YOUTH GUIDANCE DONATION FUND OF INDIAN RIVER COUNTY

GOAL 1: 100% of Youth Guidance students will graduate high school on time and be promoted to the next grade level, as measured by report card data collected from the Indian River County School District.

GOAL 2: 85% of Youth Guidance students who complete at least one semester of programming will possess at least three Developmental Assets (e.g., effective peer relationships, presence of positive adult role-models, etc.), as measured by pre- and post-assessments. The Developmental Assets are research-based benchmarks that support healthy development of young people.

GOAL 3: 85% of Youth Guidance students will spend at least 6.0 hours per week in the program over a 48-week period annually, as measured by time and attendance records.

Youth Guidance Mentoring Academy is dedicated to ensuring that our students succeed in school and in life. Our trained, professional staff and adult mentors provide social skills, life skills, and academic development for students in Indian River County from low-income households and single parent families.

Our services are delivered through two components:

1. Group Mentoring – We operate 12-15 activity groups per week in eight-week semesters (six semesters each year) with approximately 8-16 children per group. Each group is led by a staff person (titled Group Leader) and is comprised of mentors (at a 1:4 ratio) and children.

These activities are designed to encourage interaction between mentors, students, and volunteers. Students receive guidance and positive educational youth development, and our goal is to position them for meaningful careers. Activities include: tutoring, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math), recreational activities, life skills, and vocational training.

Specific life skills and vocational training programs include:
- Bicycle Repair with Bike Walk Indian River County
- Boat Mechanics with Youth Sailing Foundation
- Culinary Arts at Community Church
- Sewing
- Gardening
- Money Management
- Woodworking
- Pre-apprenticeship with the Indian River County School District, Florida Training Services, and Salvation Army

Students enrolled in our pre-apprenticeship gain experience in five trades (HVAC, plumbing, carpentry, welding, and electric) and receive six professional certifications upon graduating the program.

Before activities, we serve a healthy dinner to the children through our partnership with The Source. For some of our children, this may be their only nourishing meal of the day.

2. One-to-One Mentoring – Students are assigned a mentor who agrees to a one-year commitment to meet with that student a minimum of 2.5 hours per week. Mentors provide guidance, interact with and take students to activities (including Youth Guidance group activities), assist students with academics, and help them manage their personal behavior.

Youth Guidance Mentoring Academy has been serving youth in Indian River County since 1973. Over the course of our 49-year existence, our organization has a proven track record of success in meeting goals and objectives.

Our staff is professionally trained to deliver programs that achieve the maximum benefit for students. We provide CPR and professional development opportunities throughout the year. All mentors must complete training modules and a comprehensive assessment to demonstrate they possess the skills necessary to accomplish our goals and make a positive impact on our students. Notably, all staff and mentors must pass a Level 2 Background check prior to working at Youth Guidance.

To measure progress toward goals and objectives, staff members track the attendance of students in our programs. We also collect report card data through our strong partnership with the Indian River County School District. This helps us determine what specific subject areas our students may need help with.

We collaborate with many businesses and organizations in the community to open up new opportunities and programs for our children. Some of our key partners include, The Jake Owen Foundation, The Mardy Fish Children's Foundation, United Way of Indian River County, Quail Valley Charities Inc., Grand Harbor Community Outreach Program, John's Island Community Service League, the Environmental Learning Center, the Youth Sailing Foundation, Bike Walk of Indian River County, the Youth Sailing Foundation, Salvation Army, and Community Church.

Increasing Developmental Assets

The SEARCH Institute has identified through extensive research 40 positive supports and strengths that young people need to succeed in school and in life. Half of the assets focus on the relationships and opportunities youth need in their families, schools and communities (external assets). The other assets emphasize social-emotional strengths, values, and commitments that our nurtured within children (internal assets).

To help our students build these assets, we incorporate life skills lessons into all programs. Our staff is trained to deliver behavioral interventions and positive reinforcement. We also teach our students the importance of giving back to their community through service projects, such as helping build a Habitat for Humanity House, sewing blankets and pillows for seniors, and serving food at soup kitchens.

Youth Guidance Mentoring Academy serves approximately 200 children ages 5-24 each year. We are pleased to report that for the most recent school year, 97% of our seniors graduated from high school on time or were promoted to the next grade level. We also currently have more than 65 active volunteers and mentors who contribute their time and talents to our programs.

Notably, 85% of our students currently possess at least three of the Developmental Assets, and our students are spending an average of 5.5 hours per week in our program.

While we are very pleased with these results, we will look to further improve them within the next fiscal year. We will continue enhancing our academic enrichment and vocational training programs, strengthening our partnership with the Indian River County School District as well as Indian River State College.

The team at Youth Guidance will continue forming new partnerships with local businesses and organizations with the goal of creating new experiences and mentoring opportunities for students. These include guest speakers, field trips, site visits, college tours, life skills, and trade skills. We also will aim to increase our number of highly-qualified mentors, striving for a ratio of 1 mentor for every 3 students.

Finally, in 2017 we purchased an 8,600 square-foot facility in the heart of Vero Beach. Due to our growth and success, we are in the process of raising funds to renovate our building to create a state-of-the-art Mentoring Academy for students that includes the following:

-Teaching kitchen and dining room
-Workshop space for trades and our pre-apprenticeship
-Technology lab and makerspace for STEAM
-Community Garden
-Multipurpose room for life skills training
-Recording studio
-Tutoring wing