Falk Announces 2004 Youth Grants
May 25, 2004
Ron Biendseil, 242-6422
David Carlson, 242-6424
County Executive
Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk and the Dane County Youth Commission today announced 10 grants totaling $23,650 to groups with programs designed to benefit kids and provide constructive activities. (A list of recipients is attached). Funded programs will receive their checks at an awards ceremony today at 5:30 p.m. at the Dane County Transition School, 2326 S. Park Street, Madison.
These projects will provide a broad range of community service, peer mentoring, cross cultural and youth leadership services that will benefit more than 250 youth countywide. “These organizations have wonderful programs that involve kids and youth in positive activities,” said Falk. “The youth develop skills and work on projects that educate others and improve their communities.”
Barbara Arnold, Chair of the Dane County Youth Commission, said the money spent on the prevention grants is a great investment, especially when one considers that each child who gets in trouble and is sent to a juvenile facility can cost the county $60,000 a year. “This initiative spends a fraction of that amount on programs that will serve several hundred young people across Dane County,” said Arnold.
# # # (Attached grant list)
2004 DANE COUNTY YOUTH COMMISSION PRIMARY PREVENTION GRANTS
Program Name Amount Purpose of Project
A. Youth Leadership
1) Neighborhood House Movie Club $2,170 10 Neighborhood House youth will work with WYOU to develop a video portraying the multi-cultural youth community in the Greenbush Neighborhood of Madison
2) Youth for Self and Community $3,000 4 high school students from Wexford Community Center will conduct sessions on healthy relationships, drugs, etc. with area middle school youth
3) Girl Neighborhood Power Media Project $3,000 10 girls will become the Girl Neighborhood Poser Media Team to create a video documentary on students’ personal accountability for the culture at their schools.
4) Helping LBGTQ Youth Thrive through Middle School Youth Leadership Development $3,000 GLSEN staff will work with 50 youth from five middle schools helping them establish youth leadership development programs. An annual conference for students will be developed.
B. Cross-Cultural Activities
5) Breaking Borders $2,600 15-20 Latino students at Memorial H.S. will infuse a variety of Latino artists and cultural programs into the school'’ Fine Arts Week activities.
6) Study Circle on Race - Conversations Begin… $1,105 56 students from the D.C. Transition School will participate in weekly small group discussions on stereotyping, race and school climate.
C. Cross-Age Tutoring/Mentoring
7) McFarland Ambassadors' Social Issues Theatre Group & Peer Mentor Program $2,250 50 McFarland H.S. students will participate in a “social issues” theater group and peer mentoring program between high and middle school students. Performances will address issues such as bullying, racial prejudice and drug use.
8) The Write Project $2,270 25 students from Shabazz and East H.S. will engage 25 3rd-5th graders from Lindbergh Elem. School in an after-school creative writing project.
9) YVC/Safe Haven School Yard Habitat $1,805 4 youth from Atwood Comm. Center will be employed to oversee the creation of a “Schoolyard Habitat” program to engage 35 elementary students in a nature program under the guidance of the Aldo Leopold Nature Center.
10) HS Volunteer Initiative for the School Friends Program $2,450 A multi-racial group of 25 H.S. student volunteers will be matched with 25 younger children to pilot a youth-to-youth Big Brothers school-based mentoring project.
Total funding $23,650