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Join Our Mailing ListTougaloo College
500 West County Line Road
Tougaloo , MS 39174
Phone: (601) 977-6177
Fax: (601) 977-4473
E-mail: ganderson@tougaloo.edu
Title: Tougaloo College Youth Empowerment Program
Project Director: Gary Anderson
Project Amount Funded (FY 2006): $250,000
Target Population: African American Youth, Grades 3-5
The overall goal of the Tougaloo College Youth Empowerment Program is to have a cohort of 30 at-risk, African-American youth attending Walton Elementary School participate in organized activities relevant to: academic enrichment, mentoring relationships with young adult role models, career exposure, community services, and embracing healthy choices and lifestyles. The program is administered by Tougaloo College in partnership with: Walton Elementary School , Central Mississippi Health Services, the Jackson Police Department, Perry Direct Homes, Youth United Way, Tougaloo College Student Government Association, and the Tougaloo College Jackson Heart Study Undergraduate Training Center . Program activities are conducted after school Monday through Wednesday at Walton Elementary, and gender and wellness activities are conducted on Thursdays at the Tougaloo College Owens Health and Wellness Center . A three-week summer institute is held on the Tougaloo campus. The program is also supported by the Youth Empowerment Program Big Brothers Big Sisters Mentoring Initiative, which provides participants with college mentors who serve as tutors and provides assistance with their community service projects throughout the year. The program's academic enrichment component is designed to enhance participants' cognitive skills, study skills, and critical thinking abilities. Certified teachers provide math, English and reading enrichment, homework assistance, and computer skills sessions. The personal development and wellness component features activities that promote recreation and leisure, healthy lifestyles, and interpersonal skills. The curriculum for this component focuses on leadership, violence prevention, sportsmanship, teamwork and cooperation, and seeks to promote social, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. In the cultural enrichment component, students are exposed to drama, art, and music as well as activities that promote sensitivity, respect and awareness of other cultural histories. The career enhancement curriculum is designed to increase the participants' knowledge about various careers; to encourage them to develop personal goals and identify their skills and aptitudes; and to understand the relationship between education and work. The three-week summer program assists students in overcoming basic skill deficits as well as allowing them to integrate information gained during the after school program. A series of parental workshops, seminars and family functioning activities (effective communication, developing quality time, promoting good health) are conducted throughout the year to strengthen family relationships.