96-069 - Grant Award Agreement for the Santa Ana Community Action Network Program

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B. Willard Wilderness Challenges: Tutoring and Transition staff will be conducting four wilderness challenges. Through physical training and classroom education, youthful participants build self-esteem, set and reach attainable goals and learn how to work together as a team. This program addresses the risk factors of academic failure, lack of commitment to school, and family management problems. Participants will be given the opportunity to attend ten workshops focussing on legal rights and responsibilities, gang and drug avoidance, cultural awareness and pride, survival skills, and physical training. A strong emphasis is placed on setting and achieving realistic goals which include planning for the transition to high school. One hundred students will be provided with the opportunity to attend ten workshops. Parents will also be provided with at least four workshops. These students will also be provided with four one day wilderness challenges and one week-end challenge, including jogging, hiking, camping, rock/mountain climbing, and other challenging activities. The program reduces the identified risk factors by providing an incentive to succeed in school and by training parents to assist their children to set and achieve goals. The program provides opportunities for positive peer influence, development of interpersonal skills and personal competence, and for physical adventure. These opportunities help to develop basic skills and provide an avenue for peer recognition. A selective number of graduated students will be invited to return the following year as Junior Team Members. They will assist in tutoring as well as with the wilderness challenges. The purpose for this is to have the current students participating in the program exposed to positive peer influences. Staff for the program will be hired from the community and will be aware of the problems of adolescents and of how to develop strong, positive relationships. The program also will utilize volunteers who have expertise in conducting the wilderness challenges for this age group. These staff and volunteers will be placed in challenging situations with participants which will encourage strong bonding and affiliation. The staff and volunteers will also have many opportunities to communicate their healthy beliefs and clear standards throughout the curriculum and the excursions. The role of parents will also be critical. Parents will be provided with the opportunity to attend four workshops on goal setting, importance of higher education and financial aid, conflict resolution, and legal rights and responsibilities. These workshops will be geared towards enabling parents to set positive goals and to establish a positive plan for their future. This increased positive contact with parents will provide the recognition for students accomplishments as well as the support to make decisions. Documentation will include goal-setting logs, classroom curriculum, sign-in sheets, school attendance records, student and parent evaluation forms, and excursion logs.