A "Hometowner" press release was sent to the local newspaper of each of our AmeriCorps members to promote the YHSC_AmeriCorps Division Program and our stellar members. The press release describes the YHSC_AmeriCorps Division program and gives a snapshot of each AmeriCorps member serving in the program. Hopefully some of the papers will "pick-up" the story and give our members and program some good press.
The New Britain ran an article about Audrey. Follow this link for see below for the text of the article.
http://www.newbritainherald.com/articles/2010/12/05/news/doc4cfc59f523620377745073.txt
Americorp Has Valuable Ally in Local Woman
Sunday, December 5, 2010
By Erica Schmitt Correspondent
Audrey Zackery is one New Britain woman with a lot to offer. She is an Americorps member and now, a Youth Health Service Corps Coordinator in Hartford. Zackery works with high-risk students from Hartford High School in the YHSC program to help them pursue health-related careers.Zackery grew up in New Britain and is still a resident today. At Hartford High School she is training 10 students to volunteer in health care settings, mostly juniors and seniors from the Nursing Academy and Law and Government Academy. She meets with them every Thursday after school for one to three hours to work on real-world skills and community projects. After training, students choose service projects to get involved in, which will fulfill the 50-hour minimum requirement for program completion.The YHSC works most often with the under-served population, including those from low-income and single-parent homes. They connect with schools in Hartford to identify students who may benefit most from the program.YHSC site coordinator Eliana Cardeno thinks Zackery is a valuable asset to the program. “She’s been working really hard and not only doing a lot of projects in the office, but also working with other Americorps members to implement service projects at other schools in the state,” said Cardeno. “She is making sure her kids are doing well and that she’s meeting their needs, and has made herself available to tutor them after school.”
Zackery has volunteered after work for many years. Her primary career was never in the community service field until September. In fact, Zackery received an associate’s degree in business management from American Intercontinental University.“I worked in corporate for over 20 years as a financial analyst,” explained Zackery. “I was sitting at my desk daydreaming two years ago, and I saw myself standing in front of students and assisting them in some way. When I found out about Americorps and the type of work they do, I realized that was where I should be. I’m all for empowering youth and trying to get them on the right track by being a powerful role model so they can be the best they can be, so I retired and followed my heart.”Sometimes she deals with challenging cases, like students who are involved with drugs or come from families that are homeless. “We want them to have positive values, and we have high expectations for them,” said Zackery.Funding from Americorps supports its 14 members working at high schools across the state, implementing the YHSC program. For more information on the Youth Health Service Corps, go to www.centralctahec.org.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
2011 MLK Day of Service Committee Meeting Minutes
12/14/2010
Participants: Celia, Patrick, Coutney, Melinda, Jen, Leslie
Absent: Lena
Bus Pick Up/ Drop Off Location
o Northwestern – Brass Mill Center
o Southwestern – East Haven High School; Hill Regional Career HighSchool
o Eastern – Windham High School;Coventry High School
o Central – TBD
Kick Off Events
o The MLK Kick Off will tentatively be held at the South Street Church banquet hall in Hartford, free of charge. We are awaiting confirmation and will have updates after our meeting with Hands on Hartford this week.
o The day will feature:
§ A performance from a local church choir
§ Speaker Pastor James Lane, who works with youth and is associated with the Center for Non-Violence
§ Speaker Victoria Christgau, Founder/Executive Director of the Center for Non-Violence
§ Possible performance from the Hartbeat Ensemble.
Site List – We are still in the process of confirming sites.
o Peter’s Retreat – Residential program for people living with HIV/AIDS
o Manna- Food pantry/soup kitchen
o Senior Café – Assembling donation baskets at South Street Church
§ We have discussed having students run a drive to collect items that could be donated to go along with the baskets.
o FoodShare – Sorting food donations
Awaiting Confirmation
o Hartford Children’s Theater
o MLK School
o The Boys & Girls Club
o Mark Twain House
o American School for the Deaf
We expect more confirmations in the coming weeks.
Center Updates -YHSC Member Recruitment
Northwestern:
o Passed out permission forms and have fully explained the event to students.
Southwestern:
o Melinda is working on a letter describing the event to hand out to students along with permission slips.
o Courtney has recruited 12 students from Hillhouse and has posted the information on AHEC Nation.
Center Updates -Additional Volunteer Recruitment
o YHSC members have expressed an interest in bringing along friends to volunteer on MLK day at both Northwestern and Southwestern. We are awaiting confirmation from YHSC students to determine how much extra room we will have to accommodate additional volunteers.
Central Update-T-Shirt Design
o Meeting with HOH members on Thursday to create an image for the t-shirts. Once the image is finalized it will be emailed to the group.
o Contacted Good Deed t-shirts for a quote. We hope to have our order in by next week.
Next Meeting Date and Time
Tuesday, December 21st- 10AM
12/7/2010
Facilitators: AmeriCorps Program Director: Celia Tvrdik
Note taker: Jennifer Sweat
Present: AmeriCorps Program Director: Celia Tvrdik, Public Ally: Patrick McKenna,
Southwest: Not Represented, Central: Lesli Ann Lewis, Eastern: Not Represented
Northwest: Jennifer Sweat
· Bus Pick Up/ Drop Off Location
Must determine pickup location for each AHEC and email Pat with that location no later than Wednesday 12/15/2010 so that he can speak to each bus company. This will be crucial to determining each AHEC’s pick-up and drop-off times so that the agendas can be confirmed.
· Permission Form
Example emailed to committee by Celia on 12/07/10. Make sure to add specific info: AHEC name, pick up location, pick up and drop off time, photo and press release, etc. All permission forms must be approved by your AHEC supervisor.
· YHSC Member Recruitment
Central- Made attendance to MLK Day and GYS Day mandatory components of the YHSC program.
Northwestern- Students must turn in permission slip to insure a spot on the bus.
· Additional Volunteer Recruitment-50 people total (bus max capacity)
Central- Has contacted many community groups such as NAACP, SGA, and local fraternities and sororities to participate in MLK Day. These groups are very interested in site selection so that their service will count toward their academic requirements. Site information will be determined in the future. Lesli -Ann will ask her contacts for the types of service that are approved. Celia will send out a rough agenda.
Northwestern- Have not extended the invitation to community groups as of yet. When they do, they will be asking that the groups provide there own transportation to Hartford.
· Lists-Progress-An initial list should be emailed to Celia no later than Thursday 12/09/10
o Govt. officials/ political figure contact info
o Newspaper/ television contact info
o Must have at least name and email
· T-Shirt Design-
The idea is a picture of Martin Luther King Jr. giving the “I Have a Dream Speech” with the logos of the organizations as transparencies on the face of Dr. King with the words “Through Service We Continue the Dream”. Lesli-Ann will be paired with a member of Hands on Hartford who has the necessary technology to produce the image for the T-shirts.
· Next Meeting Date and Time-TBA
11/30/10
Facilitators: AmeriCorps Program Director: Celia Tvrdik
Note taker: Jennifer Sweat
Present: AmeriCorps Program Director: Celia Tvrdik, Public Ally: Patrick McKenna, AmeriCorps Members Southwest AHEC: Courtney Myers and Melinda Fisher, Central AHEC: Elianna Cardeno, Lesli Ann Lewis, Eastern AHEC: Lena Sanchez, Northwest AHEC: Jennifer Sweat
Information on MLK DAY:
-Hands on Hartford is a Connecticut Commission on Community Service AmeriCorps Program that works with several volunteer sites throughout the capital city. Hand on Harford will find service sites to place the volunteers and YHSC-AmeriCorps Division will supply the volunteers. Central AHEC is also going to indentify any service sites that they have relationships with.
-There will be 1 bus provided per AHEC center. Each bus can transport 50 people total.
High School Participating in MLK DAY: Southwest AHEC: Career High, Hillhouse High, East Haven High, Eastern AHEC: Windam High, Coventry High (?), Central AHEC: All participating High Schools, Northwest: All participating High Schools
•Tentative Schedule for MLK Day - January 17th, 2011
9:00 am -Busses Leave from Region to Hartford
(Pickup sites for each region-TBA at each AHEC site. )
10:00 am -Busses arrive at The Boys and Girls Club of Hartford.
-Speakers-TBA
11:30-12:00 pm -Lunch
12:00-3:00 pm -Students serve throughout Hartford
3:00-4:30 pm -Arrive back at The Boys & Girls Club for facilitated reflection
4:30-5:30 -Travel time back to region
•YHSC Member Recruitment
-Start letting members know about this ASAP. Be sure that all YHSC members have first priority for a spot on the bus. Any additional volunteers may be invited, but once the bus is filled, other transportation must be found.
-Flyers-Formal Flyers must be created and posted as soon as possible.
-Field Trip Permission Form-Celia will email sample permission slip, but be sure to run it by your AHEC Director to be sure it is appropriate for your region.
•Additional Volunteer Recruitment
-Leslie Ann Spoke to Shane from Hands on Hartford and they are looking for an Intergenerational mix of volunteers.
-Additional volunteers are encouraged to attend. If another group attends, they must have their own chaperones, permission slips, and possibly transportation (50 people total is the bus max capacity per AHEC).
-What is the ratio of minor volunteers to chaperones supposed to be?
•Event Promotion/ Invites
-Invite and Press releases will be sent out from Northwestern AHEC and Hands on Hartford.
-Each AHEC needs to create:
1) An Excel Contact List Consisting of Name, Title, and email addresses of their local public officials, newspapers, media, etc. to receive invitations to the kickoff.
-Patrick will email everyone a link to assist in this process.
•T-Shirt Design
-Central AHEC will be in charge of the T-Shirt Design and will submit a rough draft to Celia no later than 12/10/10.
-Celia will email the logos that must be used to Lesli Ann.
-The back of the shirt will be left blank for Sponsors’ logos.
-Each AHEC needs to create:
1) An Excel Contact List consisting of Business Name, Contact Person and Title, and Email addresses of local businesses to be asked to be a sponsor.
•Next Meeting Date and Time-Tuesday, December 7th at 11am
Participants: Celia, Patrick, Coutney, Melinda, Jen, Leslie
Absent: Lena
Bus Pick Up/ Drop Off Location
o Northwestern – Brass Mill Center
o Southwestern – East Haven High School; Hill Regional Career HighSchool
o Eastern – Windham High School;Coventry High School
o Central – TBD
Kick Off Events
o The MLK Kick Off will tentatively be held at the South Street Church banquet hall in Hartford, free of charge. We are awaiting confirmation and will have updates after our meeting with Hands on Hartford this week.
o The day will feature:
§ A performance from a local church choir
§ Speaker Pastor James Lane, who works with youth and is associated with the Center for Non-Violence
§ Speaker Victoria Christgau, Founder/Executive Director of the Center for Non-Violence
§ Possible performance from the Hartbeat Ensemble.
Site List – We are still in the process of confirming sites.
o Peter’s Retreat – Residential program for people living with HIV/AIDS
o Manna- Food pantry/soup kitchen
o Senior Café – Assembling donation baskets at South Street Church
§ We have discussed having students run a drive to collect items that could be donated to go along with the baskets.
o FoodShare – Sorting food donations
Awaiting Confirmation
o Hartford Children’s Theater
o MLK School
o The Boys & Girls Club
o Mark Twain House
o American School for the Deaf
We expect more confirmations in the coming weeks.
Center Updates -YHSC Member Recruitment
Northwestern:
o Passed out permission forms and have fully explained the event to students.
Southwestern:
o Melinda is working on a letter describing the event to hand out to students along with permission slips.
o Courtney has recruited 12 students from Hillhouse and has posted the information on AHEC Nation.
Center Updates -Additional Volunteer Recruitment
o YHSC members have expressed an interest in bringing along friends to volunteer on MLK day at both Northwestern and Southwestern. We are awaiting confirmation from YHSC students to determine how much extra room we will have to accommodate additional volunteers.
Central Update-T-Shirt Design
o Meeting with HOH members on Thursday to create an image for the t-shirts. Once the image is finalized it will be emailed to the group.
o Contacted Good Deed t-shirts for a quote. We hope to have our order in by next week.
Next Meeting Date and Time
Tuesday, December 21st- 10AM
12/7/2010
Facilitators: AmeriCorps Program Director: Celia Tvrdik
Note taker: Jennifer Sweat
Present: AmeriCorps Program Director: Celia Tvrdik, Public Ally: Patrick McKenna,
Southwest: Not Represented, Central: Lesli Ann Lewis, Eastern: Not Represented
Northwest: Jennifer Sweat
· Bus Pick Up/ Drop Off Location
Must determine pickup location for each AHEC and email Pat with that location no later than Wednesday 12/15/2010 so that he can speak to each bus company. This will be crucial to determining each AHEC’s pick-up and drop-off times so that the agendas can be confirmed.
· Permission Form
Example emailed to committee by Celia on 12/07/10. Make sure to add specific info: AHEC name, pick up location, pick up and drop off time, photo and press release, etc. All permission forms must be approved by your AHEC supervisor.
· YHSC Member Recruitment
Central- Made attendance to MLK Day and GYS Day mandatory components of the YHSC program.
Northwestern- Students must turn in permission slip to insure a spot on the bus.
· Additional Volunteer Recruitment-50 people total (bus max capacity)
Central- Has contacted many community groups such as NAACP, SGA, and local fraternities and sororities to participate in MLK Day. These groups are very interested in site selection so that their service will count toward their academic requirements. Site information will be determined in the future. Lesli -Ann will ask her contacts for the types of service that are approved. Celia will send out a rough agenda.
Northwestern- Have not extended the invitation to community groups as of yet. When they do, they will be asking that the groups provide there own transportation to Hartford.
· Lists-Progress-An initial list should be emailed to Celia no later than Thursday 12/09/10
o Govt. officials/ political figure contact info
o Newspaper/ television contact info
o Must have at least name and email
· T-Shirt Design-
The idea is a picture of Martin Luther King Jr. giving the “I Have a Dream Speech” with the logos of the organizations as transparencies on the face of Dr. King with the words “Through Service We Continue the Dream”. Lesli-Ann will be paired with a member of Hands on Hartford who has the necessary technology to produce the image for the T-shirts.
· Next Meeting Date and Time-TBA
11/30/10
Facilitators: AmeriCorps Program Director: Celia Tvrdik
Note taker: Jennifer Sweat
Present: AmeriCorps Program Director: Celia Tvrdik, Public Ally: Patrick McKenna, AmeriCorps Members Southwest AHEC: Courtney Myers and Melinda Fisher, Central AHEC: Elianna Cardeno, Lesli Ann Lewis, Eastern AHEC: Lena Sanchez, Northwest AHEC: Jennifer Sweat
Information on MLK DAY:
-Hands on Hartford is a Connecticut Commission on Community Service AmeriCorps Program that works with several volunteer sites throughout the capital city. Hand on Harford will find service sites to place the volunteers and YHSC-AmeriCorps Division will supply the volunteers. Central AHEC is also going to indentify any service sites that they have relationships with.
-There will be 1 bus provided per AHEC center. Each bus can transport 50 people total.
High School Participating in MLK DAY: Southwest AHEC: Career High, Hillhouse High, East Haven High, Eastern AHEC: Windam High, Coventry High (?), Central AHEC: All participating High Schools, Northwest: All participating High Schools
•Tentative Schedule for MLK Day - January 17th, 2011
9:00 am -Busses Leave from Region to Hartford
(Pickup sites for each region-TBA at each AHEC site. )
10:00 am -Busses arrive at The Boys and Girls Club of Hartford.
-Speakers-TBA
11:30-12:00 pm -Lunch
12:00-3:00 pm -Students serve throughout Hartford
3:00-4:30 pm -Arrive back at The Boys & Girls Club for facilitated reflection
4:30-5:30 -Travel time back to region
•YHSC Member Recruitment
-Start letting members know about this ASAP. Be sure that all YHSC members have first priority for a spot on the bus. Any additional volunteers may be invited, but once the bus is filled, other transportation must be found.
-Flyers-Formal Flyers must be created and posted as soon as possible.
-Field Trip Permission Form-Celia will email sample permission slip, but be sure to run it by your AHEC Director to be sure it is appropriate for your region.
•Additional Volunteer Recruitment
-Leslie Ann Spoke to Shane from Hands on Hartford and they are looking for an Intergenerational mix of volunteers.
-Additional volunteers are encouraged to attend. If another group attends, they must have their own chaperones, permission slips, and possibly transportation (50 people total is the bus max capacity per AHEC).
-What is the ratio of minor volunteers to chaperones supposed to be?
•Event Promotion/ Invites
-Invite and Press releases will be sent out from Northwestern AHEC and Hands on Hartford.
-Each AHEC needs to create:
1) An Excel Contact List Consisting of Name, Title, and email addresses of their local public officials, newspapers, media, etc. to receive invitations to the kickoff.
-Patrick will email everyone a link to assist in this process.
•T-Shirt Design
-Central AHEC will be in charge of the T-Shirt Design and will submit a rough draft to Celia no later than 12/10/10.
-Celia will email the logos that must be used to Lesli Ann.
-The back of the shirt will be left blank for Sponsors’ logos.
-Each AHEC needs to create:
1) An Excel Contact List consisting of Business Name, Contact Person and Title, and Email addresses of local businesses to be asked to be a sponsor.
•Next Meeting Date and Time-Tuesday, December 7th at 11am
Monday, July 26, 2010
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
YHSC Assessment YE 6-30-09
YHSC Participant Assessment Findings
1,124 students participated in the YHSC program during July 1,2008 to June 30,2009. YHSC students completed 30,308 hours of volunteer service/service learning projects at our partner volunteer sites. Through the national network of AHECs the YHSC operates at 60 AHECs in 20 states across the nation. 71 students have been awarded the President’s Volunteer Service Award in recognition of completing 100+ hours of volunteer service in a 12 month time period.
All participants were asked to complete a pre and post assessment of the YHSC program. The participant assessments occur electronically through our YHSC website. The analysis below represents data for participants that completed both pre and post completion assessments. 387 participants completed both pre and post assessments (34%).
Pre and post assessments revealed changes in YHSC participant behaviors and attitudes as a result of participation in the program:
On the pre assessment 73% of students reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” they know what skills are needed for their careers while 26% disagreed.” On the post assessment 90% of students reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” they know what skills are needed for their careers while 10% disagreed.”
On the pre assessment 13% of students reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” they want to work in a career that involves healthcare while 86% “disagreed.” On the post assessment 90% of students reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” they want to work in a career that involves healthcare while 10% “disagreed.”
On the pre assessment 91% of students reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” they can make a difference in their community by getting involved while 7% “disagreed.” On the post assessment 97% of students reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” they can make a difference in their community by getting involved while 3% “disagreed.”
Post assessments also revealed the following:
94% of students reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” the YHSC made them feel more confident about themselves. 6% “disagreed.”
81% of students reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” that as a result of participation in the YHSC they are doing better in school. 19% “disagreed.”
Participant Tracking
The YHSC Helix database Alumni Function can track student information including college, major of study and employment.
Of the 178 YHSC participants who graduated high school in 2009, 44 students (25%) indicated that they are studying a health career in college.
To improve the quality and quantity of data the YHSC program buildings an on-line communication pattern with members while they participate in the program and will continue to use on-line communication to track students as the leave high school and cease their direct participation in YHSC.
YHSC Partner Assessment Findings
Students completed volunteer service and service learning projects at the 219 partner sites. Partner assessments were administered to partners across national sites in May 2009 to assess their experience as an YHSC volunteer and/or Service Learning site. Sixty three (63) post assessments were returned to Northwestern Connecticut AHEC in June 2009, a 29% response rate.
Based on post assessment survey responses, the project met or exceeded the performance measure: 80% of engaged community partners feel their participation in the YHSC provided them with valuable services. Specifically:
92% of partners reported working with YHSC students outweighed any burdens it may have added to their workload. 1% reported they “did not know.
87% of partners reported their participation in the YHSC program had valuable social benefits for their organization. 3% stated they “did not know” and 3% “disagreed.”
84% of partners reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” the target population benefited from YHSC student activities. 6% reported they “did not know.”
65% of partners reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” the target population produced economic benefits for their organization. 17% reported they “did not know” and 9% “disagreed.”
Partners ranked the impact the following statements had on their agency (in order of importance with 1 being most important and 7 being least important). Results reveal the YHSC students brought new energy to the agency as the leading impact of the YHSC program.
Rank as Impact to my Agency Statement about Youth Health Service Corps Involvement
2.8 The students brought new energy to the agency
3.3 Improved services for clients
3.8 Increased our access to AHEC/community resources
3.8 Raised our public profile because of AHEC involvement
4.1 Facilitated networking with other community agencies
4.2 Increased our awareness of organizational operations
4.4 Saved us money because of the additional help
1,124 students participated in the YHSC program during July 1,2008 to June 30,2009. YHSC students completed 30,308 hours of volunteer service/service learning projects at our partner volunteer sites. Through the national network of AHECs the YHSC operates at 60 AHECs in 20 states across the nation. 71 students have been awarded the President’s Volunteer Service Award in recognition of completing 100+ hours of volunteer service in a 12 month time period.
All participants were asked to complete a pre and post assessment of the YHSC program. The participant assessments occur electronically through our YHSC website. The analysis below represents data for participants that completed both pre and post completion assessments. 387 participants completed both pre and post assessments (34%).
Pre and post assessments revealed changes in YHSC participant behaviors and attitudes as a result of participation in the program:
On the pre assessment 73% of students reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” they know what skills are needed for their careers while 26% disagreed.” On the post assessment 90% of students reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” they know what skills are needed for their careers while 10% disagreed.”
On the pre assessment 13% of students reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” they want to work in a career that involves healthcare while 86% “disagreed.” On the post assessment 90% of students reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” they want to work in a career that involves healthcare while 10% “disagreed.”
On the pre assessment 91% of students reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” they can make a difference in their community by getting involved while 7% “disagreed.” On the post assessment 97% of students reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” they can make a difference in their community by getting involved while 3% “disagreed.”
Post assessments also revealed the following:
94% of students reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” the YHSC made them feel more confident about themselves. 6% “disagreed.”
81% of students reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” that as a result of participation in the YHSC they are doing better in school. 19% “disagreed.”
Participant Tracking
The YHSC Helix database Alumni Function can track student information including college, major of study and employment.
Of the 178 YHSC participants who graduated high school in 2009, 44 students (25%) indicated that they are studying a health career in college.
To improve the quality and quantity of data the YHSC program buildings an on-line communication pattern with members while they participate in the program and will continue to use on-line communication to track students as the leave high school and cease their direct participation in YHSC.
YHSC Partner Assessment Findings
Students completed volunteer service and service learning projects at the 219 partner sites. Partner assessments were administered to partners across national sites in May 2009 to assess their experience as an YHSC volunteer and/or Service Learning site. Sixty three (63) post assessments were returned to Northwestern Connecticut AHEC in June 2009, a 29% response rate.
Based on post assessment survey responses, the project met or exceeded the performance measure: 80% of engaged community partners feel their participation in the YHSC provided them with valuable services. Specifically:
92% of partners reported working with YHSC students outweighed any burdens it may have added to their workload. 1% reported they “did not know.
87% of partners reported their participation in the YHSC program had valuable social benefits for their organization. 3% stated they “did not know” and 3% “disagreed.”
84% of partners reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” the target population benefited from YHSC student activities. 6% reported they “did not know.”
65% of partners reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” the target population produced economic benefits for their organization. 17% reported they “did not know” and 9% “disagreed.”
Partners ranked the impact the following statements had on their agency (in order of importance with 1 being most important and 7 being least important). Results reveal the YHSC students brought new energy to the agency as the leading impact of the YHSC program.
Rank as Impact to my Agency Statement about Youth Health Service Corps Involvement
2.8 The students brought new energy to the agency
3.3 Improved services for clients
3.8 Increased our access to AHEC/community resources
3.8 Raised our public profile because of AHEC involvement
4.1 Facilitated networking with other community agencies
4.2 Increased our awareness of organizational operations
4.4 Saved us money because of the additional help
Friday, June 26, 2009
YHSC Update "Youth Leader" Model
The YHSC program has under gone a transition to better align the program with the principals of quality serivce learning. While the YHSC program always had a service learning component, the new "Youth Leader" model features service learning standards to better ensure that YHSC members have a quality service learning experience. It is my beleif that engaging students in a quality service learning experience will have the greatest impact on YHSC participants and consequently on AHEC's mission of recruiting under represented students into the health professions.
Part of the program revision includes a revision of the YHSC curriculum. We are now employing a "Volunteer Training" that replaces the 9 module/ 3 tier format. Content from the original 9 modules has been "tighten up" and will be presented as one comprehensive training. This streamlines the training process (1 training vs. 3 trainings) and gets the students engaged in the "action" of service more efficiently. Students sign-up for the YHSC because they are excited about serving their communities. The YHSC has been revised to capitalize on this enthusiasm and focus more squarely on "service".
The revised YHSC Program is designed to engage students in trimester long service learning projects (fall, spring, and summer). This revision will make the YHSC program more accessible to students through out the year. The trimester format shortens the time horizon of the program. I beleive this shortened more concentrated format will better able students to stay on track and successfully complete the program. If the semester time frame is not a good fit, service learning projects can take place over the school year or calendar year, or any other time frame that makes sense. It is important to note that no matter when the service learning project takes place, it should follow the IPARDCS process of quality service learning.
YHSC Coordinators may still engage YHSC students in independant service opportunities (placing student volunteers at a local community health center, homeless shelter, long-term care facility, etc.). While "independant service" is not a service learning experience, it is still an impactful experience for the student.
Speaking of the summer trimester, I encourage AHECs to do a "Summer of Service" service learning project with a group of YHSC students. President Obama just announced the "Summer of Service" initiative. Between June 26th and September 11th students are challenged to complete service projects that address pressing national issues - including health care. This is a perfect opportunity to feature YHSC students tackling some of our nation's toughest health care issues like Childhood Obesity and Health Disparities.
Part of the program revision includes a revision of the YHSC curriculum. We are now employing a "Volunteer Training" that replaces the 9 module/ 3 tier format. Content from the original 9 modules has been "tighten up" and will be presented as one comprehensive training. This streamlines the training process (1 training vs. 3 trainings) and gets the students engaged in the "action" of service more efficiently. Students sign-up for the YHSC because they are excited about serving their communities. The YHSC has been revised to capitalize on this enthusiasm and focus more squarely on "service".
The revised YHSC Program is designed to engage students in trimester long service learning projects (fall, spring, and summer). This revision will make the YHSC program more accessible to students through out the year. The trimester format shortens the time horizon of the program. I beleive this shortened more concentrated format will better able students to stay on track and successfully complete the program. If the semester time frame is not a good fit, service learning projects can take place over the school year or calendar year, or any other time frame that makes sense. It is important to note that no matter when the service learning project takes place, it should follow the IPARDCS process of quality service learning.
YHSC Coordinators may still engage YHSC students in independant service opportunities (placing student volunteers at a local community health center, homeless shelter, long-term care facility, etc.). While "independant service" is not a service learning experience, it is still an impactful experience for the student.
Speaking of the summer trimester, I encourage AHECs to do a "Summer of Service" service learning project with a group of YHSC students. President Obama just announced the "Summer of Service" initiative. Between June 26th and September 11th students are challenged to complete service projects that address pressing national issues - including health care. This is a perfect opportunity to feature YHSC students tackling some of our nation's toughest health care issues like Childhood Obesity and Health Disparities.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
YHSC Assessment YE 6-30-08
YHSC Participant Assessments
655 students from 11 states participated in the YHSC program during the year ended June 30, 2008. YHSC students completed 8,000 hours of volunteer service/service learning projects at our partner volunteer sites. All participants were asked to complete a pre and post assessment of the YHSC program. The participant assessments are administered electronically through our YHSC website in October 2007 and May 2008. Ninety-Five (95) participants completed post assessments (14.5%).
Post assessment survey responses revealed:
76% of students reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” that as a result of participation in the YHSC they are doing better in school. 24% “disagreed.”
94% of students reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” they know what skills are needed for their careers. 6% “disagreed.”
99% of students reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” they can make a difference in their community by getting involved. 1% “disagreed”
76% of students reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” that within the past month (April 2008) they increased their time reading and/or watching news stories about health/safety issues in their community. 24% “disagreed.”
94% of students reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” the YHSC made them feel more confident about themselves. 6% “disagreed.”
YHSC Partners
219 community organizations partnered with the YHSC serving as volunteer sites. Students completed volunteer service and service learning projects at the partner sites. In May 2008 partners who completed a preassessment (63) were asked to complete a post assessment of the YHSC program to assess their experience as an YHSC volunteer and/or Service Learning site. Twenty (20) post assessments were returned to Northwestern Connecticut AHEC in June 2008, a 31% response rate.
Based on post assessment survey responses, we conclude that the project met the performance measure: 80% of engaged community partners feel their participation in the YHSC provided them with valuable services. Specifically:
85% of partners reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” the target population benefited from YHSC student activities. 15% reported they “did not know.”
40% of partners reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” the target population produced economic benefits for their organization. 40% reported they “did not know” and 20% “disagreed”.
80% of partners reported their participation in the YHSC program had valuable social benefits for their organization. 5% stated they “did not know” and 15% “disagreed.”
80% of partners reported working with YHSC students outweighed any burdens it may have added to their workload. 5% reported they “did not know” and 15% “disagreed”.
Partners ranked the impact the following statements (in order of importance with 1 being most important and 7 being least important) had on their agency. Results concluded the most important impact was that YHSC students brought new energy to the agency.
Rank as Impact to my Agency Statement about Youth Health Service Corps Involvement
2.8 The students brought new energy to the agency
3.3 Increased our awareness of organizational operations
3.5 Improved services for clients
4.1 Raised our public profile because of AHEC involvement
4.2 Facilitated networking with other community agencies
4.4 Increased our access to AHEC/community resources
5.4 Saved us money because of the additional help
Only 63 out of the 219 volunteer sites were surveyed this year which is low. This was a result of the pre/post test design that was used. In the future the survey design will include all volunteer sites being asked to complete a survey at the end of the program year between May 15th and June 30th. Adminstering a presurvey proved very cumbersome and unnecessary to gauge the impact of YHSC on our partner agencies. As a result of this change, we hope to get a much higher response rate in 2009.
Participant Tracking
The YHSC Helix database has the ability to track student information including college, major of study and employment through the “Alumni” function. YHSC coordinators will begin using the “Alumni” functions of the database in the 2008-2009program year. AHECs have historically had difficulty tracking students once they leave high school to pursue higher education and/or employment. The difficulty tracking students tends to increase as socioeconomic levels decrease. To improve the quality and quantity of tracking data the YHSC program buildings an on-line communication pattern with members while they participate in the program and will continue to use on-line communication to track students as the leave high school and cease their direct participation in YHSC.
655 students from 11 states participated in the YHSC program during the year ended June 30, 2008. YHSC students completed 8,000 hours of volunteer service/service learning projects at our partner volunteer sites. All participants were asked to complete a pre and post assessment of the YHSC program. The participant assessments are administered electronically through our YHSC website in October 2007 and May 2008. Ninety-Five (95) participants completed post assessments (14.5%).
Post assessment survey responses revealed:
76% of students reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” that as a result of participation in the YHSC they are doing better in school. 24% “disagreed.”
94% of students reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” they know what skills are needed for their careers. 6% “disagreed.”
99% of students reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” they can make a difference in their community by getting involved. 1% “disagreed”
76% of students reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” that within the past month (April 2008) they increased their time reading and/or watching news stories about health/safety issues in their community. 24% “disagreed.”
94% of students reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” the YHSC made them feel more confident about themselves. 6% “disagreed.”
YHSC Partners
219 community organizations partnered with the YHSC serving as volunteer sites. Students completed volunteer service and service learning projects at the partner sites. In May 2008 partners who completed a preassessment (63) were asked to complete a post assessment of the YHSC program to assess their experience as an YHSC volunteer and/or Service Learning site. Twenty (20) post assessments were returned to Northwestern Connecticut AHEC in June 2008, a 31% response rate.
Based on post assessment survey responses, we conclude that the project met the performance measure: 80% of engaged community partners feel their participation in the YHSC provided them with valuable services. Specifically:
85% of partners reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” the target population benefited from YHSC student activities. 15% reported they “did not know.”
40% of partners reported they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” the target population produced economic benefits for their organization. 40% reported they “did not know” and 20% “disagreed”.
80% of partners reported their participation in the YHSC program had valuable social benefits for their organization. 5% stated they “did not know” and 15% “disagreed.”
80% of partners reported working with YHSC students outweighed any burdens it may have added to their workload. 5% reported they “did not know” and 15% “disagreed”.
Partners ranked the impact the following statements (in order of importance with 1 being most important and 7 being least important) had on their agency. Results concluded the most important impact was that YHSC students brought new energy to the agency.
Rank as Impact to my Agency Statement about Youth Health Service Corps Involvement
2.8 The students brought new energy to the agency
3.3 Increased our awareness of organizational operations
3.5 Improved services for clients
4.1 Raised our public profile because of AHEC involvement
4.2 Facilitated networking with other community agencies
4.4 Increased our access to AHEC/community resources
5.4 Saved us money because of the additional help
Only 63 out of the 219 volunteer sites were surveyed this year which is low. This was a result of the pre/post test design that was used. In the future the survey design will include all volunteer sites being asked to complete a survey at the end of the program year between May 15th and June 30th. Adminstering a presurvey proved very cumbersome and unnecessary to gauge the impact of YHSC on our partner agencies. As a result of this change, we hope to get a much higher response rate in 2009.
Participant Tracking
The YHSC Helix database has the ability to track student information including college, major of study and employment through the “Alumni” function. YHSC coordinators will begin using the “Alumni” functions of the database in the 2008-2009program year. AHECs have historically had difficulty tracking students once they leave high school to pursue higher education and/or employment. The difficulty tracking students tends to increase as socioeconomic levels decrease. To improve the quality and quantity of tracking data the YHSC program buildings an on-line communication pattern with members while they participate in the program and will continue to use on-line communication to track students as the leave high school and cease their direct participation in YHSC.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Social WEB 2.0 for YHSC.org
The explosion of social websites is mind boggling! While we decipher which social sites showcase the YHSC program, check out the links below and tell us which you think would interest you the most. We appreciate any feedback. Thanks ~ YHSC
more to follow...
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