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I Am Ready - Youth Pilot Program
September 15, 2022 Council Presentation by
Hollywood Unlocked, Hollywood Cares
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HOLL YWOOD CARES
FOUNDATION PRESENTS:
I AM READY
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HOLL YWOOD CARES
FOUNDATION
OVERVIEW
Hollywood Cares Foundation’s mission is to prepare young people to embrace their lives with the hope and skills necessary to say “I AM READY” for all of the opportunities and challenges ahead.
The Foundation was established by Hollywood Unlocked founder Jason Lee, who was raised in Stockton and remains deeply invested in the community. Building on Jason’s work as a thought leader in the entertainment industry, the Foundation inspires change by providing opportunities for young people to be active participants in creating the culture that surrounds them, leveraging pop culture to empower themselves and each other. Ultimately, the Foundation helps create a virtuous cycle benefiting the City of Stockton by giving our youth ownership as active civic leaders who will keep giving back to their community.
By partnering with Hollywood Cares on the youth-led I AM READY initiative, we can break the cycle of trauma and violence that has gripped our young people. Together, we can give them the opportunity to tap into their individual and shared stories to lift themselves and each other up.
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I AM READY — ABOUT
The Hollywood Cares Foundation I AM READY initiative aims to create a model of leveraging popular culture to uplift young people and the values of service, empowerment and creativity.
Young people are already bought into popular culture, and I AM READY’s intended impact is to make this a positive force in meeting young people where they are – providing rich character and community-building content to help young people transform their own:
● Behavior and Mental Health: Cultivating positive interactions across community. ● Practice: Developing an attitude of respect for self and others. ● Decision-making: Choosing outcomes that lift up young people, rather than limit them. ● Policies: Developing individual and collective policies that advance service and creative conflict resolution, harnessing emotion as creative energy.
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The I AM READY initiative will leverage arts, pop culture, celebrity and a community organizing model to inspire and support at-risk youth in making the positive changes in their academic, civic and social lives…all to help them live up to their full potential.
Through youth-led after-school clubs and conferences, we will provide the support and resources necessary to illustrate to our Stockton youth their true value – and the infinite opportunities available to them.
In return for our investment in their mental health and overall well-being, we will see an increase in school attendance and participation in extracurriculars, alongside a decrease in violence and probation. Our youth will turn their attention and energy towards involvement as engaged citizens and community leaders, and the beautification of the city. Together with their parents, teachers and existing community leaders they will be empowered to create thriving schools, neighborhoods and communities that reflect the very best of themselves, their fellow students, and the City of Stockton.
I AM READY — HOW IT WORKS
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I AM Ready Planning and Development
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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Community Planning and Analysis
Facilitate student and community experience with alumni, key partners, and parents to assess student needs and experience for pilot, asking questions such as:
● What are some of the biggest problems you see in your community? ● What has your experience been like at your school?
● What would you change about community and/or school experience? Landscape Audit
We will then assess the following:
● Who are the other players in the space?
● How has the Stockton youth development landscape changed over time? 6 ATTACHMENT A
PILOT
● The program will be facilitated in an after school setting e.g. Stockton community centers, libraries with a curriculum designed to build stronger youth leadership, training students to develop basic academic and life skills, direct action organizing and civic engagement in order to successfully matriculate through high school – with a vision for their path well beyond.
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Each cohort will be sponsored by a student and adult leader. ●
Cohorts are critically, however, intended to be designed, led and managed by students. With an initial training in community organizing and group dynamics, student leaders will then develop programs, outline needs for academic support and select community service projects based on broader social issues ●
I AM READY will deploy a Social Emotional Development learning model. 7 ATTACHMENT A
MEASUREMENT
During Phase I (Identify stakeholders and participants). The organization will determine who the key people are in each program; this will include youth, parents, teachers, organizational partners, celebrity partners, funders and volunteers.
During Phase II (solicit feedback from stakeholders and participants). The organization hosts focus groups, drafts and distributes questionnaires, and partners with graduate student researchers to solicit feedback about the programs from the key people identified in Phase I. The purpose of Phase II is to gather information about what is working in each program, what could be improved in each program and what innovative opportunities could be developed for future programs.
During Phase III (implement changes and/or reinvest in strong assets based on feedback). The organization uses the information gathered during Phase II to strengthen the programs and the operation of the organization. 8 ATTACHMENT A
I AM READY - The Investment
Hollywood Cares is excited to share the I am Ready pilot with the City of Stockton.
It is time for us to empower our at-risk youth to become the community leaders that we know each of them has the potential to be, which is why the I AM READY youth-led development program will focus on:
● Behavior and Mental Health: Cultivating positive interactions across community. ● Practice: Developing an attitude of respect for self and others. ● Decision-making: Choosing outcomes that lift up young people, rather than limit them. ● Policies: Developing individual and collective policies that advance service and creative conflict resolution, harnessing emotion as creative energy.
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INVESTMENT ALLOCATION
I AM READY is seeking local partnership/investment to:
● Launch an I AM READY conference to convene students, potential partners, and elected officials to preview the launch plan, garner participant buy-in and feedback, and raise additional funds for the initiative.
● Pilot test our program in the market.
● Build program capacity by leveraging club sites as system change drivers.
● Accelerate education and organizing outcomes for BIPOC students/program participants, ages 13-18.
● Collect insights, testimonials, success stories to build evidence of impact and inform future program strategy.
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INVESTMENT OUTCOMES
Over a 12-month project term, we will deliver on the
following set of activities and outcomes:
● Winter 2022: Host youth conference to kick off initiative and gain insights. Pilot 2-3 public-private partnerships with schools, CBOs and local City Council offices to deliver I AM READY programs and services to improve student outcomes.
● Spring 2023: Coach and train 250 program participants to provide them the tools and resources they need to matriculate through high school – and excel beyond.
● Summer 2023: Design a model public-private partnership framework, informed by key learnings, to deploy in Stockton beyond the scope of the grant term.
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As with many cities across the United States of America, Stockton is a place where race and opportunity have been largely intertwined, with the city's people of color often faring poorly on health, education and economic measures despite the city becoming majority non-white more than three decades ago.
I AM READY seeks to empower the young people of Stockton and provide them with the tools and access to not be victims of circumstance — we are very excited to share this critical endeavor that will benefit both the youth and the community immediately and concretely.
Are You Ready?
CONCLUSION
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