| Stories of Change
Stories of change is the newsletter for Monroe Youth Challenge Program.
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Save the Date: Wed. May 6, 2009 at 6 p.m. |
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MYCP Annual
Celebration is just around the corner
This is your opportunity to meet youth and other
MYCP volunteers and supporters in a fast-paced
celebration that highlights the year of "Be the
Change" for more than 8,000 students
county-wide. Please come see what the students
have done!
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Challenge Day Success |
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Youth
connected, hearts changed
 No
issue relevant to teens was left unturned at the four
Challenge Days held early February by Monroe Youth Challenge
Program. Marathon and Key West High School Challenge Days
normally take place in the fall to help reduce the violence
and bullying from the start of the year.
Coral Shores held their Challenge Days in September as is
typical, however, a hurricane threat at the time made
Marathon and Key West postpone until now.
"Every year we see youth commit to end violence and
hatred toward each on their campus. At the end of the
day they promised to support one another - and even
hugged people they never would have if it weren't for
Challenge Day," MYCP Director Sunny Booker said.
For youth identified as at-risk, follow up was provided
by licensed counselors the next day and weekly programs
are offered for continual follow-up throughout the year,
including summer.
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PeaceJam Provides Follow Up |
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And engages
youth as leaders for peace
 Over
the next ten years PeaceJam, with the support of
Nobel Peace Laureates, aims to engage young people
on a massive level, working toward the creation of
one billion acts of service and peace.
High school students who elect to be a part of
PeaceJam attend weekly sessions, often held on
Sundays, at lunch, and after school, to learn about
10 core issues. Two students study the curriculum
and teach their dozen or so counterparts.
After completing all 10 training sessions, youth
from Coral Shores, Marathon and Key West High
Schools traveled to the state convention where they
presented their project for peace. In this photo
youth from Monroe County pose with Nobel Laureate
Betty Williams after their presentation.
While this is not promoted as a follow up to
Challenge Day to the youth, that is part of its
purpose. PeaceJam is designed to meet the needs to
engage youth in learning, help them develop positive
bonds toward school, and build relationships with
adults. All youth who attended Challenge Day were
invited to become a part of PeaceJam.
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March of Dimes Sponsors MYCP Playgroups |
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To address
achievement gap
 To
help all students succeed, Monroe Youth Challenge Program
plans to run five playgroups for children from birth to age
4 throughout the county in an effort to address the
achievement gap in education and health. The March of Dimes
recently awarded MYCP a grant to pay trained leaders to run
the playgroups.
The success of MYCP's pilot program, Grupo de Jeugo, in
Key Largo helped inspire the county-wide model. The Key
Largo playgroup is to be continued under this grant and
four new playgroups are to be started. An evening one in
Tavernier is targeted for working parents whose children
are in day care. Two playgroups are to be started in
Marathon, one in English and one in Spanish. The fifth
playgroup is to be for a bi-lingual audience on Stock
Island.
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CFFK Honors Jimmy Anderson |
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as MYCP Unsung
Hero
 At
a Key West luncheon held in honor of non-profit volunteers
county-wide, The Community Foundation of the Florida Keys
presented Jimmy Anderson a certificate of recognition which
he received with an exploding grin and his hand raised in
the international sign for love. That silent, symbolic act
characterizes exactly why Anderson was selected as the
2008/2009 Monroe Youth Challenge Program Unsung Hero.
Anderson is one of MYCP's first volunteers. He served as a
chaperone with Monroe teens to a leadership conference in
California. Later that year he played a significant part
organizing the first Challenge Day in the Upper Keys.
Nine years later Anderson still takes personal leave from
his job at the Department of Health to support MYCP by
chaperoning youth at three-day camping trips. He lugs food
and water to youth programs or serves as an adult
facilitator whenever asked.
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Message from the Director |
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I know there are many questions about government agencies
and finances during this time of budget crisis and critical
headlines. I want to reassure our community of supporters
that Monroe Youth Challenge Program is safe and sound. No
paid employee of MYCP has a purchasing card. All of our
expenses are paid out of pocket and reimbursed with
presentation of the original receipt. Under Monroe County
Education Foundation we have an independent audit each
year. MYCP has many other agencies to which we must show
fiscal accountability for our reimbursements including the
Monroe County Sheriff's Office and Monroe County. MYCP is
not a school district program - the school district does
generously serve as our fiscal administrator. All money
given to MYCP goes directly to support youth so they may
continue to Be The Change.
Thank you for your ongoing support,
Sunny Booker
(305) 293-1400 ext. 53319
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Be The Change Sponsor Spotlight
 In
utmost gratitude, we wish to honor Pritam Singh for
his support of Challenge Day, showing his passion
about social issues.
Mr.
Singh provided luxury accommodations at Parrot Key
Resort, at no charge to MYCP, for Challenge Day
Co-Founders Rich and Yvonne Dutra-St. John during
their extended stay in Key West.
Mr.
Singh is the founder and president of the largest
and most successful real estate development company
in the Florida Keys, The Singh Company. He and his
wife, Ann Johnston, live in the Florida Keys and
Woodstock, Vermont. They are heavily involved in
philanthropic work. Since 1999, the Singh family has
given away several million dollars to charities.
For
information on Parrot Key Resort, go to
http://www.parrotkeyresort.com
Parrot Key Resort
2801 N. Roosevelt Blvd
Key West, FL 33040
Phone: 305.809.2200
Fax: 305.292.3322
Mr.
Singh, thank you for Being the Change! |
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