YOACAP Newsletter Issue 11 by YOACAP

Educating Youth, Saving Lives YOUTH OUTREACH ADOLESCENT COMMUNITY AWARENESS PROGRAM

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YOACAP

Affiliated with the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition

newsletter

In this issue… February 2010

Our services Editorial

The Parents of Project BUILD

Tutoring their peers

Overcoming the crisis

Volunteering makes a big difference

An award for YOACAP 6 Haiti: The Aftermath

What happened in your district

And more! include... Interactive Workshops Drama Presentations Risk Counseling Free STD/HIV Counseling Anti-Tobacco Youth Programs Counseling sessions for women infected by HIV/AIDS

Call (215) 851-1836 for more information

Issue 12

THE PHILADELPHIA CONNECTION In September 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Institute for HIV Prevention Leadership held a Fellow Advanced Seminar in Atlanta, GA, and our very own President & CEO, Linda Burnette, was invited as a panelist along with Melva ThompsonRobinson, Associate Professor at the School of Public Health, University of Nevada; and Rashad YOACAP’s President & CEO, Linda Burnette (left) with Burgess, Chief of the Capacity Building Branch CDC’s Capacity Building Chief, Rashad Burgess, at the 2009 CDC Fellow Advanced Seminar, speaking in the of CDC, to speak about Community Engagement. Community Engagement panel in Atlanta, Georgia. This CDC project aims to inform executive officials involved in public health-related projects about effective ways to connect communities with similar characteristics and problems, getting them involved in the development of potential solutions. Through Ms. Burnette’s participation, YOACAP is very proud to be part of and support this CDC’s Community Engagement project.

GIVING BACK MEANS SO MUCH By Duerward Beale, MHS Former YOACAP peer educators and cast members who are now all grown up with families and in their mid-to-late 20s, continue to give back to the agency. One of the biggest supports that they provide is speaking to new youth of Project BUILD to give guidance about academics, career choices, decision making, choosing positive peers, post-secondary education, and other important life decisions. These former YOACAP peer educators are now working in health care, food service, social services, education, law enforcement, etc. and have so much insight that they can offer to youth. Having young adults who have come through YOACAP, who live in their neighborhoods and share similar goals, Cherron Powell, who was a YOACAP Peer Educator between to act as mentors and role models has been a 1996—1999 while she attended Parkway Gamma High School, is now a motivational speaker for the new Project BUILD very effective way in reaching them. generations. She currently works as a Field Technician for They can relate because there is a small PECO Energy in Philadelphia. Left: Cherron (circled) when she was a teenage peer educator at YOACAP in 1997. age difference. In many instances, these youth feel like the mentor understands their challenges, and they often feel very comfortable asking hard questions that can assist them in making better decisions in their lives. We would like to thank the many young adults who volunteer because they truly see the importance and value of donating 2 or 3 hours of their time every month to an eager youth of Project BUILD.

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EDITORIAL I AM A WITNESS By Linda L. Burnette, President & CEO Certainly, 2009 has been one of the most exciting years of my life. The nation got to see the first Black man sworn in as President of the United States. Something that I never thought I would see. I saw the community and the country embrace change and hope. On election night, the spirit of hope and change, and the joy of being a part of that change, was infectious, exciting and gave us a sense of having finally overcome. And I was a witness! As a child of the civil rights movement and one of the first Blacks to attend an integrated school in North Carolina, I am well aware of how deep and painful the wounds of racism can be, not just on a person, but on an entire country. I watched John Kennedy, Martin L King, Medgar Evans, Robert Kennedy and Malcolm X being assassinated. I watched on television the riots that occurred and the pain and disbelief in the faces of the young people who had participated in the Civil Rights Movement. I tasted the bitterness of the anger we felt. I was a witness! Yet, we moved on, we worked hard, we took care of our families and communities with broken hearts and a determination to make sure there would be something of substance for the next generations. We took care of each other’s children and homes. We made sure that any stranger in the neighborhood was noted and monitored. We knew when someone lost a relative, and we arrived with our covered dishes, we cleaned their homes and held hands with those in need. We stayed up all night comforting those who were hurting and protecting the helpless. I was a witness! Now, I see our young men and women falling victims to reality TV, believing that if you don’t have material things you are not as valuable. That sex is just a casual act and vulgarity is not only accepted, but is awarded Grammys and Gold records. I see parents who have decided that being a friend to their children is more important that instilling traditions and lessons in self discipline. I see some parents who want everyone else to “fix” what is wrong with their child through a pill, a teacher, or a community organization. Now I am a witness to the old adage, “He who forgets his history, is doomed to repeat it.” Let us not be a witness to our own demise. Let us begin to talk to our children and each other. Let us find just one young person and become a witness to the good that can happen in them and in the world. That a man is not deemed a man by what he wears, but by what is in his heart. Let us witness to the single mother, that she can be strong and she can survive and instill in her child values that will see them through life. Let us be a witness to the change, the change of young men and women on the corners, the young woman in the stripper attire, the single parent who finds it difficult to get a job, the teenagers who cannot see their way through higher education, the youth that are constantly exposed to violence. They can become great, and it is all a matter of believing and working together. Let us all begin to witness.

THE PARENTS OF PROJECT BUILD By Ebony Joyner, MHS Since last October, Project BUILD began the Parent Partnership Meetings exclusively for the parents of Project BUILD’s youth and aimed at helping families work together to secure a bright future for their children. These monthly meetings are held the third Thursday of every month from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. During the meetings, staff works with families to review specific topics relevant to what Parents of Project BUILD’s the program participant is learning in the Small Learning Communities. youth meet every month at During the first meeting last October, the ninth and tenth graders were in YOACAP to discuss their a small workgroup discussing high school courses and reasons why college is children’s progress important. A guest speaker from the Philadelphia School District’s Counselor’s Office, Ms. Edith Paige, spoke to families about the college admission process. Another guest speaker from Lincoln Benefits Insurance Company, Mr. Gregory Davis, spoke with 11 th and 12th grade students and parents about saving for college. November’s meeting was dedicated to working with 9th and 10th graders to help them review their high school classes and to make sure they would have enough credits to graduate and go to college if they decided to apply. Although there were no guest speakers during this meeting, the instructor was able to spend more time talking about things that parents suggested and working with the students to really understand their responsibility in securing a productive future. The meeting in December was used to review the information from past meetings and to answer any questions that families had. It also included information to help youth turn their interests into college majors. Project BUILD is already looking forward to the next meeting on Thursday, February 18. We would like to thank all of the guest speakers and Project BUILD parents for their participation, support and attendance, which make these meetings successful.

YOACAP newsletter

Page 3 Martisha Hardy

4th ANNUAL SUMMER ENRICHMENT PROGRAM By Ebony Joyner, MHS This summer was a very exciting season for staff and youth who participated in the YOACAP Summer Enrichment Program. With twenty summer employees, staff spent a lot of time building self-awareness and group cohesiveness. This year the focus was on teen survival. Staff developed a curriculum that would allow youth to gain important life skills while enriching their minds, bodies, and spirits. Over the six-week period, youth received information about health, self-esteem, entrepreneurship, and violence prevention. Several facilitators conducted workshops to help reinforce the information. A successful female business owner spoke to youth about the importance of staying focused, mastering a craft, and controlling their destiny. A HIV specialist spoke with the group about making good choices, practicing abstinence, and getting to know their bodies. Additionally, youth met with another facilitator to discuss different types of violence, why it happens, how to deal with violence, and ways to prevent it. Finally, youth were introduced to the world of self-esteem; how to recognize it, why it is important, and how to maintain high self-esteem. As a result, youth decided to produce for their summer project a Teen Survival Kit. The kit included information to help teenagers become aware and make positive Summer Enrichment Program participants choices. The kit included the results of a survey conducted working in the Teen Survival Kit. by youth, which identified teen thoughts and feelings around youth violence. It included a self-esteem poem written by the youth. It also included the top ten health concerns of youth and a poster entitled “40 things before age 40.” It was decided that instead of competing this year at Philadelphia Youth Network’s Summer Expo, we would set up an information table and administer youth violence surveys to include those results in the findings. Overall, it was a wonderful event, the summer was very productive, and the youth gained invaluable information. 3

Yohannes Brevis

We have many individuals who want to complete internships at the agency. We would like to highlight two interns that have recently worked with the agency: Martisha Handy and Yohannes Brevis. Martisha is 17 years old and attends Academy of Palumbo, located in South Philadelphia. Yohannes is a 39-year-old Bucks County resident dedicated to helping people throughout the Delaware Valley. Kudos to both for being dedicated and working extremely hard in the social services field!

TUTORING: HELPING KIDS TO BUILD THEIR FUTURE By Tajuana Wall Teachers had washed their blackboards and packed away their grade books. Students had cleaned out their desks & emptied their lockers. The doors of the schools may have been securely locked for the summer, but the doors at YOACAP remained open. During the summer of 2009, Project BUILD youth attended free tutoring sessions at YOACAP offices. Project BUILD’s volunteer academic support team is available on Mondays & Fridays from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Every volunteer must have obtained at least 93.3 GPA or above in the subject in which they tutor. The college volunteers attend local colleges like Penn State, Millersville University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Immaculate University, and Moore College of Art & Design. Other volunteers are high school seniors attending William W. Bodine High School for International Affairs, the School of Creative & Performing Arts, and Frankford High School. Volunteer tutors receive credit hours to fulfill their community service obligation at their school. The tutoring program has been a great success. So far, the Youth Specialist has recruited 23 volunteer tutors and approximately 29 youth have received tutoring. Under Tajuana Wall’s supervision, volunteers are Many of the students have shown a vast improvement in their subjects. One youth, getting ready to begin tutoring Project BUILD’s Shantell Scott who is in the 10th grade and attends John Bartram High School, young participants. receives tutoring once a week with Azsa Wall, a sophomore at Millersville University. Since receiving tutoring, Shantell’s English grade has improved from a 65 to 80 in a one-report period. This is just one example of what we consider a success story. Each volunteer dedicates their time on a weekly basis to help inspire youth to reach their highest academic potential, and we greatly appreciate their dedication. If you are interested in volunteering as a tutor, call Ms. Tajuana Wall at 215.851.1968.

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WHERE THE STREETS HAVE NO NAME By Fred Burnette In the African American community, we know too well the sights and sounds of violence. Ambulances, yellow tape, mothers crying and stuffed animals left as a memorial for a fallen friend or family member whose life was taken far too soon. This tragedy occurs so often in our community that we have been desensitized to the point where most of us feel it’s just a part of everyday life. We all have our theories on why we continue to kill ourselves: Self-hatred that comes from slavery, teens having babies, women are raising children alone without fathers in the home, the public school system has failed us, there are not enough programs and extracurricular activities to be part of... The list could be endless. The problems are many and very clear to most African Americans. The next step should be to discuss these problems and come up with solutions that we can all apply to our everyday lives, and teach to the communities we are all part of. One person or group cannot change these problems but as a unit we can change the world. Don’t let your inability to do everything stop you from doing something.

YOACAP newsletter OVERCOMING THE CRISIS By Alexis Bridges The budget crisis in Philadelphia and throughout the State of Pennsylvania caused a lot of headaches to the local health department, non-profit organizations, and people who use their services. Without having a budget passed by state legislators and without money from the City of Philadelphia, many service providers were not able to function at full capacity, and some could not continue working. The culture and philosophy of YOACAP has been and continues to be that we work closely with residents, neighborhoods, communities, businesses, other services’ providers, and our local government to partner and share resources. By building strong coalitions, sharing resources, researching difficult community problems, and helping each other, we have been able to work together providing many services to youth, young adults and their families through the difficult budget crisis. To illustrate our agency’s culture better, there are several examples of YOACAP’s working together that should be outreach team in highlighted about our community front of the mobile unit. From left: outreach program. When our outreach Team Leader, workers were not able to purchase Alexis Bridges; Mobile Unit condoms from July through October, Phlebotomist, through our partnership with the local Anthony Lloyd; and Unit Leader, health department (AACO and STD Ryekisha Coffie. Control) and the University of Pennsylvania (Dr. David Metzger’s Office), we were able to get boxes of latex condoms to give to individuals in North and Southwest Philadelphia where we were doing outreach. Since we were not able to hire additional outreach workers because of the budget crisis, we partnered with Neighborhoods United Against Drugs (NUAD) and Women’s Christian Alliance (WCA) to combine staff and share duties and responsibilities to educate and promote healthy living. Our outreach staff, including drivers, workers, phlebotomist and others, worked the same schedule (July—November) without getting paid for long periods of time. All in all, this demonstrates that with strong partnerships and collaborations, we can do more together and provide better services throughout the City of Brotherly Love.

WOMEN: A TIME FOR OURSELVES By Diane Mills Often times, women are so busy with everyday life’s drama that we do not have any “me” time. We put ourselves last while we care for others such as our children, husbands, and family. We are the main caretakers. The question becomes who is taking care of the caretaker? Do we submit to be taken care of? Isn’t that something to really think about? About how we do not allow ourselves to be cared for because we do not have African American and Latino women the time to even think about that. We rob ourselves from the care we really represent less than one-fourth of all U.S. need to keep us moving in a healthy way by not taking the time. It’s time that women, yet they account for more than we learn about issues and health concerns that deeply affect us. three fourths of AIDS cases reported Let us begin to take the time we need to learn about the issues and health to date among women in our country concerns that affect us at alarming rates Source: Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) such as HIV/AIDS, STD’s, and heart diseases, among others. Heterosexual contact is at present the It is time for us, women, to get educated about our own health needs, get greatest risk factor or mode of tested and take control of our lives. If you would like to get free, confidential transmission for African American HIV/STD testing, please call 215.851.1830. Don’t miss this chance to learn women who acquire HIV sexually. more about some important issues, and start having a healthier, happier life! Source: Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)

YOACAP newsletter

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VOLUNTEERING CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE By Duerward “Woody” Beale, MHS Seventeen year old Marcus Carson, former Project BUILD participant, came to the office to ask if he and another classmate could volunteer at YOACAP to complete their senior project for Mastery Charter High School. Bodine High School Senior, Amanda Standford, regularly comes into our office to tutor her peers in Geometry, Algebra and other courses each Monday, Friday, and Saturday. These are just two examples of youth who spend time in their communities, volunteering and working hard to improve the quality of life for others throughout Philadelphia. Amanda Stanford, senior student Through Project BUILD, youth are encouraged to volunteer in at Bodine High School, dedicated after-school time tutoring her peers groups and individually to work in our neighborhoods. Some of the for YOACAP’s Project BUILD Project BUILD monthly group projects have been to feed the homeless and speak at youth forums about issues that concern them. Through these efforts, youth develop many needed skills and a sense of responsibility by supporting others. Sharing, helping, and giving back to people are just a few ways youth can Nicholas Richardson (left) and Marcus be successful change agents. The earlier we start providing these opportunities for youth to Carson, both of them senior students at lend a hand, the more they will be interested in helping others and be better prepared to work Mastery Charter High School, volunteer every Wednesday with YOACAP’s Youth within the human and health service fields as adults. If you are interested in volunteering and Council as part of their Senior Project. are between the ages of 14 – 18, please contact YOACAP at 215.851.1836.

YOACAPER OF THE QUARTER:

SHATAIAH HOLLAND By Ryekisha Coffie, MHS Shataiah Holland is a true example of a YOACAPER. She is a member of YOACAP’s Project BUILD Program (Phase II and IV). Shataiah is currently a senior at Delaware Valley Charter School. Her commitment to learning has earned her 3.6 grade point average. To her family’s ongoing support, Shataiah responds with numerous student achievements and her constant desire to do well in school. In addition to being an extraordinary student, she is also on the track team. Her other hobbies include crocheting, writing, singing, and hair styling. Shataiah continues to plan for her future. She will be applying to either Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Mansfield University, or Bloomsburg University to pursue her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing. Way to go, Shataiah! All the best wishes from everyone at YOACAP.

Enroll your child into YOACAP’s

PROJECT BUILD Youth Development Program Youth and parents are both enrolled into a two-year experience that builds the assets of youth and their families. For more information, call

Ebony Joyner 215.851.1857 for the next cycle that begins in February This program is funded by the William Penn Foundation and is currently accepting applications.

THE 2009 FALL CYCLE OF PROJECT BUILD By Ebony Joyner, MHS

Project BUILD Coordinator, Ebony Joyner, with the 2009 Fall Cycle participants.

Project BUILD is back in action and moving full speed ahead! During the summer, staff continued to recruit for the fall cycle of Project BUILD. Conducting interviews and meeting with parents produced a long list of youth eager to join the program in September. We currently have 16 youth enrolled and are moving into the third month of the cycle. Any youth who has below a 2.5 average or is having academic difficulties are enrolled on tutoring with our on-site volunteers. The group ranges in age from 15-18 and grades 9th through 12th. This dynamic is very helpful since it allows the younger students to learn from the older students and, in turn, it forces the older students to be role models. Through this peer-to-peer role model, and with assistance from small learning community instructors (Diane Mills, Fred Burnette, Ryekisha Coffie, Duerward Beale) and a Youth Specialist (Tajuana Wall), we hope to raise a group of outstanding youth who are confident, courageous, and aware of the choices they make and how they affect their future.

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THANKS TO A FEW OF OUR PARTNERS! Department of Human Services (DHS) Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition (GPUAC) Haddington Neighborhood Collaborative Henrietta Tower Wurts Foundation Philadelphia Department of Public Health / AIDS Activities Coordinating Office (AACO) Philadelphia Department of Public Health / STD Control Program Philadelphia Recreation Department School District of Philadelphia Southwest Community Advisory Group (SWCAG) 12th Police District Union Benevolent Association William Penn Foundation

YOACAP newsletter ONE MORE FOR YOACAP At the Third Annual Celebration of No House Untouched On Tuesday, January 19, No House Untouched (NHU) celebrated its 3rd Anniversary at Myers Recreation Center in Southwest Philadelphia. Over 80 guests attended the event, among of whom were State Representatives Kenyatta Johnson and Ronald Waters. NHU’s Founder, Hanif Moore, its President, Bruce Durham, and its Vice President, Clayton Dendy, were also in attendance. They are also members of the SWCAG, along with NHU’s Founder, Hanif Moore, with YOACAP’s Editor & Executive Assistant, NHU’s Executive Organizer and SWCAG Virginia Rivero-Descailleaux President, Marsha Wall. As part of the celebration, NHU awarded several community members and supporters for their dedication to Southwest Philadelphia. YOACAP’s Editor and Executive Assistant, Virginia Rivero-Descailleaux, was one of the honorees this year, along with Maryellen Real and Paula McKenley, representatives from S. Weir Mitchell Elementary School; Roxanne Collins and Suedell Cirwithen, from the Southwest Epic Stakeholders; Hellen-Hellon Divers, from the 954 Garden Homes Community Civic Association. Other SWCAG member were also honored: Officer Joe Young (12th Police District), Paul Bailey (NUAD), and Marsha Moore (SW Positive Powerful Advocates For Change), as well as Dwight Levy from the Department of Human Services, Lieutenant Thomas Smith from the 12th Police District, and Edith Dixon, from From left: SWCAG President and NHU the Southwest Global Times and Southwest Executive Organizer, Marsha Wall, with CDC. After the ceremony, musical YOACAP’s Virginia Rivero-Descailleaux, and entertainment and a nice dinner were NHU’s President, Bruce Durham, at the event. provided to the guests.

SYPHILIS IS INCREASING IN PHILADELPHIA! By Melinda Salmon, Philadelphia Department of Public Health, STD Control Program Currently, our city is experiencing an increase in the number of people diagnosed with infectious Syphilis. As of September 2009, 151 cases of infectious syphilis were reported in the city. The trends of increasing Syphilis in Philadelphia are similar to what is being seen in cities like New York and San Francisco. In the past, it was more common to find infectious Syphilis in men who have sex with other men (MSM). Right now, the rates of infectious syphilis in the MSM community are stable. Recently, however, we are seeing more heterosexual women and teenagers with infectious Syphilis. Syphilis among females of childbearing age is of particular concern because of the potential risk to an unborn child. One of the primary goals of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health is to help stop the spread of Syphilis in the city. The Health Department has formed the Philadelphia Syphilis Advisory Committee (PSAC), which collaborates with different agencies in the city to promote syphilis awareness in the community. Some of the efforts employed to help fight syphilis include tracking cases of Syphilis to identify areas that FACT: have high rates and risk of Syphilis to ensure aggressive and timely disease control, Syphilis is an infection that is mainly providing free, confidential testing and treatment to all infected persons and their sexual transmitted through sexual contact, partners at various sites and events, notifying at risk individuals of their possible and it is diagnosed through a blood exposure through partner counseling and referral services, and distributing free condoms test. If you would like to get more through out the city. The Health Department also has a website (www.inspot.org) information about Syphilis or would where infected individuals can anonymously let their partners know that they may have like to be tested, please contact the been exposed to Syphilis. Health Department at 215.685.6585

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YOACAP newsletter

SHAKEN SOULS By Tiffany Brown As an aftershock hits Haiti that registers 6.1 on January 20, many things come to mind of what I could or should share. I seem uniquely qualified to talk about disasters affecting communities as well as the government and the community response. While two of the three events I am most familiar with were environmental in nature Haiti BEFORE the earthquake. (Photos by Tiffany Brown) (Hurricane Katrina and the recent quake in Haiti), referring to them as purely natural disasters is both overly simple and deceptive. But that is a story for another day. When the quake struck, I had only recently returned to Philadelphia from Haiti after a month long stay. I was sitting with a friend who had just returned the day before, when we both heard the news and saw the images of buildings destroyed. People maimed, bloodied, frightened, some dead. We both began calling our loved ones in Haiti trying to hear anything about their well being. The cell towers in the quake zone were inoperative, the electricity out. Suddenly, in my mind, January 12, 2010 felt like August 29, 2005 when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast. I relived days without communication with or about my family and friends, watching horror unfold in the news. I felt helpless. I have lived through not knowing whether or not my family or friends were safe during Hurricane Katrina. I didn't think I could endure it a second time. It would be five days before I heard that most of my loved ones and friends have been accounted for and are “safe” in Haiti. News of safety had come from a third party, and I still have not heard the voice of my beloved to soothe my fears. The news came as I made pleas for assistance and a commitment to give not just to my family and friends but to a country that was devastated. But that news also came with the knowledge that safety comes at a price. Friends have witnessed the deaths of friends and loved ones, then were forced to walk over and leave them behind in order to tend to the living, myself included. That AFTER the earthquake on January 12, which caused the death of 200,000 people.. (Photos: Mirror UK & World News Network.) news comes as countless others will not have the same outcome. It would be five days before I heard anything from them, but in that time I will receive an outpouring of support and prayers. Many people asked me about the success of rebuilding in Haiti, and I think “New Orleans, any questions?” Five years after the storm in a resource rich nation, the rebuilding efforts have been slow with huge areas in the city stand in ruins as if it is the next day. Can we expect any difference in a country with far less than the U.S. has at its disposal? Now the questions arise: Are the people of Haiti really safe as aide is slow to come and fear and anger grows? Are they really safe as the nightmares of recent days linger and potentially soul crippling outcomes emerge in the aftermath? Are the people of Haiti really safe when we as an international community do not address the roles our governments played in destabilizing a country and have helped to perpetuate the conditions seen on the nightly news? The questions could keep going on and on. And the answers are yet to be known.

POWER 99, SWCAG, YOACAP, AND THE 12TH POLICE DISTRICT ARE THE BOMB By Duerward “Woody” Beale, MHS For many years, Loraine Ballard-Morrill and Clear Channel staff have worked side by side in the community with YOACAP to promote safety, wellness, and community development. Recently, Ms. Morrill, Patty Jackson of WDAS-FM, and Shamara of Power 99 FM interviewed YOACAP staff and members of the Southwest Community Advisory Group (SWCAG) to highlight several community events that occurred in the fall and winter of 2009. The SWCAG is a community action/advisory group that began with the assistance of YOACAP and the Department of Human Services (DHS) in June of 2007. As a result of continued strategic partnering and planning, we have worked on several major projects, such as several “Turn In Your Gun” Campaigns (12th Police District & SWCAG), Job Readiness Training and Support for youth and young adults (SWCAG), providing community resources through the Southwest Corner (monthly Newsletter for Southwest Philadelphia), and local health fairs and workshops at the local recreation centers. Special thanks go out to Power 99 FM, the SWCAG and its membership, as well as the 12th District, for continuing to work together to build neighborhoods and communities, one brick at a time. Look for many events coming up in 2010. Loraine Ballard-Morrill, News & Communications Director at Clear Channel

YOUTH OUTREACH ADOLESCENT COMMUNITY AWARENESS PROGRAM ******

1207 Chestnut Street, 3rd Floor Philadelphia, PA 19107 P: (215) 851-1836 / F: (215) 851-1878

Linda L. Burnette President & CEO

Duerward K. Beale, MHS Executive Director

Virginia Rivero-Descailleaux Editor In Chief Collaborators:

FYI:

Check out some of the most effective and current projects of YOACAP...

 Educational Presentations : Small group discussions provided to areas schools, community centers, churches, etc. about issues like HIV/STDs, peer pressure, and youth development.  Project S.H.A.K.E.D.O.W.N.: Developed to provide skills, education, and risk reduction activities to reduce the transmission of HIV. Provided as part of this program is Becoming A Responsible Teen (B.A.R.T.), a 12-week curriculum provided to high school-aged students, 8-12 grades.  RAP Dramas : Plays written and produced by youth for youth, to provide education and awareness about the negative impact of social problems on urban teenagers.  Support Groups : Support and peer education. Targeted groups include youth smokers and women impacted by HIV disease.  Youth Development : Project Build, a 2—3 year program, designed to increase youth assets to support healthy transitions to adulthood.  Youth Civic Engagement : Voter registration and education for youth and young adults throughout Philadelphia.  Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drugs (ATOD) : Innovative education provided to youth about ATODs. Life Skills, an 10session skills building curriculum, is specifically for 5-10 grade students.

WHAT HAPPENED IN YOUR DISTRICT HIV/STD Screening: 2000 Councilmanic District 3 and 5. Highlights include evening and late night outreach at 56th & Chester Avenue; 63rd & Woodland Avenue; 29th & Oxford Avenue; 23rd & Cecil B. Moore Avenue; 25th & Montgomery Avenue; and many other locations in the surrounding areas. Youth Development & Life Skills: 2000 Councilmanic District 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 & 10. Highlights include participation of teenagers in Project BUILD who attend Lincoln, Fitzsimmons, Frankford, Washington, Lamberton, and University City High Schools; World Community, the Valley, and Hope Charter Schools; and P.E.T. and the Maritime Academy. B.A.R.T., Smoking Cessation & STD Presentations: 2000 Councilmanic District 5 and 6. Highlights include presentation being implemented in Abraham Lincoln, Strawberry Mansion, Fitzsimmons, and Martin Luther King High Schools.