YO Durham Winter 2008 Newsletter
YO:Durham – Year of Opportunity for Durham Teens – is helping at-risk youth in Durham make changes in their lives. After nine months, our students are getting better grades, showing improved attitudes at home and at school and learning from their employers and mentors - we could not ask for a better report.
YO:Durham’s Achievements
YO:Durham’s four-part program, comprised of our Summer Career Academy, the Internship, Mentoring and Service Learning, empowers at-risk Durham youth to make positive choices and consciously re-direct their lives. We are pleased the program is showing strong results:
v 24 students started with YO:Durham in June ’07; 23 are still actively committed
v 100% remain enrolled in secondary or postsecondary education
v 100% of program participants with criminal records remain arrest free
v 96% improved or maintained attendance (fall ’07 relative to fall ’06)
v 96% received fewer discipline referrals (fall ’07 relative to fall ’06)
v 88% improved or maintained grades (fall ’07 relative to fall ’06)
Meeting Program Goals:
YO Durham achieving its program goals: 1) increase high school graduation rates, 1) increase post secondary education enrollment, 3) increase workplace preparedness, and 4) reduce the number of youth in our criminal justice system. All 23 students completed the Summer Career Academy and are working in internships, most are performing better in schools, and all our participants with previous criminal records remain arrest free. The fact that our Summer Career Academy graduates remain enrolled in school and committed to YO:Durham is notable.
“Don’t let Your
Actions Limit Your Options”
What accounts for the change from one year ago? We believe it is YO:Durham - YO:Durham builds self-esteem student by student, provides relevant skills and teaches personal accountability while providing emotional support. One student considered our motto, “Don’t Let your Actions Limit your Options”, and realized her discipline referrals were curtailing opportunities. She made a change and this academic year has had no discipline referrals. Her mother commented, “YO:Durham has really helped my daughter. I have seen her change tremendously; her grades are improving and I see changes at home”.
Internships – good for students and
locals businesses
Our students have been working in after school internships
since September - this allows students to put workplace training into practice
and enables local businesses to have a direct stake in helping our youth. These businesses employ YO:Durham
students as interns: Accent Hardwood Flooring, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North
Carolina, Bright Horizons, Duke OB/GYN Research, Durham CAN, Durham
Congregations in Action, Durham Land Trust, Eno River Church, Habitat for Humanity,
Measurement Inc., National Farm Worker Ministry, New Child Life Development
Center, North Carolina Mutual life Insurance Company, One World Market and 
SEEDS. Interns perform jobs as varied as office work
to planning special events to working with children. Both students and
employers are pleased with the internship experience; here is what they are
saying:
“We are pleased to have a student in our office. What she learned in the Summer Career Academy has prepared her for the workplace. In addition to helping the student, we also plan to help the family. She has been a delight.”
“Our student participates enthusiastically and is eager to work – whether he is performing office duties or participating in a public event we have organized. He has a tremendous amount of maturity for someone his age. I’m happy to see how much he has learned in such a short time.”
“On the job, I have learned more responsibility and how to do things on my own.”
“During the Summer Career Academy, I learned computer skills and how to communicate; this has helped me on the job.”
In a presentation to Durham leaders, David Dodson (President of MDC, a research firm in Chapel Hill) cited YO:Durham’s internship as valuable community connection for disconnected or at-risk youth in Durham. Dodson pointed out that Durham has a high proportion of disconnected youth relative to other communities and showed how providing workplace skills re-connects students to a community’s social fabric. While other local programs provide valuable services, YO:Durham is the only program providing an internship. Our students have exceeded expectations, our employers are pleased, and our internship is strengthening our community
YO:Durham hosts 90 people at Recognition Breakfast
In February 2008, YO:Durham held a recognition breakfast at St. Stephens Episcopal Church to celebrate our students’ achievements and recognize the contribution of our employers. Roughly 90 people attended - students, parents, members of congregations, principals and guidance counselors, employers, local government officials and directors of community organizations. Our diverse, community-minded audience appreciated the opportunity to get to know our program, understand our progress and meet the families, employers and volunteers involved in the program. Dan Glaser, CFO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and YO:Durham’s major corporate sponsor, spoke about the collaborative nature of YO:Durham, underscoring the fact that YO:Durham’s strength comes from so many different parts of our community. In addition to Mr. Glaser, two students, one parent, and one employer spoke, and Ms. Blackmon gave an update, focusing on our achievements. This breakfast allowed us to reinforce the community bonds that make YO:Durham strong and communicate to a broad audience how YO:Durham – in its first year – is making a difference.
Advisory Council
formed
YO:Durham is creating an Advisory Council composed of prominent Durham citizens to provide guidance as the program develops. Its first meeting is scheduled for May 2008.
Mentoring
– critical student support and a chance to fun, too
While much attention is paid to the workplace skills component of YO:Durham, mentoring provides the necessary underlying support and guidance. Mentors meet twice monthly in groups, once for a social event and once for a career event. Our mentors organized a holiday party for the students in December, went bowling this winter, and worked to create personal posters with students in February. We have mentors from congregations, corporations and the community; many organizations form a mentor team as a group. Please contact Krystal Foxx, Mentor Coordinator, (krystal.foxx@gmail.com) if you are interested in an information session at your business, congregation or home.
YO:Durham and the Durham At-Risk Youth Collaborative
YO:Durham is a member of the five-part
Durham At-Risk Youth Collaborative, a new collaborative created to coordinate
the activities of programs serving at-risk Durham youth. Other collaborative partners include Truancy
Triage, PROUD (Personal Responsibility to Overcome with Understanding and 
Determination),
AAMLA (African American Male Leadership Academy) and RIL (Restorative Institute
of Leaders). The purpose of the
Collaborative is to ensure we are comprehensively serving Durham’s at-risk youth.
Funding YO:Durham: We need your help
From time to time YO:Durham seeks public (federal, state and county) funding, however, YO:Durham relies primarily on private support for its programs: major corporate sponsors, corporations, individuals, and DCIA congregations. We do not ask our students to bear any costs; we underwrite 100% of program, including business attire and meals during our Summer Career Academy using financial contributions and in-kind donations to offset expenses. Each student costs roughly $8,000, and our annual budget is roughly $250,000. We appreciate the support of our community – our congregations, individuals and employers - which have enabled us to provide this program. Thank you for your support.
In 2007, our first year, our major corporate sponsor has been Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. We are deeply grateful to BCBSNC and its employees for the financial and personnel commitment they have made to YO:Durham. Without their assistance, we could not have made such significant changes in the lives of our students.
Next steps – YO:Durham 2008
YO Durham is preparing now for its second class. Applications may be downloaded from our YO:Durham website (www.yodurham.org) and sent by mail. The deadline is May 2, 2008, and the next class will run from June 2008-May 2009. We will be selecting a class of up to 40 students and will be seeking a diverse class with a wide range of backgrounds, schools and risk factors. If you have questions, please consult the website or contact Susan Blackmon.
How You Can Help:
YO:Durham Pledge Form
YO:Durham’s strength comes from the community; when we collaborate, we succeed. Please contribute your time, talent or other resources. Here are just a few ways to help:
Contribution
___ I would like to make a financial contribution in the amount of $_______
a. $25 pays for the ropes course for 1 student during the SCA
b. $200 business attire for one year
c. $1,000 pays for lunch for 10 students during the SCA
d. $8,000 sponsors one student
Internship
__ I am an employer and will provide an internship
Name of Company_________________________________________
Address of Company_________________________________________
Mentoring
I am interested in serving as a mentor with a group from:
__ my work:
place of work ____________________________________
__ my congregation:
name of congregation ______________________________
__ other:
(please specify) ___________________________________
Summer Career Academy
I am interested in helping
__ present a workshop:
topic/area of expertise ______________________________
__ be a career speaker:
topic/my career is __________________________________
__ field trip to ___________________________________
__ provide transportation
__ provide funds for new business attire (DRESS A STUDENT)
__ other assistance
(please specify)___________________________________
NAME:__________________________________________
ADDRESS:_______________________________________
PHONE: _________________________________________
EMAIL:__________________________________________
PLACE of WORK or CONGREGATION__________________________________
Susan Blackmon, Program Director
YO:Durham
504 W. Chapel Hill Street
Durham NC 27701
919-688-2036
Your contributions are tax-deductible
Please make checks payable to DCIA with YO:Durham
on the memo line