
Project Coordinator
(817)
492-HOPE |
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Fort Worth, TX. 76118
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