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Project Proposal For:
THE COMMUNITY YOUTH CENTER



Introduction:
The concept of the Community Youth Center was initiated by the parents of Nicole, Mr. & Mrs. Brian Tassone. Nicole, the only child of Brian and Carol Tassone died unexpectantly of a drug overdose on Friday, 13 October 2000.

The youth center will be operating under the blanket and direction of The Childrens Preservation Society of Pennsylvania (CPS), of which Mrs. Tassone is Assistant Director of. CPS is a non-profit, non-governmental advocacy organization dedicated to the preservation of children who; we believe; are becoming endangered as a direct result of substance abuse.

Founded in July of 1997, CPS provides all sectors of the community with age-appropriate programs of prevention, education, and awareness relevant to substance abuse and the repercussions of that abuse.

The organization members consists of a network of parents, guardians, and concerned citizens throughout Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. CPS strongly believes in working together with local Law Enforcement Agencies, Single County Authorities, School Districts, and County agencies/organizations/coalitions, in a cooperative effort to help achieve a shared vision of drug-free communities.

The purpose for seeking funding is to provide a community youth center, open to children ages twelve (12) to seventeen (17), to be able to participate in consistent, age-appropriate, educational programs that promote and encourage both positive life qualities and skills, as well as a drug-free lifestyle.

The Community Youth Center's programs will be overseen by adult volunteer mentors within the community. The center will provide our youth with alternatives to using drugs according to their personal interests other than those which are sports related. The programs will help build and encourage self-reliance, self-discipline, optimism, ambition, confidence, self-esteem, decision-making skills, assertiveness, and skills for heandling emotions. The center will encourage community volunteerism.

The youth center will operate to enhance all pre-existing youth programs within our community, and is not intended as a replacement for those pre-existing programs.

PROBLEM STATEMENT:
According to the 1997 Youth Risk Survey Report on Attitude and Use in Schuylkill County, 1,687 students surveyed in grades 6,7,9, and 12 showed the following:

* Regularly (at least once per month use alcohol: 7% of 6th graders, 14% of 7th graders, 33% of 9th graders, and 49% of 12th graders.

* Regularly (at least once per month) use cigarettes: 7% of 6th graders, 16% of 7th graders, 27% of 9th graders, and 31% of 12th graders.

* Regularly (at least once per month) use 1% of 6th graders, 3% of 7th graders, 8% of 9th graders, and 15% of 12th graders.

* Regularly (at least once per month) use inhalants: 4% of 6th graders, 2.1% of 7th graders, 2.8% of 9th graders, and 2.9% of 12th graders.

* Regularly (at least once per month) use stimulants: 1.1% of 6th graders, 1.9% of 7th graders, 6.1% of 9th graders, and 5% of 12th graders.

* Regularly (at least once per month) use cocaine: .2% of 6th graders, .4% of 7th graders, 2.2% of 9th graders, and 1.7% of 12th graders.

* Students who sold drugs: .4% of 6th graders, .4% of 7th graders, 2% of 9th graders, and 1.7% of 12th graders.

* 15% of 12th graders have reported

* 8% of 12th graders have reported smoking marijuana and driving.

* 9% of 6th & 7th graders, 13% of 9th graders, and 24% of 12th graders reported riding with a drinker.

* 47% of 6th graders, 54% of 7th graders, 42% of 9th graders, and 35% of 12th graders report being threatened in school in the past year.

* Those students reporting having been hit or beat up in the past year include: 19% of 6th graders, 20% of 7th graders, 18% of 9th graders, and 10% of 12th graders.

* Those students reporting having been in a fight at school in the past year include: 27% of 6th graders, 26% of 7th graders, 24% of 9th graders, and 11% of 12th graders.

* 16% of 6th graders, 20% of 7th & 9th graders, and 16% of 12th graders reported carrying a weapon to school last year. (Weapons include knife, gun, club, martial arts weapon, etc.)

* 6% of 6th graders, 5% of 7th graders, 6% of 9th graders, and 3% of 12th graders report being attacked with a weapon in the past year.

Drug use is a serious concern in Schuylkill County among our youth.

(WEBMASTER NOTE: The most recent Sch. Co. stats are to be released in February, 2001. Please check the "updates" portion of this website for those stats.)

PROGRAMS PROPOSED:
The organization is requesting funding for The Community Youth Center, focusing primarily in working with youths between the ages of twelve (12) and seventeen (17) who have not started using drugs, as well as those who've already chosen to use.

Our focus in working with youths who have not started using drugs and alcohol is to reduce the incidence of drug and alcohol use by new users, preventing the development of drug and alcohol use problems, enhancing individual strengths as an inoculate against drug and alcohol use. Efforts to achieve this goal would include offering youth alternative drug-free social events and promoting healthy approaches to choosing no to use (building self-efficiency or resisting peer pressure).

In working to reduce the total number of cases of drug and alcohol use among youths who've already chosen to use, the primary focus is to limit the duration and scope of drugs and alcohol. Efforts to achieve this would be to provide to the youth of the community a strong anti-drug, zero tolerance campaign, and to promote youth activities that are negative toward drugs and alcohol, maintaining an atmosphere that enforces negative consequences for illicit drug use.

PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION:
The organization will secure a building suitable to meet the needs of sponsoring programs, workshops, and events which will be both interactive and educational.

The center's interior design, on-going daily activities, special events, etc., will be done by the volunteer youths of the community under the direct supervision of adult volunteers who had previously undergone a required training program, criminal background check, and drug test (all within the legal limits of the law).

All youth participants and their parent(s)/guardian(s) will be given information packets regarding rules, regulation, programs, events, activities, and structure of the center's operations.

Emergency contact numbers and information for each youth will be kept on file in the office, and accessible to an adult volunteer in the event of an emergency.

The center will operate set hours according to the school term, 2:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Summer hours would be set from 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. daily.

GOALS:
To reduce the incidence of alcohol, tobacco and other drug use by the youth of our community.

OBJECTIVES:
1. To increase the knowledge of health risks of alcohol, nicotine, and other drug use among the youth participants.

2. To encourage youth participants to incorporate into their lives positive life qualities/skills, as well as choosing to live a drug-free lifestyle.

3. To allow youth participants to experience the positive aspects of mentorship and volunteerism, and to encourage those youths to incorporate those positive values into their lives as youth and into their adult lives.

4. To provide awareness and encourage involvement from all sectors of the community.

5. To enhance parenting and positive influence by enhancing positive parental/guardian supervision and parent/guardian-child communication.

6. To increase involvement in school by parent/guardian and students by encouraging attendance of school activities geared toward parent/guardians and their children.

7. Encourage sobriety of those in recovery.

EVALUATION PLAN:
Success of programs, workshops, activities, and events will be measured in terms of reviewing Pre and Post forms and surveys from those participating. Collection of these forms will occur following the completion of a program, workshop, activity or event.

BUDGET NARRATIVES:
Budget narratives for specific programs, workshops, activities, or events are available upon request. (Please refer to "Listing of Planned Programs" below for title)



Listing of Planned Programs

Below is a listing of planned projects for the center. Please keep in mind that brain-storming is constant at CPS therefore opening the possibility of new program ideas to be added.

Crafts
Literature
Art
Music
Theater
Culinary Arts
Horticulture
Workshops (large variety: child care, business, etc.)
Computer Science
Humanities
Sciences
Clothing Exchange
Community Services/Volunteerism
Monthly Activities



INPUT FORM

We need your input and help relevant to this proposed program! Please take a moment to fill out the form below. Please know that we WILL NOT share your name/e-mail address with anyone!

THANK YOU!

Should the form below fail to work, please email the information to NikkiMemorial@yahoo.com
In the subject area of the email, please type in "Program Input"

Program Input
Your Name:
Your E-Mail:
Would you be interested in becoming an adult volunteer mentor at the youth center? Yes Would you be interested in helping with fund-raisers for this project? Yes Would you like to be kept up-to-date, via an e-mail letter, on all of the events, activities, etc. regarding the center's progress and needs? Yes
Yes, I am interested in making a donation to the youth center. Monetary Donation Furniture (used is fine, our aspiring decorators will work on it!) Books (classic to modern day for our literary buffs!) Music/Musical Instruments (all eras of music for our aspiring musicians!) Kitchen Supplies (for our culinary youth!) Craft Supplies (for those krafty kids!) Art Supplies (for our aspiring artists!) Scientific/Astrological Items (for our future explorers!) Building Maintenance Supplies (for maintaining the center's appearance) Other (please specify in comments area below!)
Comments: Please tell us your overall opinion of this proposed project:

Site Map
Article: Teen Girl Charged In Death By Drugs		Article: Methadone Claims First Victim Here
Article: Police: Methadone Prescribed Legally, Stolen From Medicine Cabinet		Article: Nikki's Mother Tells Of That Fatal Night
Coming Soon: What is Methadone?		Community Youth Center In Memory Of: Nicole E. Tassone
Lights In The Darkness Candle Light Vigil		Coming Soon: Updates
Read The Guestbook Sign The Guestbook E-mail: NikkiMemorial@yahoo.com		Click onto the graphic above to learn more about drug abuse.

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