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Boys & Girls Club of Indian River County ' Vero Beach Brarch Grant Application to the Children's Services Advisory Committee B. PROGRAM NEED STATEMENT (Entire Section B not to exceed one page ) L 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 summer programs for children 6 18 years of age; low economics, juvenile crime and below average academic achievement is the condition requiring change. b. We define those in need as children between the ages of 6 years old that have completed kindergarten through 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. c. Through our Vero Beach Branch, at 683 27 b Avenue SW, we mainly serve children who live within close proximity or who attend Thompson Elementary; Highlands Elementary, Oslo Middle and Vero Beach High School. d. According to the most current Florida Department of Education statistics of the 17,233 children wha attend Indian River County public schools; 6,788 or over 39% receive free or reduced lunches (which is an indicator of economic hardship). Additionally, according to the School District of Indian River County, Fellsmere, Vero Beach, and Thompson Elementary schools and Indian River Charter, Sebastian River and Vero Beach High Schools are rated as "C Schools. Pelican Island and Dodgertown Elementary are rated as "B" Schools. Finally, Indian River County statistics from the FL Department of Juvenile Justice Bureau of Data and research conclude that over 6% of all 10 17 year olds have been referred to the juvenile justice system during 2004 2005 . 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.) 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. For every child the Boys & Girls Clubs serves, our youth development activities are designed to build the following traits: • Positive self-identity : A healthy self-concept, a strong belief in one ' s self-worth, and a sense of hope about one's future. - • Educational; employment, social, emotional and cultural competencies : The knowledge, skills, strategies and attitudes necessary to have'apositivefoundation for success. ; • Communityand civic involvement: A sense of belonging to community, family and/or ' group; willingness to take civic responsibility. • Health and well-being: Living a healthy lifestyle, taking part in regular fitness activities, able to access health care resources and engage in positive behaviors. 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