The story I’d like to share this year began with our first year of the Innovation Grant. When planning this grant application, it was our desire not only to serve young students and their families, but also to give opportunities to older teens and young adults interested in mentoring younger youth. As a result, we began a partnership with Work Force WV’s Youth Advantage Program. This program reimburses our agency the costs of providing youth with a “paid work experience” for a period of 3 months at a time. Over the last two years, we have employed and mentored one young man and six young women between the ages of 15 and 22. Three of them were single mothers and one was pregnant when she began her first term of employment with us.
“Hope” was 17 when she was brought to CHSWV by her caseworker to apply for a position in the after school program. She expressed a desire to teach art to children one day and seemed appropriate for our setting. Hope proved herself to be a competent worker, self-motivated and well-liked by the children. As many of them were from lower income families, with stressful home situations, Hope related well to them as she had survived a challenging childhood herself. Hope was in her 5th month of pregnancy, was referred to the agency’s Right From the Start services. She also was given much support, education and encouragement from various other staff members. Hope completed her contracted employment with us close to the end of the school year and gave birth during the summer.
In November of our second Innovation grant year, we were asked if we were willing to have Hope come back for a second paid work experience in our after school program. She was welcomed back and allowed flexibility in her work schedule to take care of herself and her baby girl as needed. In February, her contract was extended for another three months and during this time, “Hope” brought to our attention that many young men she knew had babies, or were about to become fathers. Now having an infant of her own, she was concerned that they, and others like them, were not adequately prepared for taking care of infants and toddlers safely. Hope’s concerns led us to contact Tony Foreman of Families Forward (and Roane County PIP Team member) who helped us conduct a six week educational group for young men during CAP month. The last session involved the “Shaken Baby Prevention” presentation, bringing the message about abuse/neglect prevention to a powerful conclusion.
Hope’s 3rd contract ended in May, but her involvement with us did not. She had often expressed gratitude for the opportunities given her; proud to be associated with the agency and when Hope gained employment through Work Force WV’s Summer Youth Employment Program, she chose CHSWV as her summer worksite. Hope, her daughter and the baby’s father recently moved into the neighborhood our program serves, and she is able to see first hand the situations that many children and families face everyday. Hope has expressed that she now realizes how much need there is to protect and nurture children in this neighborhood; how important it is to keep working with the families. Due to involvement in this Innovation grant program, Hope is effectively taking care of her own child, positively impacting the lives of children she works with and is bringing an awareness to other adults around her. It’s her turn to make a difference.
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