Best Practices for Responsible Community Engagement is our training module that is facilitated to address the needs of our youth. In some cases, the module is customized to meet the diverse individual and communal needs. Each participant receives a certification in Best Practices for Community Engagement after satisfactorily completing all module objectives.
COMPONENTS:
ENGAGE YOUTHS IN EDUCATION AND REFLECTION:
• Complete the (pre-assessment) -circle of individual perspective self-assessment.
• Provide and support opportunities for learning both academically and communally.
• Allow for the personal experiences of community engagement, the sharing and processing of community engagement experiences through dialogue; to deepen self-awareness and understanding of community and how community impacts lives either negatively or positively.
ENGAGE STUDENTS IN DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE:
• Explore self- identification and how that shapes one’s experiences in community. Seek to continuously identify and challenge assumptions biases, prejudices, stereotypes and judgments of individuals and communities.
• Learn to value and respect people with diverse identities.
• Recognize and identify ways to address root causes of violence, community unrest and social injustices.
Healthy Living:
• Define and discuss, emotional, physical, spiritual (non-religious), and mental health and how they all are interdependent on overall health.
• Explore the circle of individual perspective to identify how each student views himself/herself in that area of life.
• Provide education through specialized gang-specific mediation and mitigation to stop or prevent violence.
• Provide the redirection of individual gang members and their families through proactive efforts that increase peace and safety for members, their families and communities.
Economic and Financial Literacy:
• Ensure that youth and families have an opportunity to address their present financial needs and future ones, for the purpose of developing plan of how those needs may be met legitimately.
• As appropriate link youths with mentors, and business mentors to assist with career exploration, shadowing, internships, and ultimately employment or entrepreneurship.