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Join Our Mailing ListCarnegie Mellon University
4516 Henry Street, Suite 208
Pittsburgh , PA 15216
Phone: (412) 268-9880
Fax: (412) 268-9828
E-mail: glagana@andrew.cmu.edu
Title: Fostering Academic and Social Achievement (FASA)
Project Director: Greg Lagana
Project Amount Funded (FY 2006): $248,804
Target Population: African American Youth, Grades 6-8
The goal of the Fostering Academic and Social Achievement (FASA) program is to provide a cohort of 25 youth, who attend the Faison School , with experiences and opportunities that positively influence how they think, behave, and ultimately, envision their futures. Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) implements the FASA program in collaboration with: the Homewood Brushton YMCA, Pittsburgh Public Schools , and the Marilyn G. Rabb Foundation. Program activities are conducted at the youth center, established at the Homewood Brushton YMCA. Activities are conducted Mondays through Thursdays after school and on Saturdays during the academic year, and during the summer on weekday afternoons. Summer camp experiences take place at the youth center and on the CMU campus. Academic enrichment after school activities focus on tutor-supported study sessions where CMU undergraduate students serve as tutors and study team mentors. The arts track of the academic enrichment component employs the MURALS arts program which allows participants to learn the concepts of cooperation, conflict resolution, empathy and role playing through drama. The Bridge to Algebra online curriculum is used in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Public Schools mathematics curriculum to improve participants' scores on standardized tests. In the career development component of the program, participants engage in self-exploration activities, monthly World of Work Seminars featuring guest speakers and job site tours. Program staff also conduct a career development, classroom-based intervention using the Real Games series curriculum which includes exercises designed to foster team work, and to help participants connect school and future life-work roles. The personal development and wellness component consists of life skills seminars on topics that include: sexual health (pregnancy, STDs, abstinence); substance abuse (smoking, marijuana use, alcohol use); self esteem; anger management; and drop-out prevention. The cultural enrichment component provides opportunities for participants to explore African American culture, other cultures in the Pittsburgh community, and the multicultural nature of America . Activities conducted as part of this component include: African American culture video night; guest speakers presentations; cultural exchanges with peers from other cultures; and visits to local history and art museums. The FASA youth council identifies a community problem each semester, and all participants are engaged in methods for addressing the problem as part of the community service learning component of the program. The three-week summer program features structured academic and recreational activities such as: participation in the CMU Architecture Explorations program; participation in CMU's Robotics Institute's Robocamp; and the YMCA Summer Explosion Camp.