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YMCA Youth Outreach

YMCA Youth Outreach Programs

Connecting vulnerable young people to healthy resources that inspire, develop, and build their awesome potential by teaching and demonstrating social skills, core values, and the benefits of hard work.

YMCA Outreach Program Fundamentals

  • Personal on-boarding and acknowledgement to understand each unique participant.
  • Create a YEP (Y Education Plan) to track goals and provide incentives for accomplishment.
  • Community engagement through programs both in and outside of the Y using volunteers, partners, and any/all local opportunities.
  • We work together with nearly 100 partner agencies, schools, health and human service

Program Opportunities

  • Tutoring and school assistance
  • Post secondary and trade school assistance
  • Job Training and career development
  • Interpersonal skills like hand shakes, eye contact, and relationship building skills
  • Learning electronic arts, meditation, fitness, social media, podcasts, movies and film

Measurable Outcomes

  • Over 200 students served annually
  • Over 83% improve grades
  • Over 90% improve attendance
  • Over 85% graduate or earn GED
  • Over 70% improve reading and math scores
  • Nearly 100% improve their social and emotional health

Our Staff Team

Mike Cribbs has a long history of building relationships and inspiring people of all backgrounds to reach their potential. As YMCA Achievers Director, Mike works with youth of all ages, including coordinating services at Fairmount Pines. Mike also serves with Third Missionary Baptist Church and the City of Davenport Group Violence Intervention (GVI).  Mike also leads our Electronic Arts Programming, which includes resources that enable young people to both express their unique identities, as well as develop a better understand of communication tools and equipment – including podcasts, movies, cameras, websites, DJing and social media – that have real world career possibilities. Mike is primarily based at the Fairmount Pines housing community in Northwest Davenport, although he engages the community throughout Scott County.

Franky Trejo grew up in many local neighborhoods, including the area just above the YMCA of the IMV flagship branch, the R. Richard Bittner YMCA in Downtown Davenport. Franky uses his experiences in several roles with the Davenport Schools, including paraprofessional, security officer and Student Support Liason, to help outreach students and families navigate social services, set personal goals, increase their self-confidence and social emotional health, and to better learn how to relate to one another. Franky’s primary location is at the West YMCA Outreach Center.

Pictured at left are Mike (left) and Franky in front of a picture of Coach Reece Morgan.

Together, the YMCA Solutions and Achievers programs are building up a roster of 200 students.

Along with their families and the volunteer, nonprofit and business partners, we are work to connect nearly 1,000 people of all ages and backgrounds in this important, community-building work!

YMCA Outreach Kids To Camp Program

The YMCA and our donors and community partners want to help more kids attend YMCA Camp Abe Lincoln and Y Summer Camps!

Please click here if you are interested in more information, would like to nominate a student or local young person.

 

Many of us take for granted the crucial teaching and learning lessons of life that helped us become healthy, hard-working, and happy adults.

YMCA Outreach Programs ensure every student receives the blessing of mentoring, discipline and sees the rewards of humble hard work.

For many in our community, basic needs and lessons go un-met:

  • Food, clothing and shelter
  • A stable home environment
  • Healthy behavior and communication modeled throughout their lives
  • Transportation to school, work, after school activities
  • Being taught how to communicate: look people in the eye, present themselves positively, understanding how they are seen by others
  • Birth certificates, social security cards

Jordan’s Story

It might be easy to miss the dire need some of our great young people have right here in our community.

Until he was referred to us through a secretary in high school, hardly anyone knew what Jordan was going through with more support, Jordan’s incredible perseverance and hard work has earned him his diploma, and college enrollment.

Like many of us, the challenges continue for Jordan. But knowing the network of the YMCA is there, and will always be there, is what we are all about!

John Deere Virtual Reality System Gives Y Outreach Students
Chance To See Future Careers First Hand

 

YMCA Achievers

  • Director: Mike Cribbs
  • Program Overview 

    • Referral Partners: Schools, Police, Juvenile Justice, Agencies, Businesses
    • Program Development
      1. Engage/Connect: ensure basic needs (food, clothing, shelter, safety)
      2. Prepare To Be Professional: Social skills, confidence, appearance, communication
      3. Work to better self/others
        • Job Training In The Y – Directors, hold accountable, coach
        • Job Training Outside Y – job shadow, field trips, community mentors, group activities
        • Jobs In Community –  real work
        • Career Track – Jobs Grant funds movement toward professional career
    • Metrics and Measures of Success
      • Reduction of Interaction with Police
      • Graduation-Track: grades, attendance, interventions, graduation
      • Career-Track: gain/maintain employment; graduate; college/trade path;
    • Experience The Mission In Action:
      • see “Achievers” at the Y
      • field trips to businesses
      • YMCA/community events
      • volunteer appearances
      • job shadow volunteers and community leaders

 

YMCA Solutions

  • Director: Franky Trejo
  • Program Overview
    • In School
      • Partner with School Leaders
      • Groups, Mentoring/Counseling, before/after school activity, Lunch Buds
    • Out Of School
      • Y.E.P. (Like an “IEP” used in schools)
        • Plan for students/families to encourage engagement
        • Current Y Programs, New Y Drop In Programs, Community Programs, artists, volunteers, groups, etc…
        • Network of partners/opportunities; churches; use Y Shuttle Bus
    • “Virtual” School
      • Responding to the great challenges of COVID-19
      • Solutions team/network teaches families to navigate online learning
      • Increased need for positive interaction/relationships for at-risk kids
      • Use of school work to incentive fun video games, use of computers
    • Metrics and Measures of Success
      • In School: grades, attendance, intervention, reading/math
      • Out of School: Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Improvement
        • ESSA (Federal “Every Student Succeeds Act” triples emphasis on SEL in Iowa; now 30% of state’s focus
        • Student surveys done before each school year/end of summer, and end of school year/beginning of summer
    • Experience The Mission In Action:
      • programs at YMCAs
      • field trips
      • volunteer-led arts, sciences, agency programs
      • lots of volunteer opportunities

  • Solutions Results:

    • 42% increased their GPA
    • 88% increase in reading
    • 76% increase in math at the elementary level
    • 72% of Jr. High students improved in GPA and referrals

Referral Partners 

  • Multiple Davenport Schools
  • Davenport Schools ESL (English as Second Language)
  • Bettendorf Schools Outreach Team
  • Family Resources
  • Fairmount Pines Housing Community
  • Juvenile Court Officers/Liaisons
  • Davenport Police NETS team
  • YMCA Hybrid School Out Programs (Davenport, Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley students)
  • YMCA Volunteer, Member,  referrals (no one turned away)

 

Contact our YMCA Outreach Team for any reason:

  • Need help with a student, child, or friend
  • Let’s work together to help more young people
  • We have a problem that could use assistance
  • Arrange for a presentation from our Outreach Team