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Berkeley Youth
and Education
UPDATE
ON YOUTH AND EDUCATION SUMMIT ACTIVITIES On March 29, 2003 the Berkeley Youth and Education Summit Kick-off identified goals and actions plans for five areas that have the greatest opportunity to forge partnerships between the city, the school district and the community to benefit our children. Those focus areas are: Youth Safety, Coordinated Family Support Services, Linking the Public Library with schools, After School and Summer Programs, and Mentoring and Tutoring. This Winter-Summer 2004 update will provide you with a picture of how the Berkeley community continues to work together toward concrete solutions. A full report can be found on our website at "www.cityofberkeley.info/mayor/youthandeducation/home.htm". In the full report you will see a spreadsheet organized by focus area that identifies the agreed upon goals and actions defined by the action teams during the March 2003 Summit Kick-Off. You will see the most recent accomplishments followed by past activities. We have made considerable progress in the last 16 months. This summary briefly describes activities that have taken place from November 2003 - July 2004. Berkeley
Champions for Kids Berkeley Champions for Kids is a citywide effort to bridge the broader community with our youth. This is being accomplished in three ways: 1. Berkeley Champions for Kids - Community Volunteer Coordination ready to launch September 2004. The community volunteer coordination will bridge Berkleyans with community-based youth-serving agencies. This program will work in coordination with Berkeley School Volunteers, but will emphasis volunteerism during out-of-school hours. The City allocated start-up funding and this year the Berkeley Alliance has agreed to be the fiscal agent. An advisory committee has hired a consultant and the program is scheduled to begin in September 2004. 2. Berkeley Champions for Kids - City of Berkeley Employee Release Program kicked-off on July 20, 2004. Approximately 40 employees expressed interest in participating in the program. City employees will be placed in one of five organizations in the fall of 2004. In this first phase of the program, five organizations serving low-income youth were identified for volunteer placement: Bay Area Hispano Institute for Advancement (BAHIA), Berkeley Youth Alternatives (BYA), YMCA Y-Scholars and Outsiders programs, Berkeley Boosters and Berkeley School Volunteers. This program is intended to be a model that other local employers will replicate in the future. 3.
Berkeley Champions
for Kids – City of
Berkeley’s Workplace Giving Program to launch in the fall.
Since the fall of 2003, a subcommittee of the Summit Steering
Committee has been designing a program that provides a unique opportunity
for City of Berkeley employees to
support local youth-serving agencies by giving through a payroll deduction
work place giving program. The
Berkeley Community Fund and Berkeley Public Education Foundation
will be the fiscal agencies receiving and administering funds for
youth-serving programs. Mayor
Bates and Berkeley Chamber of Commerce Chairwoman, Carolyn Golphin Henry,
will co-chair the campaign. The City will pilot this program and then
invite other Berkeley employers to join the campaign. BUILD – Berkeley United for Literacy Development The summer of 2004 is a summer of reading for Berkeley youth! To support literacy across the City, Mayor Tom Bates and the University of California’s Cal Corps Public Service Center launched Berkeley United in Literacy Development (BUILD). Project BUILD is designed to engage adults in reading to and with kids; and to put books in the hands of more than 560 Berkeley low-income children and youth participants in our recreation centers and non-profit summer programs. BUILD is a partnership among the Mayor’s Office, the Berkeley Public Library, UC Cal Corps Public Service Center, UC Graduate School of Education (GSE), The Berkeley Alliance, BUSD teachers, RISE, BAHIA, Berkeley Youth Alternatives, Young Adult Project, the Francis Albrier and James Kenny Recreation Centers, SBC, Wells Fargo and Scholastic Inc. to provide summer reading and literacy support to 560 south and west Berkeley children from ages 5-14. Thirty-eight (38) Cal students were hired through America Reads Federal Work Study program. For a modest cost of $6000 to the Cal Corps Public Service Center to coordinate and train the tutors, we leveraged approximately $55,000 in federal work-study subsidies. BUSD literacy leaders and the GSE provided literacy training for tutors. GSE is also providing tutor supervision and program evaluation. With funding from SBC and Wells Fargo, and discount pricing on books from Scholastic Inc. we were able to 1) purchase 1700 books for children to read and take home, 2) trained 38 tutors, and 3) assess the elements necessary for institutionalizing Project BUILD Summer Reading. Vocational
Education Resources for South and West Berkeley Following up on a proposal from a South Berkeley community roundtable discussion hosted by the Mayor and council members Breland and Shirek, the Mayor convened a new partnership of vocational education resources for South and West Berkeley youth – specifically for 17-24 year olds. The goal is to reach into the community and provide a clear pathway for young adults to access vocational education and workforce development opportunities and support services. Partners include: City of Berkeley, Vista College, Berkeley Adult School, Inter-City Services, and Berkeley Youth Alternatives. We plan to launch a pilot outreach program fall of 2004. Coordinated
Family Support Services 1.
Children’s Mental
Health Coordination Berkeley Mental Health (BMH) – Family, Youth and Children Services was awarded a county contract for Early Prevention Screening Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) for community mental health services for BUSD MediCal eligible students. Caseload has increased to approximately 50 open cases. BMH recently embarked on a strategic planning effort to ensure Family, Youth and Children services are responsive to changing family, school and community needs. 2.
BUSD Student Support and Service Coordination The School-based Student Success Team (SST) process of identifying and serving children with academic, emotional or social needs has been redesigned to be more child and family –centered. Instead of waiting until there appears to be nowhere to turn, the Student Success Team will provide teachers, parents, students, community partners and district staff an opportunity to provide early intervention before crisis occurs. With support of the Berkeley Alliance and funding from SBC, BUSD Student Services Director has been working with Alliance consultant and Integrated Services Work Group to develop training and support materials for the new design. The SST subcommittee is proposing a pilot project to include 2-3 schools starting fall 2004. 3.
Children’s Wellness Centers BHS Health Center will be moving into the BHS “H” Building this fall. The Health Center will be newly remodeled thanks to the on-going support of BUSD and the City of Berkeley. The BHS Health Center is a nationally recognized program – and is truly one of the strongest partnerships that exist between the City and the District. BHS Health Center serves high school students. In an effort to improve the services for middle and elementary age students and their families, Lifelong Medical, Rosa Parks, Longfellow and BHS Health Center are working together to assess financial and programmatic feasibility of wellness centers at Rosa Parks and Longfellow schools. Both Rosa Parks and Longfellow are located in the heart of neighborhoods with a clear and demonstrated need for better access to health services. Currently Rosa Parks elementary school has a vibrant Family Resource Center serving that school community. The Rosa Parks center has a strong relationship with Lifelong Medical Care. Longfellow Middle School has facilities well positioned for a wellness center (formerly the Healthy Start program) where Berkeley Mental Health currently provides services. The Longfellow center is adjacent to the school garden, providing support for the concept of wellness. 4.
Mayor’s Task Force on Health Services The Mayor’s Task Force on Health Services has identified four priority areas, all of which have recommendations addressing the needs of children and youth. The four areas are: Nutrition and Physical Activity; Mental Health; Alcohol and Other Drugs; Chronic Disease Management. The Task Force consists of representatives from the major health institutions and organizations serving Berkeley residents, the school district, the Community Health Commission, the South and West Berkeley Health Forum and others. The Preliminary Action Plan will be presented to community and the City Council during the months during the fall 2004. Seeking
Sustainable Funding 1.
Youth
Services and Youth Safety Measure on November 2004 Ballot Many of the programs established in partnership between the City of Berkeley and the school district are at risk of elimination or serious reduction due to the city’s budget crisis. The City Council approved placing the Youth Services and Youth Safety Transfer Tax on the November 2004 ballot to raise revenues for school safety, after school and summer programs, mental health, family resource services, and youth program coordination and evaluation. If the ballot measure passes, approximately $2 million will be dedicated to restoring youth services and youth safety. 2.
The
Mentoring and Tutoring Grant Application submitted Read the full report: "Update on Youth and Education Summit Activities" (PDF, 789 KB) PLEASE
NOTE: If you are unable to access any of the information on this website,
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