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Boys & Girls Clubs of Indian River County — Youth Volunteer Corps/Teen Center Grant Application to the Children's Services Advisory Committee B. PROGRAM NEED STATEMENT Entire Section B not to exceed one page.) 1 . a) What is the unacceptable condition requiring change? b) Who has the need? c) Where do they live? d) Provide local, state, or national trend data, with reference source, that corroborates that this is an area of need. a. ) Limited access to affordable after school and weekend programs for children 11 — 18 years of age, low economics, juvenile crime and below average academic achievement is the condition requiring change. b. & c.) We define those who have a need as children between the ages of 11 to 18 years of age, with a special interest in working with disadvantaged youth. We define disadvantaged youth as children from low economic status, one-parent families and latch key kids. The Youth Volunteer Corps is a community wide outreach program that provides daily opportunities for kids to participate in community service projects throughout Indian River County. d. ) Area of need: • Based on the 2000 Census, 19.2% of the population or 21 ,685 youth are under 18 in Indian River County. • Based on the 2006 Kids Count Data Book, funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation: • Florida ranks 43rd nationally for youth who are living in a single parent home at 36% • Of Florida 8th grade students 34% scored below basic reading levels and 35% scored below basic math levels • Teens who do not participate in after-school programs are nearly three times more likely to skip classes at school than teens who do participate (YMCA of the USA, After School for America' s Teens, March 2001 ). • High School youth who do not attend after-school programs are at least 5 to 10% less likely to eam "A"s and "B"s (U . S . Department of Education. 21 " Century Community Learning Centers : Providing Quality After-school Learning Opportunities for America' s Families, September 2000). • A study of five housing projects with access to after-school programs, and five without, showed that the housing projects without after-school programs had 50% more vandalism and 30% more drug activity than those with after-school programs (Fight Crime : Invest in Kids . America' s After-School Choice : The Prime Juvenile Crime Or Youth Enrichment and Achievement, October 2000). 2. a) Identify similar programs that are currently serving the needs of your targeted population; b) Explain how these existing programs are under-serving the targeted population of your program. a.)There are currently no other similar programs that serve the needs of our targeted population . The Boys & Girls Clubs of Indian River County is the only county-wide, facility based, youth development organization that provides programming every day after school and all day during the summer, and specifically, through the YVC program, we offer community wide volunteer opportunities after-school, on weekends and during the summer. For every child the Club serves, our youth development activities are designed to build the following traits : Positive self-identity ; Educational, Employment, Social, Emotional and Cultural Competencies; Community and Civic Involvement; Health and Well-being; and a Moral compass (Youth have values enabling them to develop positive relationships with others). b .) Our target population is underserved by other programs for the following reasons : affordability, accessibility and scope of services . 4