NAP- Neighborhood Alliance of Pawtucket

Inclusive and Community Building Schools

Inclusive School program Dec 2007

Annual National Inclusive Schools Week, December 6-10, 2007,
Celebration Kit will be available! This year's celebration focuses on the importance of working together.

In celebration of National Inclusive Schools Week, NIUSI, Northeast Regional Resource Center, and the Office of Special Education Programs' LRE Part B Community of Practice are pleased to announce two telephone seminars focusing on
"Working Together: Family, School, and Community Partnerships Across the Nation that Promote Inclusive Communities For All Children," December 6 and December 8.

Bonnie Johnson Barry
National Institute for Urban School Improvement
Center for Marketing, Networking, & Utilization
EDC, Inc.
55 Chapel Street
Newton, MA 02458
Fax: 617.969.3440

2007 Pawtucket Program 21st Century Possible

Would you like to help with this?
I have some exciting news to share with you! We have gained the support of the Pawtucket Superintendent Dr. Dellith and Principal Lord of Shea to submit a proposal to the Rhode Island Department of Education for the 21st Century Community Learning Century. If our proposal is approved funds will be provided to launch a cutting-edge and effective drop-in center/youth development program that will improve academic achievement, increase school attendance, and be a catalyst in providing a more promising future for the youth of Pawtucket.

The scary part is that this complex proposal is due January 9th, yes of this year! It will take quick decision making and hard work to pull this off, but I know with the help of partners such as yourself we can submit a dynamic proposal that will WOW the Rhode Island Department of Education and will bring vital resources into the City of Pawtucket.

The program design is quite flexible and it is important that we include your input into the design of the proposal as well as the implementation of program. In order to ensure a high level of community contribution we have established the Woodlawn 21st Century CLC Advisory Committee. I would love for you to be a part of this important group. My hope is to meet twice before the January 9th due date and then on a consistent basis once we receive funding. The initial meeting will be Wednesday, December 27th at 12pm (we will have some pizza) and the second meeting will be held Wednesday January 3rd at 6pm (once again some yummy pizza). All meetings will be held here at the Woodlawn Community Center located at 210 West Ave. Pawtucket, RI 02860.

To provide some background of the RFP and the application process I have attached the full proposal application as well as included a couple of paragraphs below that provide some insight.

“The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CLC) program was established by Congress as Title X, Part I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The purpose of the program is to create community learning centers that provide students with academic enrichment opportunities and additional activities designed to complement their regular academic program. Applicants should envision CLC’s as far more than after school programs. While an after school program may be the original organizing structure, CLC’s should evolve in multi-service entities. They can be the provider of not only ‘extra learning opportunities’ for students but also to provide additional educational, social, health, and recreational services for students, the families of students, and the members of the school community. Only by building enduring links throughout the community that reinforce the connection between the school and the community, can a CLC reach its full potential. A fully developed CLC will be able to provide unique opportunities for learning, foster broad parent and community involvement in the school, and develop strong financial, public and political support. This is the greater purpose of a true Community Learning Center.”

“All eligible applicants under this program must primarily serve students that attend schools with a high concentration of students living in poverty, which includes all designated Title I schools and schools with a minimum of 40% of the student population identified as recipients of the free/reduced cost meals. All applicants must document that the proposed CLC reflects a partnership between at least one school and one community-based, faith-based, or other private organization. CLC applicants may have additional organizations participate and receive funding through the CLC grant program. However, one entity must be identified as the applicant for the grant. Applicants are asked to describe the process the community implemented to develop the partnership(s) and the efforts made to engage parents, students, school faculty, and program representatives in the development of the application and in the selection of the Lead Applicant for the CLC. Successful applicants must demonstrate the commitment of all partners to the formation of a governance structure that honors shared decision-making among the CLC’s partners, including parents and students. Organizations serving as the Lead Applicant for the CLC must also indicate how they will implement their responsibilities as fiscal agent for the grant in conjunction with the proposed governance structure for the CLC.”

Please read on to learn more about the proposed program and most importantly please consider partnering with us on this endeavor.

As I am sure you are aware there are currently no youth agencies in the Woodlawn neighborhood serving the high school aged population. In addition the 29% high school dropout rate and the staggering 13% of Pawtucket youth aged 16-19 who are not in school or employed are having a profound impact on the local schools and neighborhoods.

Additionally, in 2005 there were 790 Pawtucket Juvenile Wayward and Delinquent Petitions. These Petitions included anything from violent crimes to truancy. The Chief Judge sentenced most of these youth with community service—some finding their way to the Woodlawn Community Center to serve their hours. We are currently exploring school, community and correctional based partnerships to provide a dynamic and innovative program which would serve all area youth aged 15-18 and also allows local youth to fulfill their mandated community service hours by completing a combination of "traditional" community service work with this holistic youth development program.

We at the Woodlawn Community Center recognize that traditionally under-served youth may have multiple exposures to personally debilitating forces such as, substance abuse, violence, poverty, and/or peer pressure, that can culminate in the dropping out of school and ultimately, the workforce. We also recognize that we may not be able to address all of the individuals’ problems, but we can provide a safe environment, based on a holistic and case-management model, for youth to come and begin addressing those issues on their own.

The primary goal of this program is to be an integrated community-based youth opportunity initiative for the Woodlawn neighborhood of Pawtucket. As nationally based research has indicated, community-based programs that aim to integrate multiple youth service providers both raise community awareness of issues facing youth, and increase the rate of success for achieving the desired goals of the program. Following are the five main programmatic goals of the program:

1. Provide a safe space in the form of a drop-in center for local area youth to learn valuable skills to enhance their academic achievement and prepare them to become self-sufficient young adults.
2. Equip them with the resources and support they need to reach their desired immediate and future life goals in the areas of jobs and careers, volunteering, education, and creative expression.
3. Increase the amount of youth who are connected to the permanent workforce or enrolled in school, thus decreasing the likelihood that they will engage in risky behavior such as truancy, gang activity, violence, drug and alcohol use and risky sexual behavior.
4. Prevent at-risk and disenfranchised youth from becoming truant and/or court involved as well as disconnected from the permanent workforce.
5. Intervene with youth who are truant and/or court involved to combat recidivism.


21st Century Grant
Proposed Program Components

Key
-individual activity
-group activity
- Referral/collaboration
- In-house


General Intake

Combination of Services:
-Drop-in (mentoring, supervision)
-Individual Meetings –working on 4 areas w/case manager
-Pawtucket Assessment and Referral Team
-Group Meetings-
-Set schedule (ex: twice a week for 2 hrs)
-2 groups: 15-16 and 17-18
-Pre-Tests and evaluation

Jobs and Careers
Goal: Focus on the immediate and future career goals of the youth and leverage the necessary resources to get them there.

-Cover letter and resume workshop
-Job searching
-Interview Prep
-Soft-skills training/Work Maturity Skills
-Individual placement on a case-by-case basis- jobs/internships/shadowing
-financial literacy (comprehensive adult services)
-Entrepreneurship 101
-exploration
-business plan creation
-Junior Achievement
-RI SBDC/RICMI/MIDC


Education
Goal: Work with students individually and in groups to increase their academic achievement and make connections between education and their future goals.

To reach immediate Education goals:
-Individual/small group tutoring- contract teachers
-Homework help- open hour during drop-in time, contract 1 teacher
-Tie in with pre-existing programs
STAR program at Shea
-offering Science, Social Studies, Spanish, Portuguese, Hip-hop dance
Diploma Plus - self-directed program for students missing 1-3 classes
Ramp up - program for seniors missing 1 class
-Advocacy
-Case manager meets monthly with contracted teacher to discuss student’s academic status
-liaisons with student’s teachers/school administrators as needed
-GED referral to BVCAP, COZ
-ESL classes (comprehensive adult services)

To reach future education goals:
-Visits to local colleges and universities
-college selection advisement
-application assistance
-financial aid/scholarship workshops
-college alternatives


Volunteering
Goal: Create a sense of community investment and purpose within participants and provide them with valuable life and job experience.

Community Service requirement for all:
-50 hours total with 10 in-house
-create a network of community service providers
-convey importance/benefits of community service
-tie in with student’s goals, interests, passions
-document/reflect on the experience

Court Ordered Community Service
-Split between “traditional” community service and our program
-Case manager forms relationship with judge/parole/DA
-create streamline referral system with judge, parole, juvenile justice, family courts


Creative Expression
Goal: Give participants a voice in which they can connect to themselves and their community

-Blog- mandatory weekly entry, assignments
-Weekly classes:
-Performance- Project Peace (hip hop, spoken word, dance performance)
-Visual art – working artist, part-time (3 hours per week?)
-Bi-annual culminating event with performance and gallery show


Drop-In Center
Goal: Provide a safe environment where participants can be mentored and supervised

-Suggested Activities: Individual Case Management, Mentoring, Computer Lab, Homework Help, Games/Activities, Sports @ Payne Park, Snacks, and Lounging

Adult Services
Goal: Create comprehensive resources to serve family members of participants and other members of the community

-ESL
-Computer and Job training
-financial literacy
-tax assistance
-GED/citizenship –COZ
-Parenting classes



Thank you for taking the time to read over our proposal. Please let me know if I can provide you with any additional information or answer any questions you may have.

Sincerely,

--
Matt Hertel
Executive Director
Woodlawn Community Development Corporation

Inclusive Public meetings

Foundation criticized for not moving meeting

01:00 AM EST on Tuesday, March 6, 2007

By John Castellucci

Journal Staff Writer

PAWTUCKET — Last week, the Rhode Island Foundation barnstormed the state, unveiling an ambitious new plan to boost its charitable efforts.

Wherever the foundation went, it made sure the venue was handicapped accessible, meeting in public libraries in Westerly, Warwick and Cumberland, a social service agency in South Providence, a restored mansion in Bristol, a community center in Little Compton, art centers in South Kingstown and Newport, and Burrillville Town Hall.

In Pawtucket, however, the foundation’s policy of booking buildings capable of accommodating people with disabilities was thwarted.

A broken elevator made it difficult for someone with a handicap to get to the meeting, which was held Thursday in the City Council chamber on the third floor of City Hall.

Local community activist Arthur M. Plitt lobbied the foundation to move the meeting elsewhere, arguing that the venue could easily be changed to the small theater in the Blackstone Valley Visitors Center, at 175 Main St.

When the foundation demurred, Plitt fired off a protest, sending a letter to Ronald V. Gallo, its president, and notifying the Governor’s Commission on Disabilities, to which Plitt belongs.

In an interview, Plitt pointed out that the foundation provides financing to organizations that help the handicapped.

So it was particularly unfortunate, he said, that foundation officials decided to go ahead with the meeting in a building that the handicapped would have trouble trying to reach.

Gallo said yesterday he understood Plitt’s concerns, and made every effort to address them.

But the elevator broke two days before the meeting. Letters about the statewide blitz had been sent to 12,000 people. And, though the foundation looked into switching the meeting place to the Visitors Center, Gallo said, there just wasn’t enough time.

So the foundation took several steps to avoid a situation in which someone with a disability would be unable to attend the Pawtucket session: It sent out e-mail notifications, published an item in the newspaper and, on Thursday morning, posted a sentry in front of City Hall.

The purpose of the sentry was to offer alternative accommodations to anyone unable to attend the Pawtucket meeting, Gallo said. The alternatives included directing the person to one of the foundation’s three remaining sessions, in South Kingstown, Westerly and Burrillville, or offering to arrange a private, one-on-one meeting anywhere the person wished.

“We felt we acted responsibly,” Gallo said. “We certainly didn’t take it casually.”

Bob Cooper, executive secretary of the Commission on Disabilities, said that, although state law requires that organizations operate in an accessible manner, the foundation probably shouldn’t be blamed for what happened.

“Well, they don’t have that much control over maintaining the elevators,” he said.

Nevertheless, it would have been tough for someone who was disabled or elderly to climb the three flights of stairs to the meeting in Pawtucket, said Cooper.

“They probably need to work out a different procedure so that the problem doesn’t arise in the future,” he said.

jcastell@projo.com

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Bonnie Johnson Barry @EDC

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