We plan to deliver our next Kick-Off Event in October of 2002. The Kick-Off Event is a highly structured course that combines physical activities and training sessions. The course is held in a secure and safe environment. Physical activities include daily calisthenics and a ropes course. It is led by professional course leaderss. Between 55 and 65 local volunteers will make up the balance of the staff required for the Kick-Off.

Course room sessions are designed as guided group conversations where participants examine and share significant events, core beliefs, decisions, values, problems and concerns in their lives. The young people discover that no matter what has happened to them, what they've done or what has been done to them, they can put their past to rest, build on the experiences of the past and design futures free of the past. Cornerstones of the Global Partners for Youth (GPY) program are Integrity, Support, Commitment, Responsibility and Choice.

Weekly Follow-through programs are planned and delivered by the Executive Director or a trained Follow-through Coordinator. A teacher from Washington and Lincoln Middle Schools will serve as program facilitators, acting as liaisons between the students, mentors and families and faculty and administration at the two schools. These teachers, dedicated professionals, will receive a stipend to compensate them for their time.

The Follow-through Program includes:
Thirty workshops for the youth and their mentors,
Eleven training sessions for the mentors,
Ongoing coaching for youth and mentors, and
Supplies for those programs.

Each workshop focuses on an overall topic such as:
Drug & Alcohol Resistance
Problem-Solving
Goal Setting
Anger Management
Gang Resistance
Making Positive Choices
Mock Trial
Field Trips
Behavior incentive program (rewards for not getting into trouble at school)
Supplemental reading program and tutoring.

Students we serve attend Washington and Lincoln Middle Schools. WMS has the lowest test scores of all the middle schools in Albuquerque. From August 25, 1999 to April 30, 2000, with a total school population of 650 students, there were 3,000 behavioral referrals to the principal's office.

NMYAR will select a school that provides the most comprehensive support, i.e., access to students, willing faculty member(s) who will attend the Kick-Off Event, serve as a liaison for the entire year and document student progress. Our goal is to serve 30-40 youth. All will attend the Kick-Off Event and then be separated into two Follow-through Programs.

Students we serve are not currently being mentored. Generally, they do not receive additional assistance from the community at large. Most students who volunteer for our program receive no services other than free lunch, or in some cases, special education classes. They are usually failing in school, and generally very unhappy. Many get into fights, experiment with illicit drugs, receive behavioral referrals, are frequently suspended, and sometimes get expelled or arrested. The vast majority of the students NMYAR serves come from low income families. They live in neighborhoods where drug use is rampant and crime is high. Many come from highly dysfunctional families, and few have responsible adult role models in their lives.

If something doesn't change, these students will not get the education they need. To accomplish this, students must become motivated to learn. Some need to learn to read; some need to learn English; and others must overcome learning disabilities, such as Attention Deficit Disorder or Fetal Alcohol Effects. Many of these students need coping and resiliency tools their families and schools are not able to teach. They desparately need caring adults in their lives who will be coaches, tutors, friends and confidantes providing support and allowing them to reach their goals.

The NMYAR Community Partners for Youth Program provides all that and more. Please join with us. It is our community, and it's our responsibility to make it better!