SANTA ANA PUBLIC LIBRARY (2) - 2012

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(.PROPOSAL NARRATIVE A. Executive Summary The "Seeds to Trees Digital Media Technology Academy" program developed by the Santa Ana Public Library in partnership with the Rancho Santiago Community College District's (RSCCD) Corporate Training Institute (CTI) and Digital Media Center (DMI) will provide training and work experience in various fields of digital media technology for 20 youth ages 16-21 (please refer to Attachment #1 for an MOU of the partnership). Of these 20 WIA eligible student interns, 8 youth (40%) will be "Out -Of -School Youth" (ages 16-21) and 12 youth (60%) will be "In -School Youth" (ages 16-21). A minimum of 3 youth (15%) will be either probation youth, youth in foster care or youth with disabilities. The Santa Ana Public Library currently is in the end of the third quarter of our 2011-2012 Youth WIA "Seeds to Trees Digital Media Technology" program. Thus far the program has been a success with 100 percent of participant enrollment achievement in the first quarter and 100 percent participant Digital Media Pre -Production certification in the beginning of the third quarter, as well as posting educational, and employment gains achieved by program participants ( please refer to attachment #4 for a program progress report). In a recent program participant survey, 100 percent reported an increase in work experience skills, 70 percent reported academic improvement since enrollment, and 70 percent reported that they were strongly interested in pursuing a career in digital media (attachment #5 Survey results). The 2012-2013 Seeds to Trees Program hopes to continue this successful program, which utilizes the library's Circle of Mentoring model and funds from the IMLS Laura Bush 21 sc Century Librarian grant to provide a tiered program of instruction, mentoring and employment for youth with the aim of introducing them to and training them in the digital media skills essential to the library profession as well as other professions. The keystone of the WIA program is that it provides training in all aspects of video production and a hands-on opportunity to produce video content for the city's CTV-3 channel. In addition to the current WIA and Laura bush projects, the Santa Ana Public Library has extensive programming for teens and young adults which is supportive of WIA goals. The program will provide participants with WIA Elements 1 and 4 through 10. The program will offer students occupational skill training in digital media technology through the Rancho Santiago Community College and its Corporate Training Institute (CTI) Program (5), as well as paid work experience producing videos for the city's CTV-3 channel and design/content for various agency and affiliate web sites (4). During their work experience, the teens will operate in teams, where the need for teamwork will help them to develop an understanding of the importance of responsible behavior and an opportunity to display leadership (6). During the entire learning and working period, youth will be mentored and supported by adults and responsible young adults from the library and the College District (8), and provided with the educational materials and equipment required to successfully complete the program (7). Youth will also receive tutoring, study skills training, and instruction on a one-on- one basis to put them on a path towards secondary school completion, or GED attainment (1). A licensed Masters in Social Work intern (MSW) skilled in a variety of fields, including addiction and family counseling, will be available to students as needed (10). It is planned for all 20 interns to obtain a Digital Video Preproduction Certificate by the end of the 18`h week and a Digital Media Technician Certificate by the end of the 28"' week of their training and education program from the RCSSD Digital Media Center and . Sixteen (80%) of the most promising students will then graduate to a more intensive apprenticeship program of training that will result in an advanced certificate, and will be eligible to participate in the paid work experience element of the program at the Santa Ana Public Library. During the entire program, classes in basic academic skills will be conducted by program staff for students with educational deficiencies. These program elements will insure that students graduate from the program satisfying WIA performance goals, and better prepared for an effective working life. Of the 20 youth the program will enroll, it is anticipated that 13 youth (65%) will enter post -secondary education and/or employment, 12 youth (61%) will attain RSCCD accredited certifications in Digital Media Technology, and 8 (40%) of youth will attain an increase in literacy/numeracy proficiency rates. Exhibit A