Community Campaign Document

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Latino Youth-Community Support

2014

The Community Campaign

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© Youth Discovery Inc 2014, All Rights Reserved License given at no charge, upon request, for local implementation Rights reserved for nationwide fundraising

You might want to take a look at the documents: Community Campaign Quick Summary, and The Latino Initiative Description.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 1

Executive Summary…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2

The Campaigns…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2

The Community Campaign…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2

Next Steps and Implementation…………………………………………………………………………………………. 7

Executive Summary 

The Latino Initiative is a comprehensive campaign by Youth Discovery Inc, a Cache Valley non-profit, meant to serve minority and low-income students in the Cache Valley area so they may reach their highest potential.

Our Vision

It is Youth Discovery Inc’s vision to make use of local connections and resources to provide academic, financial, networking, engagement, guidance, and service opportunities to the minority and low-income populations of Cache Valley. Our vision includes engaging not only students, but parents, the community, and educators in a movement that empowers participants to envision and build inter-generational and inter-cultural chains of knowledge and support that will strengthen ties throughout Cache Valley and carry our community into a future where all students are achieving their highest potential. Once we have made the Latino Initiative successful in Cache Valley, we envision propagating the Initiative to all universities in Utah and in the United States.

The Challenge

Utah’s minority and low-income students are under-performing in education and career preparedness:

  • Their test scores are an average of 25 percentage points lower than their peers[1]
  • An average of 35% drop out before high school graduation[2]
  • Of those who do enter post-secondary education, an average of only 10% graduate annually[3]
  • Nationally, only 7% of all graduate degrees are earned by minority or low income students[4]
  • Nationally, of all demographic groups, they are the least likely to obtain managerial or professional employment 4 

The Goals

The primary aim of the Latino Initiative is to increase minority and low-income student post-secondary school graduation rates. To do this we need to:

  • Close the academic achievement gap.
  • Encourage student identity development and motivation.
  • Educate students on the availability of financial aid and motivate them to apply.
  • Provide post-secondary education information and opportunities.
  • Provide life skills guidance.

The Solution

The Latino Initiative is a comprehensive program that will address multiple causes of minority and low-income student under-achievement with a set of four parallel campaigns:

  • The Student Campaign
  • The Parent Campaign
  • The Community Campaign
  • The Professional Development Campaign

The Strategy

The Latino Initiative is a long-term plan for the personal growth and success of minority and low-income populations within Cache Valley.  The partnering organizations behind the Latino Initiative recognize that not every program and goal listed in this proposal will be immediately realized.  Instead, the partnering organizations plan to begin implementation of the Latino Initiative by selecting a few of the highest-priority programs within each of the four campaigns listed below.  Various schools and departments of the university will be invited to lead out on campaign programs that fall within their interest and expertise. The short-term goal, to be achieved in the next one to three years, will be to create and/or perfect the selected high-priority programs.  Once those successful building blocks are in place, The Latino Initiative will have a foundation that will support its full growth and effectiveness.  Implementation is estimated to be a continuous on-going process, with nearly full implementation completed by 2027. Nevertheless, as soon as the concepts are proven, there will be assignments made to transmit the success of the Initiative to other schools in Utah, starting with the Wasatch Front.

The Campaigns

Youth Discovery Inc has developed four targeted campaigns:  the Student Campaign, the Parent Campaign, the Community Campaign, and the Professional Development Campaign.  Each campaign’s efforts are aimed at a unique Cache Valley population, and all are intended to run concurrently with one another.

The Community Campaign

If it takes a village to raise a child, then a stronger village will raise a stronger child. The Community Campaign will increase the capacity of existing community resources (organizations and programs) to aid minority and low-income populations. If an unmet need is identified, the Community Campaign will also facilitate the creation of a new program.

The Challenge

Cache Valley enjoys a multitude of resources (organizations and programs) that either currently aid or wish to expand their aid to minority and low-income groups.  However, these programs may have difficulty in:

  • Recruiting participants, volunteers, or funding sources;
  • Tracking and evaluating their effectiveness;
  • Finding and establishing collaborations that could improve their effectiveness; and/or
  • Learning the specific needs of minority and low-income groups and how to effectively meet those needs.

The Goals

The Community Campaign will facilitate training, collaborations, and outreach efforts.  It will encourage the creation of resource information centers and resources that target adults who are neither students nor parents of students and cannot be impacted through traditional methods (i.e. non-traditional students).  The specific aims of the Community Campaign are to:

  • Identify all community members and services interested in minority and low-income students and families;
  • Raise awareness of existing community resources;
  • Identify unmet needs and encourage the creation of resources to address those needs; and
  • Organize a sustainable support system in the community.

The Solution

The Latino Initiative partners have identified a list of businesses, non-profits, faith-based organizations, and other organizations that would be able to effectively serve as a resource to the minority and low-income community.  They have further created a framework for new programs that would target the needs of the minority and low-income community described above.

1.  Expansions of Existing Programs

The following organizations will be enlisted to play a role in expanding their current programs to meet the needs of the Community Campaign: 4H

African Organization for Academic & Athletic  Development

American West Heritage Center

Bear River Health Department BRAG

Bridgerland Applied Technology College

Bridgerland Literacy

Bridges to America

Cache Community Connections

Cache Community Hispanic Center

Cache County Chamber of Commerce

Cache County Community Foundation

Cache County Red Cross

Cache Educational Foundation

Cache Employment and Training Center

Cache Valley Interagency Council

The Cache Valley Volunteer Center

Cache Valley Soccer League

CAPSA

Dell Loy & Lynette Hansen Charitable Support Foundation

Deseret Industries

Effect International

El Centro de La Familia The Family and Child Support Center

Food Pantry

Greater Smithfield Chamber of Commerce

The Hansen Scholars Support Foundation

Headstart

Heart of the World Foundation

Kiwanis International Inc

Logan LDS Employment

Local Charitable Trusts

Local Faith-Based Groups

Logan Community Foundation

The Multicultural Center

NAMI

Cache Valley Northern Rockies Consortium for Higher Education

Rotary International:

Logan Rotary

Service Corps of Retired Executives Association

Soccer Academy Club

Stokes Nature Center

Sunshine Terrace Foundation

United Way of Cache Valley

Utah Education Association:

Cache Utah Rural & Specialized Transportation Association

Utah State University (Various Departments and Offices)

Whittier Community Center

Workforce Services

2.  Potential New Campaign Programs

(a)  Outreach Training

The Latino Initiative partners will:

  1. Provide information on minority, low-income and other communities to those who wish to serve them;
  2. Provide information on recruiting participants, obtaining volunteers, and developing collaborations;
  3. Encourage the tracking and evaluation of program efficacy; and
  4. Facilitate fundraising via grants, events, and donors.

The more information and funding program providers have, the better they can serve minority and low-income populations.

(b)  Resource Book

Youth Discovery Inc is prepared to work with multiple Cache Valley agencies, including the Interagency Council and Cache Community Connections, to create a reference book in multiple languages for existing and new families coming into Cache Valley. The Resource Book will have the name of an agency, their programs and services, and their contact information. This book will be available at all schools, major employers, non-profit organizations, and community centers.

(c)  Volunteer Financial Aid/FAFSA Counselor Training Program

The Latino Initiative partners will recruit and train volunteers to:

  1. Create awareness of the importance of FAFSA and other financial aid processes;
  2. Create awareness of financial aid opportunities for non-traditional students;
  3. Help traditional and non-traditional students to gather the information typically required by financial aid applications (like tax information) and to apply for FAFSA for the first time; and
  4. Train traditional and non-traditional students to continue to search for and complete financial aid applications on their own.

These volunteers would conduct workshops or private sessions at schools, major employers, non-profit organizations, and major community centers. Helping adults to re-enter education will improve their standard of living and better prepare them to support their children when they become parents.

(d)  Computer Labs at Major Employers and Community Centers

Computer labs can be established at every major employer and community center in Cache Valley so that minority and low-income adults (parents and other community members) without computers or Internet in their homes can access student grades and other resources during their breaks or free time. A volunteer can visit each lab once per week to help adults learn how to better use computers/the Internet and to find more information on educational and other professional development opportunities. Today’s world is highly technological, and access to computers/Internet and the computer literacy necessary to effectively use them can help adults to achieve a higher standard of living through post-secondary education and professional development opportunities.

Next Steps and Implementation 

Youth Discovery Inc’s Latino Initiative is among the most comprehensive plans in Utah – and possibly the nation – to increase minority, low-income and whole community achievement.  However, planning is only the first phase.  Youth Discovery Inc will begin implementation of the Latino Initiative in June 2014. With a comprehensive plan in place, Youth Discovery Inc has determined the next steps, which will eventually lead to full implementation of The Latino Initiative.

  1. Present the Latino Initiative Business Plan to the Utah State University Division of Student Services.
    1. It is hoped that USU will formally commit to becoming the Latino Initiative’s first university partner, working to expand, improve, and create post-secondary resources as well as partnering with K-12 resources.
    2. It is hoped that USU will formally commit to aiding the Latino Initiative to gather partners, volunteers, and funding.
    3. USU will be provided with the opportunity to suggest revisions and additions to this document before providing formal commitments.
    4. It is hoped that USU will finalize all formal commitments by August 5, 2014.
    5. It is hoped that upon confirmation of formal commitments, a group of USU staff and/or faculty will formally collaborate with a group of Youth Discovery Inc staff to create a detailed list of actions with specific deadlines necessary to begin implementation of the Latino Initiative in August 2014.  These groups shall hereafter be referred to as The Implementation Committee.
    6. It is hoped that The Implementation Committee will meet and begin to work on implementation of the Latino Initiative by the beginning of August 2014.
    7. It is hoped that one of the specific actions decided upon by The Implementation Committee will be a goal to raise $250,000 or more from local business for the Latino Initiative within six months of implementation.
  2. Identify and approach other potential K-12, non-profit, faith-based, governmental, and for-profit partners.
    1. It is hoped that these entities will formally commit to providing specific resources (e.g. classes, workshops or funding) as outlined in the Latino Initiative Business Plan.
    2. Information on each partner shall be incorporated in a revised version of the Latino Initiative Business Plan and collected in a new resource book that will be distributed throughout Cache Valley (see Section 2(b) of the Community Campaign, supra).
    3. It is hoped that the details and timelines for each of these activities will be decided upon and implemented by The Implementation Committee.
  3. Work with all partners to facilitate the expansion or creation of programs starting in August 2014.
    1. Logistical and fundraising support will be offered to all K-16 educational institutions wishing to expand or begin The Latino Initiative programs.
    2. Workshop and professional development resources will be developed.
    3. Recruitment for The Latino Initiative participants and volunteers will take place.
    4. A system for The Latino Initiative data and analyses will be developed and implemented.  This system will include a community council representative of Cache Valley’s population that will provide guidance on Latino Initiative implementation and continual improvement.
    5. It is hoped that the details and timelines for these activities will be decided upon and implemented by The Implementation Committee
  4. Summary
    1. Utah State University will review, offer suggested revisions for, and formally commit to the Latino Initiative.
    2. The Implementation Committee will be fully operational by the end of August 2014.
    3. The Implementation Committee will develop a list of potential partners and a protocol/schedule for approaching these potential partners.
    4. The Implementation Committee will develop a list of other immediate steps necessary for implementation (for example, fundraising) and a protocol/schedule for successfully completing these steps.
    5. The Implementation Committee will help form a permanent structure to administer the Latino Initiative once it has been established and codified.
    6. The Implementation Committee will help form a community council representative of Cache Valley’s population to provide continual guidance on the Latino Initiative’s implementation and improvement.

Together, we can ensure that Cache Valley remains a great place for all of its residents to live, and serve as an example to the rest of the United States.  Click Here for the Complete Document

[1] Lambert, J. Utah State Office of Education, (2009).Achievement gap. Retrieved from website: http://www.schools.utah.gov/data/Educational-Data/Assessments-Student-Achievement/ScienceGapData.aspx

[2] Utah State Office of Education, (2011). Cohort graduation and dropout rate by district and school: Class of 2011. Retrieved from website: http://www.schools.utah.gov/data/Educational-Data/Graduation-Dropout-Rates/FinalCohortGrad2011b.aspx

[3] Complete College America. (2011). Utah 2011- complete college America report. Retrieved from http://www.completecollege.org/docs/Utah.pdf

[4] Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2010). Labor force statistics from the current population survey. Retrieved from website: http://www.bls.gov/cps/demographics.htm