CITY OF HARTFORD

HUMAN SERVICES

YOUTH SERVICES BUREAU PROGRAMS

   POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT     DELINQUENCY PREVENTION

TEEN PREGNANCY PREVENTION

Positive youth development, teen pregnancy and delinquency prevention programs are the hallmark of our City’s Youth Services Bureau in the Department of Human Services. Collaborating with dedicated and professional service agencies, we look to expand and develop, through grants and funding, a vision to act collectively; building a safe and nurturing environment in Hartford. Our focus is on the social and academic development of youth.

Hartford Youth Service Bureau: The role of the youth service bureaus is to serve as an advocate for youth and as the coordinating unit of community based services to provide comprehensive delivery of prevention, intervention, treatment and follow up services for children and youth.

The Recreation and Youth Services Division works in partnerships with numerous community based organizations and agencies to develop a comprehensive system of positive services for Hartford’s youth. The Division sub-contracts with Catholic Family Services, Connecticut Junior Republic, Family Life Education, Hartford Public High School, Hispanic Health Council, Urban League of Greater Hartford, and Mi Casa Family Service & Educational Center.

Youth Services staff also network and coordinates services through and with the Hartford Public School System, the Mayor’s Office, Hartford Police Department, Hartford Health Department, State of Connecticut’s Department of Education Youth Service Bureau, The Office of Policy and Management, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Hartford Action Plan on Infant Health, Hartford Downtown Council, Capital Region Workforce Development Board, Hartford Area Child Care Collaborative, Mi Casa, Neighborhood Bridges, Southend Community Services, Drug’s Don’t Work, The Capital Area Substance Abuse Council, Connecticut Voices for Children, Organized Parents Make A Difference, Safe Schools & Communities Coalitions, Breaking the Cycle, neighborhood groups, community coalitions, churches and social service providers too numerous to mention.

Grants written in partnership with community agencies:

1. Department of Health and Human Services, office of Public Health and Science. Demonstration projects for Adolescent Family Life to establish comprehensive and integrated approaches to the delivery of care services to pregnant adolescents, adolescent parents, their children, family members, and male partners. This will be a collaborative between the city of Hartford adolescent parenting and development program, family life education, inc. Hispanic health council, city of Hartford health department and the Hispanic health council.
2. Department of health and human services, substance abuse and mental health services administration. This grant is to expand substance abuse treatment capacity in targeted areas of need. The city of Hartford Human services dept. is the applicant agency/ the Hispanic health council in conjunction with other agencies will operate the program. This is to operate a range of residential treatment services for pregnant and postpartum women and their infants and children.
3. Underage drinking
4. YSB

POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

HERO=(Healthy, Educated, Responsible, Outstanding) Program

SHERO=(Successful, Healthy, Educated, Responsible, Outstanding Program

HERO/SHERO are positive youth development programs for boys and girls ages 10-14. HERO/SHERO helps youth develop self-esteem, pride and responsibility for themselves and others. This is accomplished by utilizing a 12 session curriculum that incorporates the topics of peer pressure, decision making, health issues, substance abuse, sex education, communication skills and violence prevention.

Include the catch event, road to 2000 event, youth commissioner’s event, June 6^th event and apdp intake form

City of Hartford Youth Commission

The City of Hartford Youth Commission is comprised of 15 young people who attend one of City’s four High schools or "at-large schools" Hartford students attend(i.e. A.I. Prince Tech, Glastonbury High School, and Northwest Catholic), and who are concerned about their city, their school, and their neighborhood. The goal of the Commission is to provide a youth voice within City government and in their community to raise awareness about the needs of young people and how youth can be resources in solving community issues. The Commission currently has 12 active members.

The Commission regularly meets with the Mayor, Council members, City Manager and the Superintendent of Schools to share their concerns and views on issues that affect youth in Hartford. This year the Commission has a number of projects and activities planned for 1999-2000 that will help to empower, educate, and showcase youth in the City. Activities include a talent competition for ages 9-21 to be held in March 2000; presentation to 5th and 6th graders on the affects of drugs and alcohol; a PSA for cable access television; an exchange with the Youth Commission from Boston; a parent/youth forum in Spring 2000; and other events in which they represent the youth of Hartford.

The Commission, supervised by the City of Hartford Youth Services Bureau, currently meets every Monday at 4:00 p.m. in City Hall. Advisors to the Commission are Nilda Torres of the Mayor’s Office and Iris Nieves-Cross of the City of Hartford YSB, Human Services Department.

Youth Commission Report

Summer Youth Employment Program

Summer Youth Employment- Mayor Mike’s Youth Employment and the Capital Region Workforce Development Board provide summer youth employment work

experience to Hartford youths (ages 14-21). The jobs range from manual labor, work in summer camps, daycare’s and clerical positions.

POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

Mi Casa Youth and Family Development

Mi Casa Youth and Family Development Center targets youth 12-17 years old and their parents. Activities provided include recreation, enrichment programs, skill training programs, parent and youth support programs, outreach services and community involvement.

Road to 2000

Hartford Public High School/Road to 2000 promotes self-reliance, high school graduation, continued higher education or employment and the development of leadership qualities in role model students for others to emulate. Students participate in activities designed to build their character, self-esteem. leadership and communication skills. In addition, they also participate in a number of workshops on substance abuse prevention, sexually transmitted diseases, peer mediation and goal setting.

The Hispanic Health Council/Home School Liaison Program

The Hispanic Health Council/Home School Liaison Program is a collaborative effort with Maria Sanchez elementary school designed to enhance the involvement of parents in their children’s early education by increasing communication between the parents and the school and helping these parents to be "better parents". The parents are actively involved in volunteer work in their children’s classrooms, cafeteria, field trips, fund raising and other events.

The Urban League of Greater Hartford/Neighborhood Bridges Youth and Family Development Center

The Urban League of Greater Hartford/Neighborhood Bridges Youth and Family Development Center, collaborating along with the Village for Families and Children, is housed in Weaver High School and provides youth 12-17 and their parents in the Northend of Hartford with a safe place in which positive youth development can occur. Services include individual/family counseling, information and referrals, field trips, recreation and leadership development. This program replaces the estimated 40% of unsupervised discretionary time that adolescents face with "no place to go, nothing to do."

DELINQUENCY PREVENTION:

Hartford Street Youth Project

Catholic Family Services/Hartford Street Youth Project is dedicated to the promotion of health, adolescent development and the prevention of youth violence by helping youth ages 8-18 who are considered to be at high risk to engage in positive educational, recreational and social management services, psycho educational groups, violence prevention workshops, peer leadership, case management, structured recreation, family empowerment programs and summer camp activities.

Juvenile Advisory Team

The Connecticut Junior Republic/Juvenile Advisory Team serves as the City’s review board. Its purpose is to intervene with children ages 5-15 who come in contact with law enforcement for non-serious offenses. Referrals come from the Hartford Police Department and coordinates 15 agencies’ services. Case Managers conduct home and school assessments and make recommendations as to services needed in order to return the youth to positive behaviors.

Youthful Offender Collaborative

The Connecticut Junior Republic/Youthful Offender Collaborative

provides services for diverted youth ages 16-18. The team works towards reducing further contact with the police and courts. In addition, the team develops coordinates services for those youth who are apprehended by the police department and then diverted by the court to this program prior to or as part of their probation. Services include counseling, workshops, advocacy, job placement and community service.

TEEN PREGNANCY PREVENTION:

Adolescent Parenting and Development Program

The Adolescent Parenting and Development Program is an initiative to prevent teen pregnancy using a case management approach for first time teen parents, 19 and under who are residents of Hartford. The purpose is to help each teen parent realize that he/she is the most important influence on his/her baby’s development, and help them gain the confidences, services, and information necessary to choose the best ways to cope with new situations.

Project Yes

The Family Life Education/Project YES (Youth Educating for Success) program is a collaborative effort of Family Life Education, the City of Hartford’s Recreation and Youth Services Division and Breaking the Cycle on Teen Pregnancy Campaign to reduce teen pregnancy in Hartford. Adult and youth community educator teams are trained to carry the pregnancy prevention and healthy youth development messages to the Hartford community through group discussions and skits on family communication and sexuality.

Underage Drinking Grant

Youth Service Bureau, Mayor’s Office, Police Department and Chief State’s Attorney’s Office Nuisance Abatement Unit responded to a Office of Policy and Management grant. This collaborative effort will raise awareness about the alcohol problem among teens in our city. It is our hope that limiting youth access to alcohol, raising parental awareness, and change the social norms among teens will lead to a reduction in teen alcohol use.

The Name of this is Comprehensive Community Approach to Combating Underage Drinking. Our grant is title "No Tolerance 2000"

The Youth Service Bureau staff will be the lead partner in facilitating youth participation and leadership that will result in the development of the "No Tolerance 2000" awareness campaign targeting underage drinking. some of the key events will be, vice squad level youth forums, community conversation, and public awareness materials about the affects of underage drinking and what action can be take to decrease access to minors.

Youth Service Bureau staff will be accepting summer employment application for youth ages 14 to 21, due to newly appointed Workforce Development Staff, application have not been printed as of yet, please contact Mr. Chuck Cummings for further details.

The City of Hartford, Human Services and Dads Do Make A Difference have developed a Fatherhood Community Network. City of Hartford and partner serves as team leaders in providing technical assistance, marketing and support materials. Fatherhood clearinghouse is housed at 2 Holcomb Street. Mission is to share information, successful strategies and resources in order to effectively support families and the communities in which they live with a particular emphasis on "Father and Kids"

Staff also provides case management services for teen fathers ages 13 to 19. Currently have a caseload of sixteen dads.

HOME