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Summer 2002 Newsletter
National Mentoring Month
"WHO MENTORED YOU? THANK THEM AND PASS IT ON. SHARE WHAT YOU
KNOW," is the theme adopted in Fairfax County, state-wide,
and nationally for National Mentoring Month, January 2003. National
Mentoring Month is the opportunity to promote the benefits of, and need
for, mentoring (the involvement of a caring adult in the life of a child).
In Fairfax County, the Fairfax Mentoring Partnership, in partnership
with other local providers of mentoring services, will facilitate the
planning of National Mentoring Month activities in Fairfax County.
If you'd like to join the National Mentoring Month Planning Committee
and help make a difference in the life of a child, please contact (703)
324-5554.
President's Message
Mark Searle
As advocates for our area's youth, the Partnership is constantly on
the lookout for opportunities to learn and employ new and creative ways
to help kids find their niche in life and grow into productive, healthy,
and happy citizens. In this newsletter, we highlight the Prudential
Youth Leadership Institute (PYLI), one way that youth are introduced
to the skills that set them on the road to active civic engagement.
We are proud of our association with PYLI and its promotion of positive
youth development.
Also, as you have probably noticed from recent newspaper and t.v.
stories, the United Way of the National Capital Area is under scrutiny
for some of its administrative and allocation policies and procedures.
That being said, many local non-profit organizations, including the
Partnership, rely on the United Way as a means to bring much needed
resources to Fairfax County. In many instances, United Way campaigns
are the sole vehicles in the community that individuals utilize to contribute
to organizations such as ours. In his letter on Page 3 of this newsletter,
John Rivera, Regional Director, Fairfax-Falls Church United Way, shares
his thoughts on this important issue.
And, I would be remiss if I didn't put in a plug for the Partnership's
4th Annual Swing with the Legends Charity Golf Classic (SWTL). Golf
tournament fundraisers are getting plentiful and competitive, but the
SWTL is truly a unique experience. A retired major league baseball player
joins each foursome as its playing captain in a "best ball"
format. This year, former Washington Senator slugger, Frank "Hondo"
Howard, will serve as our celebrity host and will be joined by 30 other
former major-leaguers. Speaking of mentors and role models, I can tell
you they don't make childhood heroes like "Hondo" anymore.
If you can only make one golf tournament this fall, let this be the
one! We hope you can join us on October 10th at Westfields Golf Club
for this very special event.
The Prudential Youth Leadership Institute
This summer seventeen youth representing ten local high schools participated
in the Prudential Youth Leadership Institute, a weeklong leadership
workshop sponsored by the Fairfax Partnership For Youth, Inc. and Volunteer
Fairfax.
Students were engaged in such topics as goal setting, team communications,
and diversity through a state-of-the art curriculum that include both
classroom instruction and experiential training. Students also learned
the value of local government and civic engagement through speakers,
such as Braddock District Supervisor Sharon Bulova. Additionally, students
gained insight into poverty and hunger by attending a workshop at the
Capital Area Food Bank and consequently helped organize and distribute
food.
Throughout the week the participants grew closer as a group and attained
a greater understanding of the issues that affect Fairfax County. Students
will take the skills they acquired throughout the week and organize
and implement a care-ival, a carnival later this year for underprivileged
children.
An evaluation of the participants involved showed a significant increase
in the students' self-awareness, self-confidence, ability to impact
the community, goal-setting skills, communication skills, and team-building
skills. In the words of one student, "I learned that my ideas are
valuable to people and that I am capable of being a leader." Another
student commented, "Although I thought I knew what the causes and
effects of many issues were, this activity helped me see that there
were many that I didn't know and showed that many are things we can
work to change."
For more information on the Prudential Youth Leadership Institute and
future training sessions, contact Judith Silverstein at 703-246-3460
or jsilverstein@volunteerfairfax.org.
Did You Know That…
… Kim Monti, FPY Program Director, recently developed a mentor
training curriculum, with National Mentoring Partnership staff, that
was presented at the 2002 National Young Women's Health Summit sponsored
by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's
Health Office.
Thought for the Day
" If I set a good example, my children will learn from it, emulate
it, and live by it." —Sharon Pires
United Way: A Challenge for All
(As excerpted from a letter from John Rivera, Regional Director, Fairfax-Falls
Church United Way)
"You probably have read or seen news stories raising concerns
about the United Way of the National Capital Area. The stories have
shaken public trust and generated questions among area contributors,
corporations, non-profit organizations, and others involved with the
United Way. "
"We [at the United Way] are committed to making corrections and
improving the operation of our organization to make sure that all policies,
procedures, and accountability are above reproach. A number of activities
are underway to improve the United Way including 1). A tightening of
financial controls and a review of the United Way's Code of Ethics under
the leadership of the Honorable Rodney Slater, former U.S. Secretary
of Transportation, and 2). Board committee review to strengthen the
governance structure and hold the organization more accountable."
"I ask you to remember why this United Way exists - to help those
most in need in our community, to improve people's lives, and to make
our community a better place to live for everyone. Your United Way needs
you now more than ever. We are here to help those who can't help themselves
and because local citizens care enough to make a difference in the lives
around them."
Spring 2002 Newsletter
Fairfax Cares... It's Still Not Too Late
Have you ever wanted, through your neighborhood, school, business,
place of worship, or another organization, to make a difference in the
lives of youth in your local community but didn’t know how? If
so, here’s an opportunity you shouldn’t pass up!
It’s not too late to become part of the Fairfax Cares Initiative
working to generate a community-wide discussion of the challenges facing
our youth and to engage youth and adults to reduce risks and increase
assets of youth in Fairfax County.
Fairfax Cares coordinates efforts to facilitate neighborhood forums
that educate our neighbors to better understand youth risks and assets,
empower our neighborhoods to create opportunities for civic engagement,
and measure the healthy development of our youth and their communities.
The recently completed Communities That Care Youth Risk Survey is being
used as a cornerstone of information that will be disseminated to more
than 100 neighborhoods between now and the end of May 2002.
For more information about Fairfax Cares, contact Judith Silverstein
at 703-246-3460.
President's Message
By Mark Searle
In recent newsletters, we have highlighted Intervention programs that
support youth in one-on-one environments – the Fairfax Mentoring
Partnership and the Support On Suspension program. In this newsletter,
we highlight a Partnership initiative that is geared towards Prevention
– that is, helping groups of kids stay out of trouble by proactively
providing appealing, safe and accessible activities. Last year’s
Communities That Care survey revealed that 34% of the 11,631 8th, 10th,
and 12th graders surveyed spend time at least once a week at a friend’s
house when no parents are present. The After-School Program for Middle
School Aged Youth provides a way to remedy this.
Continued emphasis on growing and strengthening these programs is the
core to our mission of reducing youth violence. But prevention programs
have a built-in dilemma for funders and program developers. In terms
of evaluation and measurement, “prevention” is difficult to
represent. How can we project how many kids a program prevents from
getting into trouble? We need to continue to build the community’s
appetite for these programs by making their impact obvious and clear.
Introducing more sophisticated evaluation methods to measure the impact
of these prevention programs contributes to the community’s understanding
and desire for them. Our Prevention Task Force, under the leadership
of Mark Emery, has worked side-by-side with the public schools, community
coalitions, county agencies and other organizations to bring about this
level of sophistication and understanding.
When Fairfax County’s youth are engaged in positive, drug-free,
and safe activities, the entire community benefits.
The Middle School After-School Program
Nationwide, the demand for high-quality after-school and extended learning
opportunities is growing rapidly. Many states and local communities
have taken the initiative to establish and fund out-of-school opportunities
for elementary, middle, and high school youth as a means of providing
a safe haven for young people, improving academic achievement, improving
student behavior, and reducing risk-taking behaviors and substance abuse.
In 1998, the Fairfax Partnership for Youth (FPY) led the effort to
establish an After-School Program in each of the 24 middle schools in
the County. This initiative developed as a true partnership within the
Fairfax community. The Fairfax County Government provides the primary
source of funding while the Safe and Drug Free Youth Section (SDFY)
of Fairfax County Public Schools is the lead administrative agency.
Each middle school has a local School-Community Coalition under the
umbrella structure of SDFY, comprised of parents, school staff, students,
and local organizations and businesses, which works with the middle
school principal and staff to develop a program attuned to community
need. Each School-Community Coalition provides resources or in-kind
services. The Fairfax County Department of Community and Recreation
Services is a major partner in the after-school initiative and provides
both program development and staff support. Fairfax County Public Schools
provides late buses twice a week that supports this program as well
as other after-school activities.
Each of the programs is unique to the local school community and is
offered from two to four days a week during the school year. There are
structured recreational activities; academic support, homework clubs,
tutoring, and enrichment opportunities; peer mediation and social skill
development efforts; community service projects; expanded school club
and fine arts activities; and extensive adult mentoring efforts. Some
of the more unique efforts include: a “Friday Night School”
as a creative alternative to suspension which includes conflict resolution,
community service, and academics; a technology initiative where students
create, write, produce, and film a bi-monthly television show about
school life; a mentoring/tutoring initiative where middle school students
tutor and mentor elementary students; and community service projects
which involve helping seniors, making sandwiches for the homeless, and
painting the teen center.
Program evaluations have provided strong evidence for improved academic
achievement (one to two letter grades), a significant decrease in conflicts
with peers and adults, significantly reduced in-school and out-of-school
suspensions, improvement in student attendance, a marked growth in self-worth,
and improved school climate.
The program, however, is challenged by its own success. Between the
1999-00 and 2000-01 school years, there has been a 60% increase in student
participation – from 2,700 to 4,300 students. Yet, we are meeting
less than 20% of the student need. There is growing demand to increase
student participation and for program expansion to five days a week.
Transportation continues to be a large-cost factor with no clear solution.
The program’s dependence upon a significant number of volunteer
hours and limited County resources severely hampers growth of the program.
For more information please contact Diane Eckert, Safe and Drug Free
Youth Section, Fairfax County Public Schools (703 876-5243, Diane.Eckert@fcps.edu)
or Mark H. Emery (202 326-8699, marke@ccsso.org).
A Look Back at National Mentoring Month
January’s designation as National Mentoring Month provided an
opportunity to celebrate the success of mentoring in Fairfax County
and educate the community to the benefits of mentoring.
The Fairfax Mentoring Partnership (FMP), along with individual and
organizational providers of mentoring services, kicked off National
Mentoring Month with a luncheon sponsored by SAIC and hosted by Del
Walters, news anchor at WJLA and co-chair of the FMP Mentor Advisory
Council. At the luncheon, County citizens and employees were recognized
for their contributions to mentoring and it was unveiled that the Fairfax
County Board of Supervisors would create a pilot program that grants
County employees administrative time off for mentoring.
The Board of Supervisors and School Board proclaimed January as National
Mentoring Month in Fairfax County, while the Virginia General Assembly,
thanks in large part to Delegate Jim Scott and the Fairfax County delegation
in Richmond, proclaimed every January as National Mentoring Month in
the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Banners in Reston, Fairfax City, and the City of Falls Church, signs
on Q buses, guests spots on local television shows, press releases sent
to local media, and the distribution of bookmarks and other printed
materials within the community helped promote mentor recruitment with
the message, “Who mentored you?” The result of this expanded
awareness campaign resulted in responses from prospective mentors five
times higher than normal.
A special thank you is extended to everyone who helped make National
Mentoring Month a tremendous success.
Did You Know That…
…FPY, in partnership with Volunteer Fairfax, was awarded funding
for an AmeriCorps Promise Fellow through the Points Of Light Foundation?
The AmeriCorps Promise Fellow is responsible for expanding the scope
of the Fairfax Community of Promise (the local arm of America’s
Promise) by serving as research coordinator for Volunteer Fairfax youth-based
services and resources and as liaison to FPY.
…FPY was extended, and accepted, an invitation to join the Consolidated
Community Funding Pool Advisory Committee to assist in representing
the needs of the County's youth in the Community Funding Pool (CCFP)
process? The CCFP was established by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
to provide a pool of funds to be awarded on a competitive basis for
human service programs offered by community-based agencies. FPY Board
member, Howard Perlstein, will represent the Partnership in this capacity.
Save the Date
The 4th Annual Swing with the Legends Charity Golf Tournament
Thursday, October 10, 2002
Westfields Golf Club
9am Shotgun Start
Join us for the premier celebrity/amateur golf event of the year. Tee
it up with the Best of Baseball as we raise money for the Fairfax Partnership
for Youth and the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association.
More information will be mailed later this spring.
Membership Campaign on its Way
The Fairfax Partnership for Youth is a membership organization that
relies on the interest and involvement of the community to help reduce
youth violence and promote positive youth development in Fairfax County.
FPY is pleased to announce it will kick off its annual membership campaign
on May 1st. Check your mailbox for a special invitation to be part of
an organization that is making a difference. We couldn’t have done
it, or continue to do it, without you.
Do We Have Your Current Address?
Haven’t received our newsletter lately? Moving and don’t
want to miss any FPY news? Please let us know of corrections to your
address. If you know of someone that would benefit from receiving our
newsletter, let us know and we will include them on our mailing list.
Fall 2001 Newsletter
September 11, 2001
The tragedy of September 11th and its aftermath, including the Anthrax
scare and the War On Terrorism, has changed our way of life. We view
our security and our future very differently.
Imagine the impact of these events on the lives of youth, especially
young children, whose fear and uncertainty are fueled by limited understanding
of politics and world events.
Take a moment to reach out to the youth in your life. Listen to their
questions and help them understand the changing world they live in.
Your interest will provide the reassurance to minimize the impact on
their lives.
Resources to address this topic are available by contacting the Fairfax
Partnership for Youth office at 703-324-5535.
Fairfax Cares
Fairfax Cares, a new initiative of the FPY, was established to generate
a community-wide discussion of the challenges facing our youth and to
engage youth and adults to reduce risks and increase assets of youth
in Fairfax County. The membership of the Fairfax Cares advisory committee
includes representation from a variety of local and national organizations.
Fairfax Cares will coordinate efforts to facilitate neighborhood forums
that educate our neighbors to better understand youth risks and assets,
empower our neighborhoods to create opportunities for civic engagement,
and measure the healthy development of our youth and their communities.
The recently completed Communities That Care Youth Risk Survey is being
used as a cornerstone of information that will be disseminated to more
than 100 neighborhoods between mid-January and the end of March 2002.
Mentoring
President's Message: "Where would we be without
our mentors?"
Where would we be without our mentors? I often reflect on this with
gratitude. In my case, it’s a long list that includes teachers,
coaches, and colleagues that probably have no idea of the impact they
had on me.
January 2002 is National Mentoring Month. There will be lots of publicity
for mentoring and it will be a great opportunity to reflect on the role
mentors played in each of our lives. It also presents an excellent opportunity
to recruit additional mentors for programs that support youth in our
community.
The Fairfax Partnership for Youth, Inc. is fortunate to have a broad
range of affiliations with mentoring providers in the region. We created
the Fairfax Mentoring Partnership two years ago to serve as a resource
for these providers and to support and strengthen these programs so
that more of our youth can be matched with caring, responsible adults.
We are working with our mentoring providers to ensure a successful mentoring
recruitment campaign and that the support is there to sustain these
new mentoring relationships.
Being involved in several mentor programs over the past ten years,
I noticed that my original frame of reference changed regarding mentoring.
I no longer think in terms of the conventional “youth at risk”
as the single beneficiary of mentoring. I realize now that ALL youth
- whether they fit the definition of “youth-at-risk,” “regular
kid,” or “over-achiever” - need a mentor. In fact, these
days I subscribe to the thought that: if you’re a youth, you’re
at risk. At risk of making bad decisions, succumbing to peer pressure,
battling depression, and not realizing full potential. Mentors make
a difference every day in minimizing these risks.
As we approach National Mentoring Month, let’s celebrate the role
mentors have played on our youth, our community, and ourselves.
-- Mark Searle
Mentoring
Spotlight on the Fairfax Mentoring Partnership
In today’s hectic world, most children are growing up in a single-parent
home or a two-parent home where both parents work. One in five teenagers
report not having a ten-minute conversation with a parent in the past
month. Our children are suffering from the absence of caring adults
in their lives.
One proven solution is mentoring. Study after study affirms what we
all know intuitively: that mentoring works. Children who have mentors
are 46% less likely to start using drugs, 27% less likely to start drinking
and 52% less likely to skip school. Mentoring is a proven method to
reach children. However, there is a great shortage of mentors.
Here in Fairfax County, there are over 600 children on waiting lists
for a caring adult (a mentor), and thousands more who would benefit
from having that extra attention. In short, these children need someone
who will be there just to listen to them, talk with them.
To help address mentoring needs in our community, the Fairfax Mentoring
Partnership (FMP), an initiative of the Fairfax Partnership for Youth,
was created in the fall of 1999. FMP works closely with more than 30
mentoring programs in Fairfax County including non-profit organizations,
churches, Fairfax County departments and the Fairfax County Public Schools.
FMP’s strategic goals are to recruit mentors, to build public awareness
and support of mentoring, to assure quality mentoring programs and to
help mentoring programs increase capacity. In Fiscal Year 2001 (July
1, 2000 to June 30, 2001), the FMP referred more than 200 prospective
mentors to local mentoring organizations, provided technical assistance
to 30 local mentoring organizations, and assisted in increasing the
number of children in mentoring relationships by 10% (to 2,200).
Mentoring is not “one size fits all!” Mentoring programs
offer a variety of opportunities in terms of commitment, location and
nature of activities. There is something for everyone! We encourage
you to join hands with our next generation by becoming a mentor, and
know that by doing so you’ll not only enrich the life of a young
person, you’ll enrich your own life and help build a stronger community.
This past summer, FMP launched its own website www.mentorfairfax.org.
This website contains information about the FMP, mentoring programs
in Fairfax County, tips for both the mentor and the mentee, mentor training
schedule, links to other programs and the National Mentoring Partnership,
andhighlights about our community partners.
For more information about mentoring and mentoring opportunities, please
call the FPM at 703-246-3895, or visit our website.
Mentoring
National Mentoring Month: Addressing a Challenge
In January 2002, the Fairfax Mentoring Partnership (FMP), local and
national mentoring programs, and the major broadcast networks will come
together to kick off the first annual National Mentoring Month. The
objectives of National Mentoring Month are to raise awareness of mentoring
and to recruit individual mentors to meet the need of large numbers
of youth who would benefit from the involvement of a caring adult. National
Mentoring Month is a collaboration of the National Mentoring Partnership,
Harvard Mentoring Project and all mentoring partnerships from around
the country.
Locally, the Fairfax Mentoring Partnership in partnership with Cox
Communications, Volunteer Fairfax, and the Fairfax County Fire Fighters
and Paramedics Union, is planning an extensive awareness campaign, with
television and radio public service announcements, banners, television
interviews, ads, posters and a recognition event to celebrate mentoring
programs and our partners.
There are many ways businesses, organizations, and individuals can
get involved!
· Include stories in newsletters about the benefits of mentoring.
· Increase individual participation with current mentoring programs.
· Invite FMP to give a presentation to encourage involvement.
Contact FMP for displays or posters.
Mentoring
The Mentoring Experience
by Tobey Jackson
I recently traded in the car I've owned for seven years and purchased
a new one. Many people would consider this a measure of success. At
times, I'm tempted to do so also. But all it takes is pizza to bring
me back to reality
I'm a mentor for a 13-year old girl. We are different in so many ways
-- age, race, culture, background, economic status, personality, etc.
But we have one thing in common -- we both love New York style pizza.
We've had some of our best discussions while searching for the best
NY style pizza in Virginia.
Finding this common ground was a great success. When I first became
a mentor, I was plagued with doubts -- about my ability to relate to
a teenager, whether I would be liked by the mentee, if we would have
any fun, etc. But I was driven by a goal to make a difference in someone's
life. And I quickly realized that it's not about liking the same music
as your mentee, or knowing the latest styles -- it's about caring.
When a child realizes you care about them, it changes their life. By
being a mentor, you show that you care. So whether you're a mentor for
a year or a lifetime, remember - you have succeeded.
Though for the Day
“To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived
-- this is to have succeeded." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Did You Know That...
…Northern Virginia Family Service, a local not-for-profit organization,
joined the Support On Suspension “family” and is now providing
those services at the Gum Springs Community Center on the Route One
corridor?
FPY Speakers Bureau
Representatives from the Fairfax Partnership for Youth are available
to speak to your organization or group about youth issues in Fairfax
County. From drug and alcohol abuse to youth “risk” factors
to mentoring to positive youth development, FPY can provide information
and education to help you better understand and address the needs of
our youth. We can tailor our presentation to meet your interests and
timeframes.
For more information about the FPY speakers bureau, contact 703-324-5535.
The Spirit of Giving
The Fairfax Partnership for Youth could not address issues of youth
violence and promote positive youth development without the generosity
of those who contribute to our organization. As we approach the holidays
and the end of the calendar year, please consider a tax-deductible contribution
to the Fairfax Partnership for Youth, a 501(C)(3) tax-exempt organization.
Included in this newsletter is a self-addressed envelope for your use
and convenience in contributing to the Partnership. No contribution
is too small and will be used to provide services to youth in Fairfax
County.
Your consideration of a contribution of money, goods, or services is
greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Swing with the Legends Charity Golf Classic
A special thank you is extended to all the businesses, organizations,
and individuals that helped make the Partnership’s October 11th
3rd Annual Swing With The Legends Charity Golf Classic a tremendous
success. We couldn’t have done it without our many corporate partners
including METROCALL, Cox Communications, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Patton
Boggs LLP, and Fresh Fields Whole Foods Markets. We look forward to
the 4th annual event next fall.