Examples of Service Sites
- Alternatives for Battered Women
- Cameron Community Ministries
- Center for Dispute Settlement
- The Center for Youth
- Charles Settlement House
- City of Rochester Recreation and Youth Services
- Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County
- Hillside Children's Center
- The Housing Council
- Judicial Process Commission
- Mercy Residential Services
- Monroe Community College
- Monroe County Family Court
- Rochester-Monroe County Youth Bureau
- Rochester Police Department
- RochesterWorks
- Strong Behavioral Health
- University of Rochester
Site Descriptions
COURT ADVOCACY PROGRAM: The AmeriCorps member will be placed with the Court Advocacy Program (CAP) of Alternatives for Battered Women (ABW). Located in the Hall of Justice, CAP provides court accompaniment and advocacy, domestic violence education, and safety planning for victims of domestic violence and their children. By working to assist the criminal justice system to have a constructive response to domestic violence, CAP increases the possibility that victims of domestic violence will obtain orders of protection and increased access to needed services. Court advocates are invaluable resources to judges, court clerks, and other court personnel in assisting the criminal justice system to be more responsive to the needs of, and to enhance the safety of, victims of domestic violence and their children. CAP also refers victims of domestic violence to the many services provided by ABW and to other related community resources. CAP also helps facilitate a coordinated community response to domestic violence by working in an integrated way with the Courts, District Attorney’s Offices, Probation, Public Defenders, Guardian Ad Lidums and Law Guardians as well as other community service providers. This program seeks to be a change agent in the criminal justice system to enhance victim safety and to support the choice victims of domestic violence are making to pursue violence free lives.
The AmeriCorps member will work directly with victims of domestic violence and will provide services to victims on a daily basis. The AmeriCorps member will work with the Coordinator of the CAP Program, who oversees the AmeriCorps project, as well as interns, volunteers and ABW per diem staff. Although located off-site, the CAP staff is integrated into the larger continuum of ABW services through regular meetings and trainings.
Cameron Community Ministries
LEARNING PARTNERS / SUMMER SAFE HAVEN:Cameron Community Ministries, Inc. is an ecumenical urban community center located in the Lyell-Otis Neighborhood, which is an area of high poverty. Cameron offers programs for neighborhood residents through volunteers and staff that give school-age children and their families educational and recreational experiences to build life-skills and positive values in a structured, safe and nurturing environment; and provide meals to the hungry, and clothing to those in need. Cameron’s service to the neighborhood demonstrates respect for the dignity of all persons.
Our AmeriCorps member will help us continue the development of our youth programs, both the After School program and the Summer Safe Haven program. Our children mainly attend School #30 on Otis Street where 90% of the kids qualify for free school lunches. The children who attend our program need extra help in homework and reading due to the many challenges they face at home and school. We also work with them on positive behaviors and life skills. Cameron is a place where the children can experience new and fun things, expand their world and create a sense of what they could do later in life. We serve a free lunch daily and a free Kids Café supper when our afterschool and Summer Program are in session. We serve over 40 youth in each program.
Cameron’s Youth Director and team work to provide these children the tools they will need to grow and thrive at school and the community beyond and expect that every adult that works in this program sees themselves as a role model. Our children often lack the skills to handle situations and emotions and we work every day to show them how to not let first instincts and emotion overtake them. We see amazing progress over the year with many of our children as they see the results of positive interaction with adults, especially since some families are unable to provide stable, positive environments for their children. We feel everyone here learns more from the children than they learn from us.
This placement will allow the right candidate to see all aspects of an established, long-running youth program, from the application process to planning daily activities to working with school personnel and parents to assisting with the development of additional programs and more. By the conclusion of their year here at Cameron, the member will have a comprehensive understanding of this type of program as well as a wealth of experience that can be translated into future job opportunities in this field. They will also gain a deeper understanding of poverty and its effect on children and their development.
Center for Dispute Settlement
CUSTODY & VISITATION MEDIATION PROGRAM: The Center for Dispute Settlement presents an alternative to the court system by providing a forum for peaceful resolution of everyday conflicts through the use of fact-finding, negotiation, mediation, arbitration, conciliation, and training. One of the Center’s most successful and in-demand programs is the Custody and Visitation Mediation Program. This program provides a private, confidential meeting where parents can discuss issues around their child(ren)’s custody and visitation with the assistance of a trained, neutral third party—a mediator. The goal is to help parents communicate and make decisions with the children’s best interests in mind. Many parents come to CDS through referrals generated in Family Court.
One of the AmeriCorps member’s roles is to be present in court in order to obtain immediate referrals and conduct intakes while parents are still at the Hall of Justice. Providing immediate information to parents will reduce the referral no call/no show rate and allow an increase in the number of successful referrals and intakes generated for the services of the program. By helping parents to understand that there is another way to communicate about important issues, thereby preventing or reducing recurring court visits or potential conflicts in the child’s home, the program provides parents and the community an alternative way to resolve disputes.
The Center for Youth
The mission of The Center for Youth is to support youth in making positive decisions that affect their lives by providing free, confidential, accessible and responsive services. The Center strives to be the best organization to turn to for young people seeking to deal with, explore, or understand issues of importance to them—from their perspective, and on their terms. Started by kids, for kids, all Center services—from counseling, to shelter, to education, to referrals—are rooted in and delivered with the knowledge that youth want to, and can, take responsibility for their life choices.
ALTERNATIVE TO SUSPENSION PROGRAM: The Alternative to Suspension Program (ATS), an intervention service provided by the Center in partnership with the Rochester City School District, is designed to reduce short-term out-of-school suspensions. The Social Learning Specialist (SLS), as part of a student support services team, will work to create within the school a youth/family/faculty friendly presence that is founded on cooperative relationships and direct communication. While the SLS is cross-trained and able to provide the full continuum of care, specific areas of focus for the member are alternative to suspension services and prevention education at a city elementary school. Examples of duties include: outreach and information dissemination; individual assessments and goal identification; referral and referral readiness; immediate response and support; asset development; research and design of service; record keeping and other duties as assigned.
CENTER HOUSE: Center House is a 12-bed shelter providing emergency survival and support services to homeless and runaway youth 24 hours/day, 7 days/week, year-round. Clients are approached from a strength and asset-based perspective and staff form partnerships with them to help facilitate the identification of issues, concerns and needs and to develop strategies to meet those needs. The ultimate goal of the team is to provide emergency care and support to runaway and homeless youth in a safe, respectful environment and to work with them to resolve the issues which led to their homelessness so that they can ultimately secure and maintain a stable living environment. The AmeriCorps member will play an instrumental role as an assistant to the counselors as they oversee the daily operation of the facility, monitor clients’ behavior, and counsel youth on options for a stable and safe living situation once they leave the shelter.
COUNSELING PROGRAM: The Member placed in the Counseling Program will play an instrumental role in assisting counselors with the crisis hotline and case management support for runaway and homeless youth. S/he will provide telephone crisis intervention and support to Street Outreach clients and other walk in clients seeking support for problem solving, information and referral services. In addition the member will assist with case management for youth sheltered in The Center House and Host Home Program. The member’s responsibilities will be varied and will include crisis intervention, case management, youth advocacy, information dissemination, and coordination of referrals for emergency housing clients. The member will be fully integrated into the Counseling Team and attend group supervision along with weekly case review of emergency housing clients.
CRISIS NURSERY: The mission of the Crisis Nursery of Greater Rochester is to provide a temporary safe haven for children whose families are in crisis, to provide temporary care for children at risk for abuse or neglect, and to provide families with referrals that will help them resolve difficult situations.
When parents find themselves in crisis they may be temporarily unable to care for their children. The Crisis Nursery can provide the short term childcare they need while resolving their problems.
- We care for children from birth up to age twelve.
- We are open 24 hours per day, most days of the year.
- There is no charge to families for our services.
LEARN 2 EARN/READY FOR LIFE: Two members will be placed in the Learn 2 Earn/Ready for Life Program. This program provides employment readiness training to out-of-school community and/or foster care youth. The members will be responsible for implementing all aspects of direct service delivery for the program. This includes promoting the project; recruiting, screening and qualifying participants; assessing participant skills and needs; helping establish employment plans and goals; maintaining appropriate records and data collection. In addition, the members’ responsibilities will include identifying quality job opportunities for youth during both the summer and throughout the academic year through the development and weekly updating of an employment opportunity list, forging partnerships with potential employers, and organizing job fairs.
PREVENTION EDUCATION SERVICES:The Center’s Prevention Education Services unit will serve as a host site for one AmeriCorps member during the 2010-2011 program year. This placement offers an opportunity to facilitate, research, and develop workshops and groups for youth in Monroe County schools and community agencies. Information and skills are taught with a fun and interactive approach. Topics include but are not limited to Sexuality, Conflict Resolution/Anger Management, HIV/AIDS, and Substance Abuse Prevention.
PROJECT NEW BEGINNING: Project new beginning offers a new start, a new connection and a new opportunity to get engaged in school and the community to young men who are our most at risk and most likely to drop-out of school and enter into the adult justice system.
PROJECT SAFE PLACE/STREET OUTREACH PROGRAM: The Street Outreach Program’s mission is to build trusting relationships with disenfranchised homeless and runaway youth. Once these relationships are built, it is proposed that these youth will accept assistance and referrals for resources that will assist them in finding stable living. The Street Outreach Program (SOP)/Safe Place (SP) members will be utilized to outreach, engage and assist homeless street youth in accessing resources that will lead to a healthy and stable living situation. The SOP/SP members will also work with youth peer outreach workers to better reach youth with unstable housing and to create opportunities for job training and readiness for the peer workers. The members will work alongside other permanent Street Outreach Counselors during primarily late afternoon and evening hours. When providing street outreach services, the members are teamed at all times with an SOP Counselor who acts as mentor/trainer.
Safe Place is a national model that provides youth with community outreach, crisis response, intervention, and immediate help and support services. The program provides assistance to any youth in Monroe County requesting removal from an unsafe situation/environment and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, year-round. The SOP/SP members will assist with a variety of Safe Place responsibilities including site recruitment, training and monitoring; recruitment and training of community volunteer responders; community outreach and information dissemination; and impact tracking.
STUDENT AND FAMILY SUPPORT CENTER & RASA (ROCHESTER AFTER SCHOOL ACADEMY) AT EAST HIGH SCHOOL: One member will be placed at East High School (the RCSD’s largest school) in the Student and Family Support Center and the After School Academy. As an integrated member of the Student Support Center Team, the member will play a major role in developing and providing services and interventions that respond to students’ needs. Responsibilities include: needs assessment and service delivery; development and facilitation of activities, including youth leadership and asset development opportunities; outreach and promotion of student and parent involvement; and referral and linkages to needed services. The member will also provide basic computer instruction to students who have limited exposure to technology and will identify the needs of the youth being served and resources to meet those needs. Responsibilities related to the After School Academy summer activities will focus on assisting in the orientation process of the incoming students to the school and co-facilitating the Summer Exchange Program, which brings a group of urban and suburban youth (ages 11-16) together to participate in a cultural exchange to develop and execute community service projects.
TEEN COURT:Teen Court is a peer-to-peer diversionary program designed to ensure that a teen’s first encounter with the criminal justice system will be his or her last. Operated through City Court, the program is a voluntary alternative to the standard criminal justice system. Teen Court educates youth about the judicial process, promotes accountability for actions, and reinforces responsibility to society through community service and educational sentencing. It strengthens connections between youth and the community by encouraging civic responsibility, allowing the community to view youth as resources and allowing young people to realize and experience the value of community service. The Rochester Teen Court Outreach/Intake Specialist will play an instrumental role in assisting with the intake process and promoting awareness of the program at potential community service sites to encourage partnerships. The member will monitor attendance of defendants at service sites and schedule random visits during scheduled hours. In addition, the specialist will maintain a connection with participants’ parents and school to track follow-through with assigned sanctions and school attendance.
Charles Settlement House
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT SERVICES:Charles Settlement House is a multi-service organization in NE Rochester. The AmeriCorps member will work as a team member with settlement house staff in the youth development program. Major project activities will include planning, staffing and evaluating positive youth development programs within CASP (Collaborative After School Program) at School #17 and the Teen Club of Charles Settlement House. In addition, home visits and outreach will be conducted in teams. This will give the member the opportunity to communicate with parents of program participants and inform families as well as residents about available human services programs, while encouraging civic engagement and involvement in neighborhood initiatives.
This placement will expose the member to the range of services offered at Charles beyond their involvement in the youth program: senior services, neighborhood capacity-building and family services. This exposure builds knowledge of community issues and needs and offers opportunities for collaboration, such as developing youth service projects to benefit the seniors or involve youth in community improvement efforts.
City of Rochester Recreation and Youth Services
JUNIOR RECREATION LEADER & BIZ KID$: The member will coordinate the Jr. Rec Leader program, organizing an eight week job readiness training for 15 youth. Then will act as a mentor and mediator for the youth as they complete an eight week internship at a recreation center site. This position will allow 15 youth to be trained in job readiness and team building skills and allow them to be introduced to the work force. The member will focus on assisting in coordination of all aspects of the Biz Kid$ program, a youth entrepreneurship program of youth ages 10 – 18. This will include assisting with coordination of four week long camps, four bi-monthly Biz Kid$ & Beyond seminars and the Biz Kid$ Real program from January through August.
PROJECT NAME: TEEN SEXUAL HEALTH AND GIRLS COALITION: The member will work with the New York State Department of Health grant on environmental strategies to promote optimal sexual health among young people of color. The position will work with different sectors of the community with youth in leadership roles to increase health knowledge and build on youth-adult communication skills; empower youth to make positive health decisions, build assets and take on leadership roles. The member will coordinate community outreach, community events, and youth and adult volunteers. The member will also assist in creation and facilitation of asset and positive youth development workshops. The member will assist in coordination of Youth Voice One Vision Girls Coalition which mobilizes and empowers adolescent females and their female staff advisors to explore girls’ needs and advocate for Recreational culture change.
YOUTH VOICE, ONE VISION (YVOV)/HEART COALITION ASSISTANT: The member will partner with Youth Voice, One Vision (YVOV) youth council to support monthly meetings, activities, community service projects, trainings and conferences as well as major city wide activities; i.e.. Steppin’ Up to Solutions Conference, Global Youth Services Day, health fairs, teen dances, the Beach Bash, and the Salute to Youth. The member will co-coordinate the Girls Coalition which mobilizes and empowers adolescent females and their female staff advisors to explore girls’ needs and advocate for Recreational culture change. The member will also fill a position that will allow the HEART Coalition for a Drug Free Rochester to operate in an organized and professional manner. The member will help coordinate community outreach, community events, and adult volunteers. The member will assist with the coordination of the HIV and teen health initiative. This member will also help with the day to day operation of the Program Office.
YOUTH WELLNESS & ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION COORDINATOR: The member will support the work of the Sports Committee in developing training and a volunteer base for positive sports program through the positive youth development lens. The member will coordinate the continued process of cultivating gender equity by establishing focus groups with participating girls, collecting data from staff in put, and providing coaching and mentoring opportunities for staff. The member will also be involved in youth wellness programming, specifically helping to manage the Jump Into Fitness program. This will involve direct supervision of the Peer Educators and planning of health classes at four recreation centers. The member will also assist with maintaining data and compiling reports. The position will work with the Horticulturalist to operate the city wide Earth Explorers Program to promote environmental awareness and fitness through outdoor activities. The member will also assist with the HIV Peer Leaders and Teen Health Initiative.
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County
4-H CLUB PROGRAM ASSISTANT: Members of 4-H clubs are involved in a long-term relationship with caring adults, who help them learn new skills and grow in ways traditional educational experiences aren’t designed to do. For young people who choose to be part of a 4-H Club, research shows they are more likely to be educationally motivated, have higher self-esteem, and communicate more maturely than their peers. 4-H Clubs are youth driven and adult guided. Youth are organized into 4-H Clubs with other youth who share common interests and are guided by an adult volunteer who either shares this interest or is willing to help the youth learn and explore these interests.
The 4-H Club Program Assistant will focus on marketing and growing the 4-H Club program in Monroe County by recruiting adult volunteers; mentoring newly formed 4-H Clubs; creating bridges to build relationships between City and County youth; and improving the visibility of the 4-H program through the Internet and other public media. The ultimate goal for the AmeriCorps member is to increase the number, quality, and tenure of 4-H volunteers, so that those volunteers can affect positive change in the lives of the 4-H youth they guide.
Hillside Children's Center
ALTERNATIVES FOR INDEPENDENT YOUTH AND EMERGENCY SERVICES:The Hillside/AIY program will have one AmeriCorps member placement working with the Street Outreach Service component. The assigned member will assist program staff in providing supportive services to runaway/homeless or street involved youth, ages 13-22. The street outreach service component is comprised of three different components, 1.) the drop-in center, which provides meals, social/educational groups and a supportive environment for youth; 2.) jail and correctional facility outreach, which meets with youth who are being released from these facilities and need support and help in preparing a safe discharge plan; and 3.) traditional outreach, which involves older youth who are residing in adult homeless shelters or in unsafe living situations and assists them in finding safe and permanent living situations. The primary goals of the outreach component are to develop positive and supportive relationships with youth at risk, to enable them to make more healthy life choices, and to help these youth to secure safe and stable housing, educational programs, employment opportunities, mental health/substance abuse treatment and/or medical providers. The AIY staff team is presently exploring adjustments to give the member more flexibility and the opportunity to broaden their experiences with the program—check with the supervisor for updates.
CLARA BARTON SCHOOL #2 WELLNESS CENTER:This placement involves working at a city elementary school providing asset building and after school activities to students in grades K-6. Activities include mentoring/asset building with individual students, in-class support to at risk students, and tutoring in the after school program. The member’s specific responsibilities include working with a case load of students to increase social skills, coping strategies and mentoring during their breakfast or lunch periods; providing in-class support of a case load of at risk students to increase school success; and working in the after-school program located at School #2 to provide tutoring and social/recreational activities. Expected outcomes include increases in social skills and coping strategies and increased academic performance
The Housing Council
FURTHERING FINANCIAL FITNESS: The AmeriCorps member will improve the financial wellbeing of Housing Council clients, through one-on-one attention to their specific situations. The member will enhance the core strength of the Foreclosure Prevention program by working on each client’s budget and building the connection between the client and the agency. We expect to serve 1,200 households through this specific activity, and reduce no-shows and cancellations by 15%. On a smaller scale, the member will also provide information and increase awareness of financial tools to at least 100 tenants participating in the Heading Home Training programs. Through the course of the year, the member will use the information learned to develop an easily accessible resource of financial tools, information, and community programs available to assist residents with financial needs, including grant programs and guidelines, external financial skills development programs, job readiness programs, and resources for questions. The member will act as the liaison between each of the agency’s departments, providing consistent financial assistance and support as we strive to improve the financial literacy skills and future stability of the community we serve.
Judicial Process Commission
REENTRY PROJECT: The Judicial Process Commission is a grassroots, nonprofit organization that challenges society to create a just, nonviolent community that supports the right of all people to reach their fullest potential. We do this by providing support services for those involved in the criminal justice system, educating the public, and advocating for changes in public policy. The member will provide case management, employment, and legal support services to ex-offenders and will receive training and supervision throughout the assignment. Activities will include: attendance at JPC orientation and training opportunities and weekly supervisory sessions; weekly meetings with ex-offenders; fingerprinting; requesting, reviewing and revising rap sheets; assisting with resumes and job searches; recruiting, training and supervising mentors; giving presentations about certificates of good conduct and employment discrimination; organizing life skills and employment training and support services; and maintaining data base records.
Mercy Residential Services
COMMUNITY ENRICHMENT & YOUTH DEVELOPMENT: : Mercy Residential Services, a ministry of the Sisters of Mercy, works with pregnant and parenting teens, young women and their children, independent of religious affiliation, providing housing and support services with compassion, acceptance and guidance. As a small nonprofit that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week year round, the assistance of volunteers is critical to our program’s success. Volunteers assist in providing the necessary support and services for our clients to succeed, as well completing operations projects that help staff keep the shelter running smoothly. The continuation of the proposed project, Community Enrichment, provided by an AmeriCorps member, will allow us to continue to make excellent use of community volunteers and enhance overall services and program outcomes. In addition, AmeriCorps members have been instrumental in engaging our youth in service learning and healthy leisure time activities throughout the year. The AmeriCorps member will recruit, screen, coordinate and mentor the volunteers as they assist and support our residents in achieving their goals of developing greater self-sufficiency and healthy relationships. In addition, the member will focus on positive youth development, coordinating opportunities for service learning, healthy leisure activities and asset building coordinate our service-learning component for program participants.
LIBERTY PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM: The Liberty Partnerships Program (LPP) at Monroe Community College serves Rochester City School District youth in grades 7-12 who are at-risk of dropping out of school. Its mission is to provide academic and personal support to ensure that at-risk youth graduate from high school and successfully transition to post-secondary education and the workforce as competent young adults. Each year MCC’s LPP serves over 200 students who attend various schools in the Rochester City School District, providing academic support and advisement, case management services, tutoring, personal development seminars and interactive workshops, career exploration and college preparation activities, social and cultural enrichment experiences and community service opportunities. The role of the AmeriCorps member would be as an Advisor to the program. In this capacity, the member would work in one city school to provide academic advisement and case management/personal support services to approximately 30 LPP students, assist with the supervision of the after-school tutoring sessions at the Damon City Campus two afternoons per week, and plan and facilitate the implementation of workshops and community service projects. In addition, the AmeriCorps member would assist in developing an expansion of LPP’s career exploration component to include job shadowing experiences for LPP participants.
UPWARD BOUND: The AmeriCorps member will join the staff of the Upward Bound Program at Monroe Community College (UB@MCC) as a Program Advisor and Community Liaison in this project. UB@MCC is a TRIO- US Department of Education grant-funded academic program. The purpose of the program is to interest high school students in post-secondary education, and to provide those students with the skills necessary to succeed in college. The program provides an intensive curriculum in Writing, Math, Reading, Science, Foreign Language and Individual Educational Planning. Emphasis is placed on career and personal development activities in an effort to supplement the academic courses. UB @MCC currently serves sixty- students from six Rochester City School District high schools. Participation in the program is free.
As a UB@MCC, the AmeriCorps member will contribute to and support general UB activities during the Academic Year and Summer Program. This will include providing personal and academic advisement to twenty ninth or tenth grade UB students, supervising and assisting with tutoring and other program sponsored activities such as workshops and college visits. Additionally, the AmeriCorps member will focus on expanding the community service and developing the financial literacy components of the program. UB @MCC students currently participate in service activities in the community. The AmeriCorps member will be responsible for identifying organizing and supervising additional community service opportunities. The AmeriCorps member will assist the UB@MCC Director with the coordination and implementation of a financial literacy program. The member will research the Web and other local and national trends of financial literacy. He/she will coordinate and implement a series of workshops designed to increase the financial literacy and assist the UB@MCC students and parents with financial planning for college.
TEEN TREATMENT COURT: The Monroe County Family Court’s Teen Treatment Court (TTC) provides a judicial alternative for alcohol and other drug affected youth. The mission is to prevent or reduce out of home placement and keep the Rochester community safer through intense Judicial monitoring. The goal of TTC is to reduce recidivism and relapse and prevent the progression to more serious crimes. TTC promotes participants’ educational and vocational achievement and provides opportunities for community service.
The key components of the TTC include the educational/tutoring/vocational/job readiness program, community service, and assigned community work hours. The two AmeriCorps positions will help coordinate these critical aspects of the program. While the primary recipients of the services will be the TTC participants, the people who will benefit from this service include the participants’ families, the local agencies to whom the court provides community service, the Judicial system with the reduction in the need for out of home placement, and the community at large as a result of not only a safer community but the return to productive behavior by TTC participants.
Rochester-Monroe County Youth Bureau
YOUTH AS RESOURCES: The YAR Program Assistant will help in the day to day operations of the Youth as Resources program; sharing their time between tasks associated with YAR’s philanthropic mission and the developing Service Learning Partnership. Working directly with youth, the AmeriCorps member placed with YAR will help to expand our mission to include service learning, recruit new members, and oversee projects and events in an effort to broaden the reach and scope of our program. The member will work directly with staff, youth, and community members and leaders to increase and improve upon the work that YAR currently engages in and help our program and the Rochester-Monroe County Youth Bureau maximize our positive impact in the community. This is a hands-on placement that will reward members through challenging and meaningful direct service and capacity building efforts. Outcomes will focus on sustaining the two initiatives stated above through the facilitation of meetings, events, and service learning projects. Outputs will focus on having YAR members and citizens of Monroe County reporting increased connectedness to their community, understanding and taking part in civic engagement activities, and committing themselves to undertaking meaningful service.
VICTIM ASSISTANCE UNIT: Three AmeriCorps member will provide services to domestic violence victims, including court accompaniment, crisis intervention, short-term counseling and referral, court advocacy, filing for NYS Crime Victims Compensation, and safety planning. Through learning coping mechanisms, clients will become empowered to change their lives and, in turn, their children's. The members' involvement as victim assistance counselors will allow the unit to expand services by helping a greater number of people in a timely manner.
RochesterWorks, Inc.
PROJECT NAME: ROCHESTERWORKS FOR YOUTH! IN THE COMMUNITY: The RochesterWorks for Youth! In the Community project aims to provide job readiness and retention and financial literacy services to youth. These services will be delivered via workshops in various neighborhood locations around Rochester to address areas where these needs are going unmet and improve the job search skills and financial awareness of youth. The member will assist in the development, coordination, and delivery of these services.
In addition to directly providing training to youth, this project has a “train-the-trainer” component. The member will train community partners to facilitate above mentioned workshops and provide ongoing support for youth. Overall, the goal of these activities is to share information and make referrals to reduce barrier to employment.
Strong Behavioral Health
CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PARTIAL HOSPITALIZATION SERVICE PROJECT: The University of Rochester Medical Center’s Child and Adolescent Partial Hospitalization Service (CAPHS) provides care for adolescents, male and female, between the ages of 12 and 18. This program was designed to serve as an alternative to psychiatric inpatient admission for adolescents who do not require the security of a locked inpatient unit, and as an intervention to help prevent an inpatient hospitalization. Patients attend the program from 7:45 am until 2:45 pm., Monday through Friday during the school year, with earlier dismissal on school holidays and summer. The program includes a school component, medication evaluation, and individual, group, and family therapies. The average or typical length of stay is three weeks, but depends on the child’s specific care needs.
The role of the AmeriCorps member is to assist in providing support to staff in increasing the staff-to-patient ratio, thus allowing for more 1:1 support of children requiring guidance in tutoring or in understanding concepts described by clinical staff in group therapy. The AmeriCorps member will interact with ~22 children per day in providing the above stated objectives. Providing this support has resulted in patient outcomes noting improved or sustained academic and therapeutic performance during a time of acute mental health need.
University of Rochester
PROJECT NAME: KEARNS CENTER PRE-COLLEGE PROGRAMS: The University of Rochester’s Upward Bound Classic and Upward Bound Math/Science programs are comprehensive programs that support and challenge students through high school and help them make a successful transition to college. Services are designed to help low-income students who are enrolled in the Rochester City School District become the first members of their families to attend college. The programs run year-round to prepare students to succeed in high school, apply and gain admission to college. The Merchants of Hope Entrepreneurship Academy is focused on enabling more students from the City of Rochester to attend college by fostering creative partnerships between Thomas Jefferson High School and the University of Rochester. These programs form the pre-college initiatives of the University of Rochester’s David T. Kearns Center, whose goal is increasing educational opportunity for low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented minority populations.
The AmeriCorps members will serve as Academic Advisors with the Upward Bound Programs and the Merchants of Hope. A primary responsibility will be to develop and implement a tutoring program for students. This will include recruiting and coordinating volunteers, primarily U of R students, and developing orientation and training for volunteers. Responsibilities will also include involving the students in planning and carrying out service projects in the community and incorporating a service learning focus. In addition, one of the members will be trained to develop and implement the college prep curriculum at the program’s East High School College Prep Center, working with students at both the high school and on the University of Rochester campus. The other member will be more heavily involved at Jefferson with the Merchants of Hope, including coordinating student research exploration projects and building connections between the school, the university, and the community. Contingent on funding, the members may be involved in implementing the Summer of Opportunity program, assisting with matching students with job opportunities while mentoring and tracking their progress.