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Join Our Mailing ListSouthern Illinois University
900 South Normal Street
Carbondale , IL 62901
Phone: (618) 453-8630
E-mail: calgal@siu.edu
Title: Youth Empowerment Services Project (Project YES)
Project Director: Susanne Ashby
Project Amount Funded (FY 2006): $225,487
Target Population: African American Youth, Grades 4-5
The Youth Empowerment Services (Project YES) Center provides structured weekday after school and evening activities, and selected Saturday events for 30 African-American youth and their parents with the specific goals of: enhancing community protective factors, strengthening social protective factors, and increasing resiliency factors. Southern Illinois University has partnered with the Lewis Elementary School , Boys and Girls Club, Family Advocacy Services, and the Adolescent Health Center to implement Project YES. The primary components of the program revolve around the Technology Youth (TeachY) program, Partners in Reading Program, the Summer Program, and the cultural component. The TeachY program takes place three times annually for six consecutive weeks, three times per year. During these sessions, students are provided instruction and tutoring by Tech Tutors (SIUC Graduate Students) in basic computer knowledge, web research for kids, web-page programming and design, and beginning computer programming. As part of the Partners in Reading Program, students meet once a week with a community volunteer to read to each other and discuss their findings, learn how to access various types of reading materials, and engage in intellectually stimulating games and creative crafts that extend the reading experience. Saluki Kids Academy is offered for three weeks during the summer. Students take part in full-day activities that consist of tutoring in reading and math, working out in the Student Recreation Center , cultural programing, access to nutritious meals and snacks, and learning about conflict resolution and building healthy self-esteem. Students and parents are provided with cultural enrichment opportunities to visit African-American museums, former slave plantations, Underground Railroad sites, and the National Civil Rights Museum . The programming provides an opportunity for students and their parents to learn more about their own culture and to enhance their knowledge, pride and awareness of the culture and its history. To enhance parent participation, parents are contacted weekly by the staff prevention specialist to discuss their child's progress and to address any concerns the parents may have. Parents also receive information about risk and protective factors related to their children, are encouraged to be intimately involved in their child's education, and are asked to participate in a monthly parent support group meeting.