the diversity initiative
TRANSCRIPT
© Youth Discovery Inc 2012, All Rights Reserved
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Table of ContentsTable of ContentsTable of Contents
Table of Contents ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………….2
Executive Summary, The Vision………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……...….3
The Challenge ………………………………………………………..……………………………………………………………………………………………….……..….…...4
The Goals, The Solution……………………………..………………………………..…………………………………………………………………………..…………..…5
The Strategy …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………..…...…..6
Student Campaign Overview………………………………………………………………………..…..…………………………………..………………………….…….7
Parent Campaign Overview…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….........8
Community Campaign Overview…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…..……...…….9
Professional Development Campaign Overview…………………………………………………………………………………...………………………..……..10
Program Descriptions…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………..…..…...11
Student Campaign Programs………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……...12-13
Parent Campaign Programs………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…….....14-15
Community Campaign Programs…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….16
Professional Development Campaign Programs………………………………………………………………………………………….…….…..17
Partnerships …………………………... ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...………….....18
Contact Information ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...……………………..19
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Executive Summary Executive Summary
The VisionThe Vision
It is Youth Discovery Inc’s vision to make use of local connections and
resources to provide academic, financial, networking, engagement,
guidance, and service opportunities to the minority and low-income
populations of Cache Valley. Our vision includes engaging not only
students, but parents, the community, and educators in a movement
that empowers participants to envision and build inter-generational
and inter-cultural chains of knowledge and support that will
strengthen ties throughout Cache Valley and carry our community into
a future where all students are achieving their highest potential. Once
we have made the Diversity Initiative successful in Cache Valley, we
envision propagating the Initiative to all universities in Utah and in the
United States.
The Diversity Initiative is a comprehensive campaign by Youth Discovery Inc, meant to serve minority and low-income
students in the Cache Valley area so they may reach their highest potential.
“With all the diversity in the world, people of different religious groups, color, race, education, development, and maturity, there is one thing in common all of us. One thing that ties each one of us to every other one, we are all
moving into the future, at the same speed, simultaneously on this journey. “
-Anonymous
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• Nationally, of all demographic groups, they are
the least likely to obtain managerial or
professional employment
• Nationally,
only 7% of all
graduate
degrees are
earned by
minority or
low income
students
• Of those who do enter post-secondary education, an
average of only 10% graduate annually
The ChallengeThe ChallengeThe Challenge
• Their test scores are an average of 25
percentage points lower than their peers
• An average of 35% to 48% drop out
before high school graduation
35%
25%
(Minorities in general drop out of high school at a rate of about 35%. Latino Youth drop
out at rate of about 48%. Compared to the Caucasian drop out rate of about 16%)
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The GoalsThe GoalsThe Goals
The SolutionThe SolutionThe Solution
The Student Campaign
The Parent Campaign
The Community Campaign
The Professional Development Campaign
Educate students on the availability of financial aid and motivate them
to apply.
Provide post-secondary education in formation and opportunities.
Provide life skills guidance.
Encourage student identity development
and motivation.
Close the academic achievement gap.
The Diversity Initiative is a comprehensive program that will address multiple causes of minority and low-income
student under-achievement with a set of four parallel campaigns:
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The StrategyThe StrategyThe Strategy
An investment in students is an investment in our future. The Student
Campaign will connect, strengthen, and create programs that provide continual academic and social support to minority and low-income students. Students will learn how to identify the resources at every level and develop skills that will facilitate
their continued success.
If it takes a village to raise a child, then a stronger
village will raise a stronger child. The Community
Campaign will increase the capacity of existing community resources (organizations and
programs) to aid minority and low-income populations
while supporting said
organization’s own goals.
Educators shape the future of humanity, providing
students with the academic and social skills that they will need as future citizens and professionals. The
Professional Development Campaign will help
educators to acquire the skills and resources that
they need to fulfill this task.
The Student Campaign The Parent Campaign The Community Campaign The Professional
Development Campaign
All parents want their children to succeed. The Parent Campaign will
empower parents to better encourage their students’ success by helping them to identify ways to become more involved in their
students’ education, and to identify resources that can make them stronger role
models.
The Diversity Initiative is a long-term plan for the personal growth and success of minority and low-
income populations within Cache Valley. The partnering organizations behind the Diversity Initiative
recognize that not every program and goal listed in this proposal will be immediately realized.
Instead, the partnering organizations plan is to begin implementation of the Diversity Initiative by
selecting a few of the highest-priority programs within each of the four campaigns. The short-term
goal, to be achieved in the next one to three years, will be to create and/or perfect the selected
high priority programs. Once those successful building blocks are in place, The Diversity Initiative
will have a foundation that will support its full growth and effectiveness. As soon as the concepts
are proven, there will be assignments made to transmit the success of the Initiative to other
schools in Utah, starting with the Wasatch Front and then to the rest of the United States.
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The Challenge
Minority and low-income students experience an
achievement gap that begins with pre-school and
widens as they approach high school graduation. As
they become discouraged, they decide to drop out;
nationally, one student drops out every 26 seconds.
This, in turn, leads to an economic and social
underclass of citizens who are less likely to enter post-
secondary education or become involved in the
community, and are more likely to engage in
delinquency.
The Goals
At each grade level (elementary, middle, and high
school) and into post-secondary education, the Diversity
Initiative partners and programs will facilitate the
implementation and inter-connection of a series of
programs that will target the specific academic and
social needs of minority and low-income students,
encouraging them to stay in school, enter careers, and
serve their communities.
The specific aims of the Student Campaign are to:
⇒ Raise student grades ⇒ Raise student self-expectations and motivation
to study and succeed ⇒ Inform students about financial aid options,
including FAFSA and private scholarships ⇒ Encourage students to enroll in post-secondary
education in greater numbers ⇒ Provide students with support to finish their
post-secondary education in a timely manner ⇒ Encourage students to develop life skills that
will deter them from crime, substance abuse, and teen pregnancy
The Solution
The Diversity Initiative partners have identified existing
programs and created frameworks for new programs
that target the specific needs of students at each level in
their educational careers...
Student Campaign OverviewStudent Campaign OverviewStudent Campaign Overview
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The Challenge
Many minority and low-income parents may lack formal
education or may come from a nation with a different
educational system or language. They often work more
than one job and/or more than 40 hours per week, yet
still experience poverty. As a result, they may not:
⇒ Be able to help students with homework assignments
⇒ Understand the U.S. grading scale, the importance of standardized testing (e.g., the ACT or SAT), how to acquire financial aid, and/or the importance of graduate degrees
⇒ Attend parent-teacher conferences or parent nights, especially if these events are not offered in their primary language
⇒ Have access to a computer at home
⇒ Have access to intellectual capital (e.g. the ability to speak English, effectively budget, or seek legal help) or social capital.
The Goals
As students progress from elementary school through
post-secondary education, their parents will also
progress through a series of workshops. Workshop
subjects will include educational and financial aid,
opportunities for both students and parents; English,
financial, and computer literacy; physical and mental
health best practices; immigration issues; and
community organizations and programs that can provide
more in-depth assistance in each of these areas. The
overarching aims of the Parent Campaign are to:
⇒ Educate immigrant, low-income, and parents with little educational background about the mechanics and importance of the American educational system
⇒ Inform parents of ways they can support their children’s education
⇒ Raise parental awareness of opportunities to help their children
⇒ Raise parental awareness of opportunities to help themselves.
The Parent Campaign will also emphasize the
expansion of existing resources or the creation of new
ones to meet identified needs.
The Solution
The Diversity Initiative partners have identified existing
programs and created frameworks for new programs
that target the specific needs of minority and low-income
parents.
Parent Campaign OverviewParent Campaign OverviewParent Campaign Overview
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Community Campaign OverviewCommunity Campaign OverviewCommunity Campaign Overview
The Challenge Cache Valley enjoys a multitude of resources
(organizations and programs) that either currently aid or
wish to expand their aid to minority and low-income
groups. However, these programs may have difficulty in:
⇒ Recruiting participants, volunteers, or funding sources
⇒ Tracking and evaluating their effectiveness
⇒ Finding and establishing collaborations that could improve their effectiveness
⇒ Learning the specific needs of minority and low-income groups and how to effectively meet those needs.
The Goals The Community Campaign will facilitate training,
collaborations, and outreach efforts. It will encourage
the creation of resource information centers and
resources that target adults who are neither students nor
parents of students and cannot be impacted through
traditional methods (i.e. non-traditional students). The
specific aims of the Community Campaign are to:
⇒ Identify all community members and services interested in minority and low-income students and families
⇒ Raise awareness of existing community resources
⇒ Identify unmet needs and encourage the creation of resources to address those needs
⇒ Organize a sustainable support system in the community
The Solution The Diversity Initiative partners have identified a list of
businesses, non-profits, faith-based organizations, and
other organizations that would be able to effectively
serve as a resource to the minority and low-income
community. They have further created a framework for
new programs that would target the needs of the
minority and low-income community described above.
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Professional Development Campaign OverviewProfessional Development Campaign OverviewProfessional Development Campaign Overview
The Challenge
Many schools across Utah are overwhelmed with the
influx of minority students. Plus, most school are
underfunded. They cannot afford to hire enough
teachers to keep student-to-teacher ratios low, they
cannot afford to hire certified teachers, they cannot
provide teachers with professional development
opportunities, and they are unaware of existing
programs to help minority and low-income students.
Where they are aware of such programs, they may not
have the funding to implement or continue these
programs. Most of these funding-related challenges
affect every student in a school. However, minority and
low-income students are more affected by these
challenges than other student groups.
The Goals
The Professional Development Campaign will
encourage and/or create cost-free solutions such as
volunteer assistant teachers, educator trainings, and
fundraising efforts that will improve the education
experiences of every student in participating schools.
The specific aims of the Professional Development
Campaign are to:
⇒ Train educators to close the achievement gap
experienced by minority and low-income
students
⇒ Train educators on how to motivate minority and
low-income students
⇒ Increase educators’ awareness of resources to
help this student population
⇒ Increase awareness among educators of
volunteer systems that can help in educational
tasks
⇒ Expand programs in schools that are
successfully addressing the needs of students
⇒ Develop additional programs in schools that
address any unmet needs of minority and low-
income students as such needs are identified
The Solution
The Diversity Initiative partners have identified a list of
businesses, non-profits, faith-based organizations, and
other organizations that would be able to effectively
serve as a resource to the minority and low-income
community. They have further created a framework for
new programs that would target the needs of the
minority and low-income community described above.
The Diversity Initiative is the solution!
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Program DescriptionsProgram DescriptionsProgram Descriptions
The following are brief descriptions of the
types of programs that the diversity Initiative
is both in the process of implementing or is
currently expanding. Some programs are a
part of every campaign but have been omitted
if previously listed.
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StudentStudentStudent Campaign ProgramsCampaign ProgramsCampaign Programs
Latinos in Action
Latinos in Action (LIA) is a high school college
preparatory, service learning, and cultural exploration
class. As part of LIA, students are trained to tutor
struggling elementary school students, which adds to
their own self-esteem. LIA
tutor-mentors help to
close the achievement
gap of students early in
their academic careers
and provide them with positive role models, motivation,
and life choice guidance.
Together Everyone Achieves More
(T.E.A.M.) After School Program
The 4-H Youth and Families with Promise is an
after-school club that helps students with homework and
incorporates activities around a different theme such as
Science, Sustainability, Art, Career Readiness, Service,
and Health each day.
Parent-Teacher Conferences and
Parent Nights
Having a relationship between parents and teachers is
important; this bond grows stronger at Parent-Teacher
Conferences and Parent Nights. Parent night will have
speakers and topics that will provide parents with best
practices to support their child’s education. Topics
include the importance of the ACT exam, how to check
grads, dress code, how to be admitted to a University
scholarships, etc.
The Discovery Programs
⇒ Discovery, in which minority and low-income sixth
graders that are performing below their grade level
read a book featuring minority and low-income
protagonists engaging in outdoor activities. The
students then engage in outdoor activities that
parallel those of the book’s protagonists.
⇒ ESL Discovery is a version of the Discovery
class that has been modified to address the specific
needs of English language learning students.
⇒ Summer Discovery is a version of the
Discovery class that can be used in place of
traditional summer school.
Junior Latinos in Action
Middle school aged students participate in service
learning and cultural exploration activities during their
time in the class. JLIA builds students study skills,
identity, and motivation to continue in school.
Afterschool Activities The Diversity Initiative partners will encourage existing
Boy and Girl Scout Troops to expand their programs to
minority and low-income students that they may not
currently reach.
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Student Campaign Programs ContinuedStudent Campaign Programs ContinuedStudent Campaign Programs Continued
Summer Career Exploration
Bilingual Youth Corps The Utah Conservation Corps employs bilingual college
and high school students to work during the summer on
conservation projects. The crew-leaders provide high
school students with literacy, science, and career
information in both English and Spanish throughout the
summer.
Financial Aid Volunteer Corps Utah State University student volunteers go into the
community and provide individual or small group
financial aid counseling and assistance to minority and
low-income students. The student volunteer corps would
be housed within the Val R. Christensen Service Center,
and new students would be continuously trained so that
the corps is always serving high school students in
need.
Utah State University Summer
Bridge Program USU could offer free summer courses to prospective
and incoming freshmen. These courses would provide
students with strategies for success and university
credit. The program serves as a recruitment tool as well
as an opportunity for minority and low-income students
to get ahead in their education that they might otherwise
not be able to afford.
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Parent Campaign ProgramsParent Campaign ProgramsParent Campaign Programs
Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) At workshops, more minority and low-income parents
can be recruited to participate in PTAs. Parents who are
included in PTAs feel more welcomed in their students’
schools and are more active in their students’ education
in general. Additionally, minority and low-income parents
on PTAs can help schools to better understand the
needs of minority and low-income students.
No Child Left Inside Group Parent workshops can increase awareness of existing
family nature clubs and/or encourage the creation of
minority and low-income family nature clubs. By
exploring nature together, families can strengthen their
relationships and mental well-being, while also learning
science and vocabulary.
Workshop Series for Adults Free monthly workshops will be created with a different
topic each workshop. Topics include English, financial
aid, and computer literacy, physical and mental health
best practices, rearing classes, and immigration issues.
Free childcare and refreshments would be provided to
relieve logistical concerns for low-income parents
Computer Labs
Computer labs can be established at every major
employer and community center so that minority and low
-income adults (parents and other community members)
without computers or Internet in their homes can access
student grades and other resources during their breaks
or free time. A volunteer can visit each lab once per
week to help adults learn how to better use computers/
the Internet and to find more information on educational
and other professional development opportunities.
“Language Café” Program
“Language cafes” are a language learning technique
wherein a pair who speaks different primary languages
enjoys one hour conversing together. The first 30
minutes are dedicated to speaking in one language, and
the second 30 minutes are dedicated to the other
language. Practicing English (or other language) with a
partner will not only improve fluency, but will provide
participants with cultural awareness and social support.
Annual Family Dances Dances can be programmed at the end of the school
year for students and their families. Dances provide a
great opportunity to foster stronger relationships
between members of a community, to celebrate
achievements, to announce upcoming events, and to
fundraise. They can also be used to increase awareness
of the Diversity Initiative and to recruit additional
participants.
Soccer Tournaments
There could be at least one soccer tournament every
semester that the Cache Valley Community participates
in. This event would build community unity and can also
be used to fundraise for the Diversity Initiative and other
partner organizations.
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Parent Campaign Programs ContinuedParent Campaign Programs ContinuedParent Campaign Programs Continued
Minority and Low-income
Home Visit Program Adults invested in the community and student volunteers
from established clubs would be vigorously trained and
prepared to make home visits to minority and low-
income families to discuss:
⇒ Community resources such as local non-profits, workshops, and other opportunities
⇒ Topics in education (like the importance of ACT and FAFSA, scholarships,)
⇒ Upcoming Diversity Initiative events like the new Annual Family Dances and New Soccer Tournaments
Women Empowerment and
Connections Program Through USU, local faith groups, and/or local non-profit
groups, women of various ages will form a group or
groups that would teach life skills like parenting and
would address topics like women’s health and women’s
rights. Strong inter-generational and inter-cultural chains
of social support can be formed while also encouraging
women to continue their education.
Community Councils
Community Councils could be established to present the
concerns of minority and low-income voters to local
government. Participation would help immigrants to
better understand how the US government functions,
encourage general voter registration and turnout, and
help local government to better understand the needs of
its growing population of minority and low-income
voters.
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Community Campaign ProgramsCommunity Campaign ProgramsCommunity Campaign Programs
Outreach Training
Diversity Initiative partners will provide information on
minority, low-income and other communities to those
who wish to serve them, provide information on recruit-
ing participants, obtaining volunteers, and developing
collaborations; as well as encourage the tracking and
evaluation of program efficacy.
Resource Book
Youth Discovery Inc is prepared to work with multiple
Cache Valley agencies, to create a reference book in
multiple languages. The Resource Book will have the
name of an agency, their programs and services, and
their contact information. This book will be available at
all schools, major employers, non-profit organizations,
and community centers.
Volunteer Financial Aid/FAFSA
Counselor Training Program
The Diversity Initiative partners will recruit and train vol-
unteers to:
⇒ Create awareness of the importance of FAFSA and other financial aid processes
⇒ Help traditional and non-traditional students to gather the information typically required by financial aid applications and to apply for FAF-SA.
⇒ Train traditional and non-traditional students to continue to search for and complete financial aid applications on their own.
These volunteers would conduct workshops or private sessions at schools, major employers, and major com-
munity centers.
Computer Labs at Major
Employment & Community Centers
Computer labs can be established at every major em-
ployer and community center in Cache Valley so that
minority and low-income adults (parents and other com-
munity members) without computers or Internet in their
homes can access student grades and other resources
during their breaks or free time. A volunteer can visit
each lab once per week to help adults learn how to bet-
ter use computers/the Internet and to find more infor-
mation on educational and other professional develop-
ment opportunities.
Public Awareness
Many members of the general community have a desire
to help minority youth but do not know how to become
involved. In addition, much of the public is not aware of
the needs of minorities. Plus, some of the public is preju-
diced against minority populations. he Diversity Initiative
partners will seek to:
⇒ Develop public awareness campaigns to encour-
age awareness of needs, non discrimination,
how to connect, and other programs to improve
the public attitude towards minorities.
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Professional Development Campaign ProgramsProfessional Development Campaign ProgramsProfessional Development Campaign Programs
Volunteer Assistant Teacher Recruitment Program
Parents, community members, and college students will
be recruited and trained to serve as assistant teachers.
Assistant teachers provide positive, educational role
models that students can identify with and increase the
amount of individual help and mentoring that students
receive in a classroom.
Teacher Training Program The teacher training program will provide workshops
that will cover:
⇒ Classroom Management: Teachers will be given tips on how to encourage students to behave and avoid bad life choices (gangs, substance abuse, and pregnancy).
⇒ Lesson Plan Design: Teachers will be taught how to present information so that different types of students can better understand what is being taught (for example, how to help students learning English to better understand lessons using visuals).
Professional Development
Workshop Series Diversity Initiative partners will offer all teachers a series
of workshops on:
⇒ Engaging and Motivating Diverse Students
Teachers and counselors of all backgrounds will
learn about the special challenges that minority
and low-income students and families face. They
will learn specific techniques for connecting
with these students and improving their
motivation to study and reaching out to their
parents to make them feel welcomed.
⇒ Higher Education and Financial Aid Guidance.
Teachers and counselors will be given tips on
how to help these students to see post-
secondary education as a goal. They will be
trained on how to help students decide on and
enter career-paths, majors, and colleges/
vocational schools (including how to prepare for
the ACT). They will be trained on how to help
students look for internships and jobs (including
interview and resume writing skills). Finally, they
will be trained on how to help students complete
the FAFSA.
⇒ Community Resources. Teachers and
counselors will learn about existing resources
for families. They will be trained on how to make
students and families more aware of these
resources and how to encourage them to be
participants and volunteers in these programs.
⇒ Building Collaborations and Continuing
Professional Development. Teachers will learn
tips on how to work with other educators and
professionals to find more resources for their
classrooms and solutions for school. They will
also learn about programs that can help them to
continue to learn new and improved ways to
teach and mentor students.
⇒ Post-Secondary Trainings. Faculty and
instructors in post-secondary education will be
provided the opportunities to obtain additional
training and opportunities that will allow them to
act as mentors to minority and low-income
students.
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PartnershipsPartnershipsPartnerships
The Youth Discovery Inc Board of Directors will come together on a monthly basis to oversee and help with the
implementation of the Diversity Initiative. Youth Discovery Inc foresees Members of the Board of Directors helping with
networking, fundraising and marketing efforts as well as positive promotion of the Diversity Initiative in their own circles.
Individuals not formally on the Board of Directors can volunteer to work on specific committees.
Youth Discovery Inc will continue looking for funding, partnerships and implementing programs on the basis of most need.
Expansion of current programs continues.
Youth Discovery Inc has partnered with a number of organizations operating in Cache County and Utah as a whole.
These partnering relationships are integral to realizing out vision for Cache Valley: that all multicultural youth can envision
and achieve their full potential.
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Carlos B. Roundy Ph.D.
President, Founder
435.757.5607
Judy Torres
Vice President
435.881.8191
Melissa Brent
Co-Director
801.668.7802
Krista Bustamante
Co-Director
208.390.5352
For the complete Diversity Initiative please visit out website at:
www.youthdiscovery.org/graphics/diversity.pdf
Thank You
Contact InformationContact InformationContact Information
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“We cannot seek achievement for
ourselves and forget about progress and
prosperity for our community. Our
ambitions must be broad enough to
include the aspirations and needs of
others, for their sakes and for our own.”
-Cesar Chavez
© Youth Discovery Inc 2012, All Rights Reserved