Shoot for the Stars Program Overview
- Provide an after school safe haven;
- Provide youth with positive and healthy alternatives to drug, alcohol and tobacco use, criminal activity, and other high-risk behaviors during the peak crime hours after school;
- Provide youth with an opportunity to learn life skills, i.e. conflict resolution, anger management, refusal skills, career awareness, peer leadership, teacher appreciation, self-esteem, self control, problem solving, community service, teamwork, family involvement and decision-making;
- Provide youth with an opportunity to improve grades by developing an individual academic action plan;
- Provide at-risk youth with a sports legend/celebrity mentor.
Shoot for the Stars Program Components
- Youth Orientation – A positive peer leadership and career awareness training conducted by SFTS Personnel. After the initial orientation, monthly follow-up sessions will be facilitated.
- Parent / Youth Orientation – A workshop designed to help youth and their parent(s):
- Identify and prioritize their values
- Consider the similarities and differences in their views of life
- Better understand the way in which values influence behavior
- Train parents on how to develop an action plan to address violence, drug abuse, school drop-outs, community activity, and how to keep youth engaged to continue to achieve and excel
- Youth Summit – A one day program at the end of the school year. After school participants will collaboratively work together to select leadership topics and marketing for a citywide youth event at the end of the school year. the objective of the summit is to:
- Expose youth to new ideas and opportunities that they then can share with their friends and peers back home
- Enable youth to share experiences, knowledge, and resources with other youth from their local communities
- Build leadership skills, communication skills, teamwork, and an appreciation for different cultures
- Encourage youth to critically examine the skills they have developed during the Youth Summit, and consider how to apply those skills to educational / career-related paths