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Students Announce $3,000 in GrantsGrants Support Teen Initiatives
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Youth Leadership members review funding applications
Valley United Way’s Youth Leadership program has announced $3,000 in grants to various Valley organization’s as part of its annual allocations process. The Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley, the Parent Child Resource Center, Derby Neck Library and the Valley Substance Abuse Action Council received the grants after submitting applications to the Youth Leadership Program based on criteria developed by the students. The Youth Leadership Program is a program of Valley United Way designed to train the next generation of community leaders, and this year’s program had twenty students from eight area public and private high schools.
In making the announcement, Jimmy Tickey, President of the Youth Leadership Program said, “These agencies requested funding for a variety of innovative programs that meet the needs identified by our members as being important to teenagers in the Valley. It is the culmination of a year of training for our members, and we are very pleased to be able to announce these grants.”
During the course of the year, the students were provided with a variety of training and learning experiences that culminated with their allocation process. They had previously conducted a needs assessment and set their priorities as drug abuse intervention programs, out-of-school Career and Academic Advancement Guidance Programs and functions or events for teens to socially interact with other teens.
The Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley received $500 and add a program of additional training and intervention related to Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Healthy and Unhealthy relationships and job skills to their Saturday Night Teen Night Program.
The Parent Child Resource Center will use a grant of $1,000 to implement a new program called “Breaking Barriers” to assist high school students who have cognitive limitations, learning disabilities or developmental disorders in accessing services that will help them in pursuing higher education or employment opportunities.
Derby Neck Library will use its $500 grant to conduct a workshop by media journalist Fred Yager on producing school broadcast news programs. Students in the Library’s Teen Advisory Board are assisting Derby High School Principal Craig Drezek has with his efforts to launch a student-run school television show to spotlight positive happenings at DHS. The TAB video camera and editing equipment is being used to develop news segments.
The Valley Substance Abuse Action Council is going to implement the “VSAAC Card” with their $1,000 grant. The VSAAC student card is a prevention / intervention program because it provides valuable and discreet information to middle and high school students. The card will direct students to utilize Infoline 211 or the VSAAC website which will provide resources. VSAAC will create a page specifically for the teen card on their website that will contain teen specific substance abuse information as well as dating / teen violence, HIV/AIDS, suicide, and legal issues. VSAAC will work with area teens to create the content for the website and potentially the design of the card. VSAAC will also ask area merchants to provide a discount to students who show their card when making purchases.
Valley United Way President Jack Walsh praised the students for their efforts in identifying student issues and funding innovative programs by saying, “The Youth Leadership members take their responsibility as stewards of funding very seriously, and they have identified several innovative programs that will have a real impact.”
