Youth Development-Violence prevention Program

Location: Room HS Suite and First Floor Carrolls

Program Coordinator: Mr. Adrian Valdivia  & Mr. Oliany Mendez

Phone: (202) 939-7700  or 202-735-1847

Program Description/Target Population:            Students at-risk for truancy, drop out, delinquency, gang involvement, school suspension, being homeless, runaway, or living as an unaccompanied minor or in unsupervised conditions, prone to violence and emotional mood swings, prone to inner turmoil and low self esteem, physical and sexual abuse, and alcohol, tobacco or other drug abuse. The program reaches out on a preventative basis to assist these students in breaking free of self destructive behaviors. Currently the program has the capacity to serve 150 students and their parents. Parents are served on an outreach and as needed basis. This program is made possible through grants from the Juvenile Justice Advisory Group for the Addiction, Prevention and Recovery Administration.

Hours of Operation:            8:30am until 6:00pm Monday-Friday. Occasional weekends for outreach to parents to foster family strengthening and community activities.

Program Staff:

Program Coordinator:            Oversees the program and is the liaison for community agencies, received and provides referrals, maintains communications with the Personal Growth Center, provides outreach to families, and organizes after-school recreational activities.

Outreach Coordinator:  Provides home visits to at-risk students that have been referred to the Program and exhibit alcohol and substance abuse usage, gang involvement and other patterns of destructive behavior.

The Referral Process-            Students exhibiting one or more of the aforementioned behavioral traits should be referred to either Mr. Ali or *** of the Personal Growth Center. They will ascertain the severity of the problem and the type of service(s) required. All referrals will be tracked through the school’s case management system and appropriate follow ups will be conducted by program staff. Staff members are advised that once referrals are made, all matters pertaining to the affected student(s) will become confidential and only involve support service personnel within the school’s continuum of care.

Student Confidentiality-            Client privacy is very carefully observed and is handled under the same strict rules of confidentiality as medical information. Information will be shared only on a limited basis when there is a compelling reason. Unless there is a threat to an individual’s safety and/or emergency situation, consent of the student will be requested prior to releasing a student’s files to a third party. Information may only be released without the student’s permission if there is a legitimate educational need.

Community Links:            The program maintains strong ties with the following community-based agencies: Latin American Youth Center, Center for Life Enrichment, Alliance for Concerned Men, Center for Dispute Resolution, La Clinica del Pueblo, Riverside Hospital, Mary Center and the Columbia Heights/Shaw Family Support Collaborative.