Fremont Youth Collaborative
Recognizing that boredom and lack of constructive activities pose serious threats to the healthy development of children and youth, the Weingart Foundation has initiated and established the Fremont Youth Collaborative. With a $10.7 million commitment over five years, the project will build character and give children fun and challenging things to do when boredom can strike hardest--after school, on weekends, and during school vacations. Over a five-year period, the Collaborative will offer 10,000 inner-city children and youth a chance to participate in organized programs and activities in a safe environment supervised by adults. With the Los Angeles Unified School District's Fremont Cluster as a partner, Collaborative members will work together in an unprecedented show of unity to provide a comprehensive array of high-quality programs for children and youth. The members of the Collaborative, which include some of the nation's leading youth service agencies are:
Whether teaching how to use computers or to swim, taking children on field trips or to camp, all of the programs have been designed to engage the interests of children, improve their physical fitness, build character, instill positive values, encourage active participation, and motivate greater achievement in life. Activities will also include sports and recreation, arts and crafts, cultural awareness, citizenship, and community service. Participants will enroll for a minimum of three hours per week, while their parents will be required to volunteer and attend for four hours each month.
Rather than trying to "fix" the problems experienced by children after the fact, the Collaborative takes a preventive approach. It intends to steer kids clear before they drop out and become involved with gangs, drugs, vandalism or violence. Studies have shown that when presented with a choice, children will overwhelmingly choose positive alternatives over delinquent behaviors. Through participation in these activities, children will develop healthier attitudes, positive relationships with peers and adults, and become motivated to do better in school. The programs will be offered to all children living in or going to school in the Fremont Cluster, from kindergarten to 12th grade. Located in Los Angeles' South Central community, the Cluster includes Fremont High School and the schools which feed into it: three middle schools, 15 elementary schools, and six other academic units and programs. As one of the most economically disadvantaged communities in Los Angeles County, the children in the Cluster were found to have fewer resources, opportunities, and access to quality youth programs than those of other communities.
From 1997 through the year 2002, the Collaborative will increase the number of children and youth who participate annually in the member agencies' programs from the estimated 2,000 in 1996 to more than 10,000 participants by the fifth year. This would represent a critical mass--one-third of all school-age children in the area.
Additionally, Collaborative members are committing their own resources to the continuation of the program for five years after the end of the grant period.
Ultimately, it is hoped that the project will contribute to the growth and maturation of children into healthy, productive, and contributing members of society.
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Positive, Productive Activities for Children and Youth
By concentrating its programs, the Collaborative expects to have a positive impact not only on the children who participate, but also on their friends and peers, families, and the general community.