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| 2009 Youth Asset Mini Grant Projects |
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Youth Bureau
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William Sanchez, Executive Director
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 (Print Version)
2009 Youth Asset Mini Grant Projects
As of April 1, 2009
Project Address Constructive Use of Time as set forth in the 40 Developmental Assets:
Youth participates in creative activities
Youth participates in school or community programs
For further information, please call DC Youth Bureau at: 845-486-3660
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Arlington High School (Arlington Central School District) - $500
Area Served: Arlington Central School District
Number of youth to be served: Approx. 2,500
Contact: Christopher Babb Phone: 845-486-4860 x 1486 E-mail: cbabb@acsdny.org
Project: Rachel’s Legacy/Friends of Rachel Club |
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The Rachel’s Challenge (Year Two – Rachel’s Legacy) program will continue by exposing students annually to the Rachel’s Challenge assembly and by reinforcing its tenets with regularly scheduled and organized activities through the Friends of Rachel Club. Youth will be empowered to foster a culture that further emphasizes and develops pro-social behaviors and attitudes. Students will creatively address their perceived sense of needs within the school and greater community.
The following activities through the club will keep the momentum going: Weekly meetings with core ambassador students and school social workers geared toward sharing positive acts witnessed in the school environments. Group discussions/lessons to facilitate a greater understanding of specific character tenets. Volunteer opportunities in the large Dutchess County community. School-wide initiatives to encourage social acceptance, as well as tolerance. Monthly acts of kindness will target an identified group within the school whose daily efforts often go unnoticed, recognized or validated. Students will view the assemblies; participate in the Friends of Rachel Club training to sustain the importance of the message delivered. Fundraising activities encouraging students and staff in an effort to provide for needy families such as food and monetary donation, i.e. Arlington Family Fund. |
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The Center of the Square, Christ Church Community Center - $500
Area Served: City of Poughkeepsie, Clinton School area
Number of youth to be served: Approx. 50
Contact: Denise C. Quis Phone: 845-485-9803 x 222 E-Mail: denisecq114@aol.com
Project: The Center of the Square Summer Camp, Flowerbox Project |
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Campers at The Center of the Square Summer Camp will “beautify the neighborhood” by designing, assembling, and distribution flower/herb boxes to the 25 houses around the perimeter of the camp. The flowerboxes ill be artistically decorated and will be given to the neighbors with instructions for care and use.
Summer camp has been held for over 40 years. A consistent goal of the camp over the years has been to raise campers’ self esteem by offering them a safe, constructive environment and interesting experiences. This year, the cam will focus on community service, green activities and art. Fitting perfectly with this year’s themes, the flowerbox project will make the campers more aware of their community and how they can make it a more beautiful place. |
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Children’s Media Project - $500
Area Served: Greater Poughkeepsie Area
Number of youth to be served: 12
Contact: Nicole Fenichel-Hewitt Phone: 845-559-0005 E-Mail: Nicole@childrensmediaproject.org
Project: Walking History |
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Walking History is an after-school (spring and fall) and summer program for youth 11-14 that engages the youth participants in the creation of an interactive, community exploration game and website that use digital technology, images, narrative, sound and video to explore the public history of the City of Poughkeepsie. The resulting game will be played on hand-held computer devices enabled with GPS mapping software to facilitate an exploration of the many layers that make up Poughkeepsie. Youth participants will be engaged in research about the City of Poughkeepsie (history and physical layout), technology training in the gaming software and hardware as well as other media tools (still and video cameras, scanners, audio recorders, et.), and creative storytelling. Children’s Media Project will collaborate on this project with the Dutchess County Historical Society, Adriance Memorial Library, Vassar College, and the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum. The game will be introduced to the public during the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial Celebration in Fall 2009.
Youth will be engaged in all stages of the project from research and planning (pre-production); to mapping the City, recording oral histories and interviews, writing storylines/game scenarios, creating video reenactments, and choosing relevant sites/characters/events for the game; to finalizing, testing and evaluating the game. Additional youth will be engaged as games testers and game players. |
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Council on Addiction Prevention and Education (CAPE)/Marathon Project - $500
Area Served: Beacon students will execute; All area youth invited to participate
Number of youth to be served: 100
Contact: Melissa Rutkoske Phone: 896-1996 E-Mail: Rutkoske@optonline.net
Project: Kids that Tri |
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This project is to organize and run a triathlon for children ages 6-15. The distances will vary for each age group. The triathlon will be held in May in the Beacon High School facilities. The goal is to get younger people interested in a healthy lifestyle through biking, swimming and running. There aren’t any local events like this one in our area for children. The more exposure children have to activities such as these, the less likely they are to become at-risk youth. The project manager for this race is a two year veteran of the Marathon Project and a freshman in high school and has recruited her track team mates, friends, and Marathon Project members to assist with the project. |
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Dutchess County BOCES - $500
Area Served: Dutchess County
Number of youth to be served: Approx. 12
Contact: Erin Scott Phone: 845-463-3462 E-Mail: erin.scott@dcboces.org
Project: Birthday Bags for Grace Smith House Shelters |
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Students will create age and gender appropriate “Birthday Bags” for children whose parents are financially unable to give their children a birthday present and party. The bags will contain a present, cake mix, decorations, party hats, card, banners, wrapping paper and paper products. They will be age and gender appropriate. On line is a “wish list”, and unwrapped presents are always needed since many holidays and birthdays are celebrated while at the shelter.
The students will learn about and discuss how there are families who are unable to make ends meet and do not have the ability to provide the “extras” that most families can provide. In the process, the student will raise their awareness of poverty in the area and learn about programs to assist families in need including food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters. The students will discuss how they would feel if they had to give up the gifts they would normally get on birthdays. |
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East Fishkill Community Library - $500
Area Served: Town of East Fishkill
Number of youth to be served: 35
Contact: Catherine Nuding Phone: 845-221-9943 x 233 E-Mail: childlib@EastFishkillLibrary.org
Project: Students Helping Students-to-be |
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Teens will work with the project leader to develop an 8 week “curriculum” for the children. Teens will work directly with incoming Kindergartners to hone readiness skills such as color/shape recognition, alphabet sounds, counting, and more. Teens will get an introduction into readiness concepts, hints on how to ease children’s fears, and be able to adjust each week’s projects to the child’s needs. Teens will become a child’s summer mentor; each week making skills based craft projects and reading aloud to them. Teens will help select books, are projects and supplies, and attend planning and orientation meetings. The teens will gain self esteem, be empowered to help others, become more empathetic and be able to pass their knowledge and reassurance on to children who have not yet experience school. They will also have had the chance to spend their summer break in a powerful and meaningful way. |
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LaGrange Association Library - $500
Area Served: LaGrange, LaGrangeville, and Arlington School District
Number of youth to be served: 25
Contact: Alison Francis Phone: 845-452-3141 E-Mail: afrancis@laglib.org
Project: Teen D.R.U.M, (Discovery, Respect, Unity, Music) |
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Two one hour drumming sessions with percussionist Jeff Haynes will take place. Teens will receive instruction on delivering rhythmic patterns, playing with a group and exploring various sounds and tones of the drum. Teens will learn about world music in an interactive setting. |
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Mental Health America of Dutchess County - $500
Area Served: Dutchess County
Number of youth to be served: 12
Contact: Desiree King Phone: 845-473-2500 x 1350 E-Mail: dking@mhadc.com
Project: Gift Bags from the Heart |
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Mental Health America’s Teen Challenge members will assemble gift bags for the Children’s Pediatric Center at the Vassar Brother’s Medical center. The gift bags will include books, puzzle’s bandanas, games (brain teasers) and crafts for the child/patient to design his/her own bag. To add a “touch of love”, the Teen Challenge youth will add to the gift bags their own inspirational verses from the heart. The Teen Challenge members and staff will personally deliver the bags and have a visit with the children at the hospital.
Teen Challenge is an established MHA program with current, active members. The program serves 12 youth, ages 14-19, who have a diagnosis of an emotional, social, or behavioral disorder. One of the goals for the youth participating in Teen Challenge Program is to increase their leadership skills and civic responsibility through community volunteerism. Community service is a vital part of the program and focus of the Teen Challenge youth participating. |
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Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum - $500
Area Served: Poughkeepsie and Hudson Valley
Number of youth to be served: 200
Contact: Ed Glisson Phone: 845-471-0589 x 19 E-Mail: edglisson@mhcm.org
Project: Celebrate Cultures |
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The Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum has traditionally celebrated the last day of school with a day-long special event. “Celebrate Summer” is a festive day of music, arts and activities taking place at the Children’s Museum and in the Pavilion facility. This year “Celebrate Summer 2009” will feature the customs and ethnic traditions of the residents of our community. This dynamic there is in keeping with the Museum’s Rivertown exhibit; an engaging cityscape of culturally-oriented shops and settings. “Celebrate Summer 2009” will incorporate the ideas, energy and efforts of a team of six youth members the Community Advisory Board who will help to organize demonstrations and activities at the event. These Dutchess County youth will be working with representatives from four cultural communities, together with museum staff, to develop and present a fun day of entertainment, food, crafts and arts. |
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Neighborhood Economic and Cultural Activities Program New Hope Comm. Center - $500
Area Served: City of Poughkeepsie
Number of youth to be served: 40
Contact: Patricia King Phone: 845-452-8862 x 1 E-Mail: pking@poughkeepsiehousingauthority.org
Project: New Hope Leaders Club |
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The New Hope Center (designated Weed and Seed Safe Haven) will operate a Leaders Club (previously housed at the YMCA) under the continued leadership of Jamar Richardson (Coach Pop), along with the support of Tyrell Bennermon, Mike Woods and volunteers. Youth will meet a minimum of 3 hours per week to develop a community service plan and carry out that plan. Other planned activities included are: job training preparation, i.e. resume writing, developing interview skills, proper attire and manners. Volunteer activities such as a project for the benefits of senior citizens, a local food pantry, mentoring younger children (those attending New Hope After School and Summer Programs. The New Hope Center is located in the center of the Poughkeepsie Housing Authority’s Hudson Gardens complex located on Smith Street. 187 low income families are within waling distance of the center. Additionally, the Leaders Club will act as an advisory committee providing input for the strategic planning process of the New Hope Center (this will provide a voice form young community members.) |
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Northeast Community Center, Inc. - $500
Area Served: Webutuck School district, northeastern Dutchess County
Number of youth to be served: 15
Contact: Sara Ugolini Phone: 518-789-4259 E-Mail: sara@neccmillerton.org
Project: Teen Team: Country in the City |
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NECC’s Teen Team brings together at-risk teens in the rural and very low-income area of northeastern Dutchess County. They meet at least weekly to plan community service projects, learn and develop like skills and have fun. They have gone to New York City several times to do “Midnight Runs” where they bring food, clothing and toiletries to the homeless sleeping on the street there. The tens want to go back to New York, this time to meet with teens like themselves who are doing a creative project to reach out to other teens. The NECC teens will work with them, learn hoe they do what they do, and bring what they learn back to the community.
The final project might be a workshop, or a mural, or a performance. While still researching organizations that work with teenagers and do creative projects in the city, two they already know of are Kids of Survival and Creative Arts Workshop for Kids. They are also looking into other groups which do theater, poetry or music, and will one that is a best fit and best able to work on this project within their time frame and logistical constraints. They also plan to invite the teens they work with in the city to visit them in Millerton and participate in the final project. |
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12. Red Hook High School Mentoring Program (Club) - Red Hook School District - $500
Area Served: Red Hook Central School District
Number of youth to be served: 40
Contact: Sarah Burrows Phone: 845-758-2241 x 3224 E-Mail: sburrows@rhcsd.org
Project: RHHS Mentoring Program Phase II Training Day |
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RHHS began a Mentoring Program this academic year (2008-09). Currently, Phase I has 16 teachers mentoring 16 at-risk students. The program is based on the book, Mentoring for Meaningful Results, Asset Building Tips, Tools, and Activities for Youth and Adults. The school would like to start Phase II of the Mentoring Program in the fall of 2009-10 school year. Phase II would be a Peet Mentoring Program with 40 upper classmen mentoring 40 transfer students (school’s highest drop out rate). The school would like to give these peer mentors a full day of training at Camp Ramapo, Rhinebeck. Activities at Camp Ramapo would include: team building activities, ropes course, leadership training and skill building found in the book previously mentioned. |
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13. Roy C. Ketcham Senior High School - Wappingers Central School District - 500
Area Served: Roy C. Ketcham Senior High School
Number of youth to be served: 25
Contact: Tara Prockter, LCSW Phone: 845-298-5100 x 219
E-Mail: tara.prockter@wappingersschools.org
Project: Peer Mediation Program Curriculum Update |
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Roy C. Ketcham Senior High School is proud to offer all students a Peer Mediation Program. This program aims to train students of the same age-group to facilitate resolving disputes between two people or small groups. The Peer Mediation Program’s foundation is student empowerment, and students are critical to all stages of development and implementation. One of the main goals for this program is that students learn how to resolve differences, improve listening skills and reduce the amount of disciplinary action for fights. Over the past few years, the Peer Mediation Program has grown in not just the amount of students who wish to be mediators, but also students who are referred to the program. The success of the Peer Mediation Program relies heavily on the current student mediators. They are responsible for recruiting and comprehensively training new mediators. |
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St. Stanislaus Kostka Church - $500
Area Served: Town of Pleasant Valley, West Road School Area
Number of youth to be served: 15
Contact: Barbara Kurdziel Phone: 845-416-4624 E-Mail: bkurdziel@acsdny.org
Project: The Guitar Project |
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Guitar Basics for Beginners – Group lessons (initially 5 but maximum of 10) will benefit the youth of St. Stanislaus Kostka, students of West Road School and the youth of Pleasant Valley. Learning to play an instrument is a fundamental pleasure. Groups of 5-10 students will be instructed in the basics of guitar: how to tune; beginner chords; how to strum. As students progress, more in depth basics will be introduced like basic rhythms, and finger picking. Students learn to play in a group setting in a supportive atmosphere.
As students develop their skill level, they can perform for nursing homes/senior citizen outreach, town and community programs. |
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15. The Salvation Army - $500
Area Served: Beacon/Southern Dutchess
Number of youth to be served: 30
Contact: Major Verna LaSalle Phone: 845-831-6869 E-Mail: verna.lasalle@use.salvationarmy.org
Project: Summer Recreation Program Teen Staff Stipends |
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To meet the summer school vacation needs of children (including teens) and parents who do not have the income for day camp for their children, The Salvation Army Beacon Corps will provide a day program for children ages 5-11 that includes education, recreation, creative art activities, as well as breakfast and lunch. In order to provide this much needed care for children, The Salvation Army will provide stipends to teens who apply to volunteer as staff. This will provide the teen with a number of developmental assets. Not only will they gain self-esteem and a sense of purpose, they will be learning to work with peers; learning peaceful conflict resolution, and interpersonal competence in social competencies. They will learn constructive use of time in putting to better use their “summer vacation” in a program that will grow their creative activities as they work with the children along side adults teaching creative arts and recreation. It’s a win-win solution…getting teens off the streets and involved in a positive program, and helping to provide child care for the younger children in the community. |
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16. Spackenkill High School – Spackenkill Union Free School District - $500
Area Served: Spackenkill High School, Town of Poughkeepsie
Number of youth to be served: 530
Contact: Joann Klein, LCSW, ACSW Phone: 845-463-7810 E-Mail: joann.klein@spackenkillschools.org |
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The students in the Student Government of the Spackenkill High School have been actively campaigning to bring the Rachel’s Challenge to the high school. Several students first saw the program at a NYS Council on Student Leadership and Activities state conference a few years ago, and the program has been presented in numerous schools throughout the county. The goal of the program is to motivate and equip students to embrace new values of kindness and compassion so that no child is left behind because of fear and violence in their school.
This assembly program is different from other assembly programs typically seen in schools. Because it includes real footage of that terrible day of the Columbine shootings, students experience that pain and suffering that happened that day. But the program highlights the life of Rachel Scott, one of the victims who died that day. The program is based on one of Rachel’s essays entitled “My Ethics, My Codes of Life.” In her essay she issued a challenge to her generation to make some simple changes that can bring about a chain reaction of kindness and compassion. The assembly program challenges students to make those changes and make their schools a better place. The program provides assistance, resources and tools to help students in that process. The program will help the students feel empowered to help change some attitudes and help promote the chain of kindness.
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Town of Beekman Recreation & Parks Department - $500
Area Served: Town of Beekman
Number of youth to be served: 250
Contact: Jeanne Scigliano Phone: 845-227-5783 E-Mail: jscigliano@townofbeekman.com
Project: Geocaching Scavenger Hunt for the Treasures of Beekman |
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Geocaching is a new healthy recreational activity that gets people moving for fun in the out of doors. It results in them walking or hiking to predetermined locations to find “catches” or treasures hidden throughout the community. There are over 700,000 of them hidden world-wide with many here in Dutchess County.
The Town Leadership Council would like to develop the skills to use hand held GPS units. They will use them on June 20 to hide “treasures” in the Town Park, and record the latitude and longitude with a GPS unit. Part of the goal of this event is to show off all areas of the park and the activities that are available in those areas, to help residents realize all the activities they can participate in close to home. In these tough economic times, this scavenger hunt will show them that they can have a fun and active “stay-cation” in Beekman even if they cannot afford a vacation elsewhere. |
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Town of Milan - $500
Area Served: Town of Milan
Number of youth to be served: 15
Contact: David Byrne Phone: 518-391-5980 E-Mail: byrne.milan@gmil.com
Project: Milaners Youth Program |
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Milaners Youth Programs is a youth led program that provides meaningful, ongoing service opportunities for middle and high school students in Milan. The “Milaners” initiate, plan, lead, and execute community service projects that benefit the community of Milan. In 2009, Milaners will spearhead several community service projects, to include: 1. Milan Rec Community Service Project – Improvement of Milan Rec Park for Little League season and maintenance work on Community Trail); 2. Milan Community Trail Service Project – Extending Milan Community Trail up a hill and possibly connecting it to Red Hook trails; 3. Milan Volleyball Court Service Project – Milaners will assist in the creation of a volleyball court at the Milan Rec Park, and will plan and organize a community volleyball program, and 4. Milan Community Day – Milaners serve as mentors by providing positive activities for younger youth and raising awareness of poverty and hunger.
Additionally, Milaners will lead the community in participating in a Community Food Drive, in order to support locals in need. This will benefit the community, building cohesion in a small town and increase community unity. |
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Violet Avenue Elementary School (Hyde Park Central School District) - $500
Area Served: Violet Avenue School third, fourth and fifth grades
Number of youth to be served: 150
Contact: Tom Weiner Phone: 845-636-0450 E-Mail: tom.weiner@hydeparkschools.org
Project: Exercise During Learning |
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Early research has shown wonderful benefits from using exercise balls as chairs in the classroom. The use of exercise balls will allow student to exercise during their learning time.
Our nation’s obesity rates have caused a dramatic increase in heart disease and diabetes. Research tells us 16% of Dutchess County children ages birth through 6 are overweight/obese, compared to 10% nationally. Children ages 6-11 in Dutchess County have over a 20%chance of being overweight or obese. Exercise balls used during class time would dramatically improve our student’s chances of avoiding these problems later on in life. Studies have also shown a dramatic improvement in focus, classroom behavior and energy in students. This is especially true in regards to students with sensory needs. Students will give feedback on how they feel exercise balls worked for them. Change in fitness levels, behavior and test scores will be documented. |
Total number of youth to be served: 4,086
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