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C5 from Easter Seals Autistic services). Youth with severe cognitive disabilities will find <br />the educational components of the program too demanding. With space in the program <br />limited, it is necessary to offer the training only to those who can benefit from it. <br />Foster Youth: The library has developed a successful association with Orangewood <br />Children's Foundation which serves foster youth in Orange County, and they have agreed <br />to refer emancipated foster youth for participation in the program (refer to Letter C7 from <br />Orangewood Children's Foundation). Further, the Project Director has been attending <br />meetings of the Foster Youth Breakthrough Collaborative since 2009 and the Orange <br />County Social Services Agency has agreed to refer foster youth to the program (refer to <br />Letter C6 from the Orange County Social Services Agency). Since several project <br />employees are former emancipated foster youth from Orange County, we will have staff <br />on hand uniquely qualified to assist foster youth interns. <br />Probation Youth: The "Seeds to Trees Academy" program plans to recruit youth who <br />are on probation through our partnership with the Orange County Probation Department <br />who have agreed to refer probation youth for participation in the program (refer to Letter <br />C8 from Orange County Department of Probation). We have had great success with <br />probation youth community service volunteers. Forty to fifty probation youth volunteer at <br />the library annually, and ten to fifteen of those remain as volunteers after their service <br />hours are completed. We are currently piloting a program specifically aimed at probation <br />youth that includes workshops on adolescent behavior and attitudes and how they <br />resonate in a student's life, as well as classes in needed academic subjects. <br />F. Include a Letter(s) of Support from organizations that have agreed to refer youth to <br />your program as Attachment C. <br />Refer to Attachment C for letters of support. <br />Recruitment and outreach for the program will occur at the start of the grant cycle 7/1/2017. <br />Prior to the start of the program, the library TeenSpace staff will promote the upcoming "Seeds <br />To Trees" program during its Summer Volunteer Institute program which annually recruits over <br />120 summer volunteers, many of which are WIOA eligible, and it's Probation Youth Community <br />Service program which has an average annual participation of 40- 50 youth on probation. In <br />addition, staff will make presentations at Orange County FYO (Foster Youth Outcomes) <br />meetings, CASA (Court Appointed Social Advocates) meetings and at local Santa Ana High <br />Schools, to recruit candidates for this program. In addition to Foster Youth, Probation and Youth <br />with disability referrals, Access program OC, and the Veteran's Upward Bound program have <br />agreed to provide referrals of interested participants to our program as well. We will begin <br />accepting notices of interest in the "Seeds To Trees Academy: Digital Media Technology <br />Institute" in May 2017 (refer to attachment W4 for recruitment flyer), and distributing and <br />accepting applications, including gathering all documents required by the Service Navigator to <br />determine youth WIOA eligibility, in July 2017. Once youth eligibility is confirmed, youth will <br />be hired as Work Experience employees (WEX). It is anticipated that all this will occur in the <br />month of August, 2017 in anticipation of the certificate and courses which simulate a college <br />semester. The goal at this point is to have recruited and enrolled at least 17 (75%) of total 22 <br />youth participants planned in the program. <br />EXHIBIT A <br />