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Home My WebLink About08/05/2019 04Bi GRIT Update 1 to\'4\lyy tbxk ik 1 • 1-:41 P p P 1 PPi ittYlltYlt.\ta. BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL YAKIMA, WASHINGTON AGENDA STATEM ENT Item No. B.i. For Meeting of:August 5, 2019 ITEM TITLE: Gang Reduction Intervention Task Force (GRIT) update SUBMITTED BY: Sara Watkins, Senior Assistant City Attorney SUMMARY EXPLANATION: This is the final report as to the program that was set up and funded by the Governor's Gang Proviso money. Attached find: 1. A copy of the PowerPoint that will be presented 2. A copy of the GRIT Final Report provided to the Department of Commerce and required as part of the grant, without attachments (if Councilmembers would like any of the attachments, those can be provided) 3. The research report that was completed by Juliana van Olphen of San Francisco State University, funded by the proviso money, which analyzed the program. ITEM BUDGETED: STRATEGIC PRIORITY: Public Safety APPROVED FOR SUBMITTAL: City Manager STAFF RECOMMENDATION: BOARD/COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION: ATTACHMENTS: Description Upload Date Type I PP 7/ 5/ 019 r Me o D final remark 7/25/2019 r Mery a CI exhibit 1 7/25/2019 r Memo Gang Reduction & Intervention Task Force I City of Yakima Overview The GRIT program was Purpose of the program, per the proviso, was to develop a sustainable funded through a fir r r organized response to gang activity and youth violence utilizing Governor's Proviso which r r evidence-based resources. was provided to the City i After convening focus groups it was decided to focus efforts on of Yakima from July 2., intervening with eh graders attracted to gangs. 20114 through lure 30 Three main elements of the approach developed by the Proviso 2019, money: 1. Village w ; r mm- - _ 2. Health Promoter/Promoter ` 3. Intervention Specialist v w Strategicoversight was provided by the Steering Committee with help .v w from a paid Coordinator, and City staff. Steering Committee • Provides strategic oversight and meets monthly • Includes members from stakeholder sectors: Yakima School District, Yakima County (Prosecutor), Health Care Yakima Valley Farmworkers' Clinic), Juvenile Justice Probation Department), YPD, a community member amiliar with gang activity and City Council members. • Passed a Charter and Bylaws which provides the ' 1 . permanent structure to GRIT and its governing body—the Steering Committee ir a • FUTURE: The Steering Committee will determine in the l It- next few months its future role. It is likely that the committee will meet less frequently but continue its work on strategizing for a comprehensive plan to address gang activity and violence in Yakima. 1/44 The Village w mm:.x • A coalition of stakeholders that want to provide youth in Yakima r opportunities, encourage them to make good decisions, and work to decrease gang membership, affiliation and violence. • Meetings were held everyother month duringtheproviso period. rvwr.r:::::::: :4 g Agenda items were determined bythe groupand included time .r ..:v for networking among attendees. • Goal was to help build capacity and collaboration among service providers and stakeholders and create community based :. solutions for this community issue. ..... ..... • Next meeting: August 7, 2019 from 12:00pm-2:00pm at .t C Comprehensive Health Care's Auditorium. tot 10 • FUTURE: It is foreseen that Village meetings will continue with support from non-profit organizations and the City even though Ihmic" there is currently no funding to support the meetings. as 1 Prevention Strategy _x_ _ trial.. .. q ._ w cklAP n • Contracted with Rocio Carrion and Radio KDNA for weekly radio interviews that discussed ..................... prevention measures, community health issues (ACEs, trauma informed care) information about gang influences and mannerisms, youth opportunities, health care and resources for youth and families—geared towards adults • Radio interviews and ads were also run on Townsquare Media platforms. These spots were shorter and geared more towards youth. • FUTURE: There is no plan or funding to continue the radio interviews. Although the radio interviews were well done and informative, it is difficult to measure the effect of those interviews for both youth and adults. Strategies should be developed to ensure that information about services, programs and activities are disseminated in multiple media formats and in language that is familiar to the targeted audience. Yakima Youth Leadership Pilot Program Participants: Topics addressed by Program components created: 6 boys, 4 girls intervention specialist 1. Eligibility criteria for the program. 2 middle schools during sessions: 2. Surveys and Interview questions Effective Communication 3. General curriculum (see topics) Program: From March Social Media Awareness 4. Incentive challenges through June Drug Awareness 5. Record keeping data sheets Gang Awareness 6. Good working relationships with Met with the Harassment/Bullying YSD and ESD 105 intervention specialist an average of 13.8 Conflict Resolution times for an average Family/Belonging By creating these items, the program is of 30 minutes per ready to be implemented when funding session is available. Data : "The Evaluation of a Pilot Intervention "Now is the Time 2" to Reduce Gang Violence in Yakima, Washington Final Report by Julia van Olphen, Researcher, and Karla Villanueva, GRIT Intern ■ Final Report dated July 11, 2019 took into account data from the following: 1. Statistics on the demographics, income, and gang activity in Yakima 2. Surveys conducted at Village Meetings 3. Initial surveys completed by participating youth and their guardians 4. Surveys with teachers and staff at the two participating schools 5. In depth interviews with youth and their guardians at the end of the program ---------------------- :r r:,r vv:.v:::. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ..... : ......................................... Adli rzn r. . .................................... ................................... ................................. ................................. .. ............................... ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 4-44 ::: J:i:...w:.::.u'r' .iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii: ••• ..•_ .. vv:}yy'.ri:} ------------- .................................................... .� �rr.xr••r'r�v ee.a. .. ............................., x ------------------ m. M �, ii:{Kr :.'.': :♦ iii.Y.iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii ............................ ............................ :..................................... ...................................... ...:.................................. ................................. ---------------- ........................... .... , ;: ::::::::::::::::::: v...vv v... :YJl v,.vi ,,,,,ii-iii-4 ............................ ..... ........................................ Data : "The Evaluation of a Pilot Intervention "Now is the Time 2" to Reduce Gang Violence in Yakima, Washington Final Report by Julia van Olphen, Researcher, and Karla Villanueva, GRIT Intern MAJOR FINDINGS: 1. The Village increased networking and collaboration among agencies serving youth and families 2. GPA and Attendance of most students involved in the Yakima Youth Leadership Program improved 3. Students' attitudes and behaviors improved 4. Students' communication with peers, teachers and parents generally improved. *The intervention specialist met with each student an average of 13.8 times, 30 minutes each time, during the program.* Data : "The Evaluation of a Pilot Intervention "Now is the Time 2" to Reduce Gang Violence in Yakima, Washington Final Report by Julia van Olphen, Researcher, and Karla Villanueva, GRIT Intern We had one of our... middle school Goal 1: Develop the capacity of the City of Yakima to reduce gang youth tag our facility and, after being violence by building a network of organizations and individuals caught, I was able to reach out to working with youth and families. another participant of the GRIT village 1. Meetings were well attended—contact sheet of interested meetings that r would not have been organizations and persons is approximately 150 entries aware of before. This other participant 2. New organizations and members continue to attend is a reformed gang member who offered meetings. his time to come and speak to this youth and the family. --Village Goal 2: Increase networking and collaboration among agencies participant serving youth and families. 1. Participants learned about programs to which they could Several agencies in one place gave us refer people. the opportunity to make some 2. Meeting provided a valuable space where they could learn important contacts and future about resources and make connections. partnerships. —Village Participant Data : "The Evaluation of a Pilot Intervention "Now is the Time 2" to Reduce Gang Violence in Yakima, Washington Final Report by Julia van Olphen, Researcher, and Karla Villanueva, GRIT Intern Short-term outcomes for participating youth: 1. GPA of 6 of 10 students increased slightly. 2. Increased regular attendance through incentives. (Working with the mentor) 3. Disciplinary actions were reduced for some students, but others still motivated me. It made me experienced suspensions during the program. want to change and start to Youth perception of how program impacted communication skills: behave more. 1. Over % of the participants interviewed said they learned about conflict resolution. 2. All but 1 of the participants interviewed expressed positive changes in how they interact with teachers. 3. 2x as many of the participants interviewed indicated they enjoyed spending He (the mentor)told me to walk time with the adults they live with at the end of the program away from something that's not Guardian perceptions: right. If something's wrong, 1. Most of the guardians interviewed (6/8) noted their child communicates with then you walk away. Don't be a them more than before the program. part of it. 2. % of the guardians interviewed expressed that the relationship between their child and themselves changed for the better in some way. Data : "The Evaluation of a Pilot Intervention "Now is the Time 2" to Reduce Gang Violence in Yakima, Washington Final Report by Julia van Olphen, Researcher, and Karla Villanueva, GRIT Intern ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. € €it truth€€€ €rt € rtt€€trrtlit t €€€that€€€° €dt€hEr€yeti€€ €€ €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ Students, Guardians and School Staff were asked for .........................p........................P...................................................................................... ......................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. suggestions for future programs and opportunities. someone::t ::: lk:: :: ::: : ::: i : ir::: :ih g *:: ugg iptthe::::::: ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1. Students suggested more programming 0h1: :::fro: :::t ::i te: ntio:n::: p i list�::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: gg p g g €€I wo it ask€€them€€� €how€€the °:€€ € bout themselims€and€€€€€€€€€ and activities. ....................................................... . ................................................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 2. Guardians suggested more programs for ::: . .::: :: .... .. . .. :::to::be::i :::the t re t::::teryo gg p g youth, including non-sports and middlet trtn thatrt t of..............r...........yo......twat ritiVelt........ t...x..t.............€.€.t.. . .;................................... . .......................................school level programming. Parent-focused thin €€tht€€th tt...s€....:.. €€€ re loin° €€ ght€€low ate€€go.tt....:€€ €€tt: t€€€€€ ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. programming was also suggested. . t: fflr:.tvtou : _ ely k:them:::t. t€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 3. School Staff suggested satellite programs gg p g ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. of after school activities in neighborhoods adjacent to schools or at the schools themselves. School Staff also expressed the need for parent engagement and long-term mentorship opportunities for youth. Funding and Sustainability • Funding Necessary: Funding is necessary for both the Village activities and the Yakima Youth Leadership Program. The City may continue to organize the Village and Steering Committee meetings until funding is obtained. • Pending Funding Requests — The City of Yakima, partnering with the Yakima School District and ESD 105, applied for an OJJDP Youth Gang Suppression Implementation Grant ($230,000 total over 36 months). The money would fund 4 part time middle school education advocates to act as intervention specialists with a case load of 10 students at a time. Estimated to serve 50-75 youth and their families each year. — GRIT was part of OIC of Washington's recent OJJDP grant application for mentoring programs for youth involved in the juvenile justice system (ages 12-17). The grant is for $500,000 over 3 years for mentoring services to low-risk youth offenders. The project, if funded, would provide mentoring to 45 youth per year. • Future Funding Opportunities — Staff continues to look for opportunities to obtain funding to continue the GRIT approach and the Yakima Youth Leadership Program, including private and foundation grants. — State and federal grants for gang reduction and intervention efforts. — This may become a focus of the Steering Committee xM.M.:.: xxxxx::..x.x.:......x ..... M�. xx..x..Mxx xMxa�M�..x.xMMMx .xMMM.x. 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"* " *: ****:*:**** Citations: Slide 2:Credit:Shutterstock;Slide 3:https://jaysonsarino.com/hms/overview/ Slide 4:htt p://hippr.uwab.ora/pane-2//'https://thenextweb.com/insider/2015/04/1S/the-secrets-to- successful-kickoff-meetings/ Slide 7:L to Rhtt:httPsww.lynda.com/Business-I ntelliaence-tutorials/Statistics-Fundamentals-Part-2-Intermediate/495322-2.html https://wpforms.com/the-ultimate- list-of-online-business-statistics/ https://www.searchenaineiou rnal.com/free-data-sources/302601/ 15 GRANT AGREEMENT REPORT FINAL REPORT Grant Agreement With: City of Yakima through the Office of Crime Victims Advocacy For: Provide state funding to the City of Yakima to facilitate the coordination and implementation of the "Now is the Time 2" anti-gang pilot project Start Date: July 2018 Report Date: July 15, 2019 This Final Report provides the required information found on Attachment C of the grant award. If additional information or documentation is requested, please contact Sara Watkins at 509-576-6030. Each of the performance measures outlined in Attachment C are discussed below. Since this is the final report, a full recounting of the program is provided in this report. 1 . Coordinator Selection The City selected Matt Fairbank of Sageland Mediation as the Coordinator for the Pilot Project. The process for selecting the Coordinator consisted of creating a job description and then a competitive Request for Proposals process. The job description for the position is attached hereto as Exhibit "1" and Mr. Fairbank's contract and contract addendum are attached hereto as Exhibit "2." Mr. Fairbank's contact information is as follows: Matt Fairbank Sageland Mediation & Facilitation Service, LLC 509-823-0945 sagelandmediation(a msn.com www.sagelandmediationtom Mr. Fairbank, through a contracted employee, provided to the City a list of grants and other funding opportunities that might be explored for either sustaining the program, or to enhance other community programs already in place providing services to youth who are susceptible to gang culture. Mr. Fairbank continues to evaluate possible funding sources, including federal, state, and local grants available for youth programming, intervention and prevention. 1 16 Mr. Fairbank's contract also includes funding for the intervention specialist, Gary Garza, who is responsible for intervention planning, mentoring the ten pilot program participants, and providing the City and the steering committee feedback as to the pilot project. Mr. Garza is a former school resource officer who was recommended by Yakima School District leadership staff (the supervisors of elementary and secondary principals). Mr. Garza has experience working with middle school youth and gang reduction strategies. More information about the pilot program is outlined below. 2. Strategic Planning Early in the process, and before the pilot program was envisioned, the Steering Committee, with public input from neighborhood meetings, stakeholders and interested parties, developed a logic model and accompanying risk protective factors specific to the Yakima community. The logic model is attached hereto as Exhibit "3" and an accompanying Risk and Protective Factors for Youths Joining Gangs, also developed as part of this project, is attached hereto as Exhibit "4." These documents were based, in part, on a series of neighborhood meetings that occurred after a number of violent crimes involving young people in Yakima. The documents were also based on studies and statistics regarding gangs and Yakima County, as well as the Yakima County Community Health and Safety Plan: Vision 2025, an evaluation of after school programming already provided within the City of Yakima, and the Yakima Gang Free Initiative Retrospective by Steven A. Magallen (which provided information on Yakima's previous efforts to combat gang violence from 2010- 2015). All of these documents are available upon request. 3. Create a Steering Committee A steering committee was formed and has been meeting regularly. That steering committee consists of the following members: Dulce Gutierrez, Yakima City Councilmember Jason White, Yakima City Councilmember Brad Hill, Yakima City Councilmember Joe Brusic, Yakima County Prosecuting Attorney Dr. Jack Irion, Superintendent, Yakima School District Candi Schute, Juvenile Court Administrator Rodona Marquez, Senior Director, Yakima Valley Farmworkers Clinic Lt. Chad Stephens, Yakima Police Department At its April 2, 2019 steering committee meeting, the committee adopted a Charter and Bylaws for the Gang Reduction and Intervention Task Force ("GRIT") program. The Charter is attached hereto as Exhibit "5." The Bylaws are attached as Exhibit "6." The Charter added two seats to the steering committee at the April 2nd meeting. One was the seat for a representative of the Yakima Police Department, which was filled. 2 17 The other seat is for a former gang member or former gang affiliated person. As of the date of this report, this seat has not been officially filled but we do have a person that is interested in the seat. It is anticipated that she will be joining the Steering Committee at its next meeting, July 30, 2019. It is the hope that these two committee members can provide relevant knowledge about intervention and prevention techniques, activities, and programs to help guide the steering committee and the GRIT program. The steering committee also has adopted a short informational sheet that can be provided to service providers to help explain the program and provide contact information for questions. A copy of that informational sheet is attached hereto as Exhibit "7." Although the proviso money is no longer available to support the efforts of this program, the City is dedicated to continuing the strategic conversations at the Steering Committee to help guide the future of the GRIT program in Yakima, and working to collaborate with agencies and stakeholders to provide more opportunities for youth. 4. Steering Committee: Funds Raised The Steering Committee, through the City of Yakima, has raised no funds. The City submitted an OJJDP grant for Youth Gang Suppression Implementation on June 24, 2019. This grant, for $230,000 over three years, would go towards implementing the pilot program at all four middle schools. If received, the grant would fund four (4) education advocates (one at each school) to conduct the intervention work with participants. Participation would be rolling, so that once one child made it successfully through the program and could transition to a mentor (a coach, counselor or teacher), another child could enter the more intensive intervention program. It is projected that if funded the program could serve approximately 50-75 kids per year for a total of 150-225 kids total over the term of the grant. In addition to the intervention work, the program would also include an all-6th grade assembly on resiliency, opportunities, hope and making good decisions to stay away from gangs and violence. Further, a parent program would be scheduled for 6th grade parents to educate them on gang and violence indicators, ACEs, and other pertinent subjects. After the parent education piece (where a meal and childcare will be provided to obtain maximum participation), there would be a services fair, where service providers and other stakeholders could set up tables and provide information about after school activities, services and other opportunities for 6th graders and their families. Finally, the City, if the grant is awarded, agreed to hire a GRIT Coordinator—a position funded by the City through the Yakima Police Department—to organize the Village stakeholder meetings and continue facilitating the Steering Committee's strategic work. The GRIT Coordinator would also be a liaison between the City and its partners, and take on other tasks as they arise. The full program is a partnership among the City, the Yakima School District and ESD 105. The Yakima School District and ESD 105 signed 3 18 letters of understanding as to their roles in this holistic approach to addressing gang and youth violence in 6th graders. The City of Yakima was awarded a grant from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) under the Health Transitions Program. This grant is for $300,000.00 per year for a five-year period and is designed to be used for health and mental health services, independent living skills training, community based recovery support, and staffing. A majority of the funding, $180,000.00 per year, is earmarked for direct services for youth. The City is still waiting for contracts to be issued by the federal government, but has started working with Comprehensive Health Care, anticipating that it will provide mental health counseling to youth under the grant. The City is also in discussions with ESD 105 to house that mental health professional at its Open Doors program, a program serving youth, ages 16 to 21 , who are not in school where they can go to get their GED, work skills, and connect with services, including health care. ESD 105 recently purchased a building for this program and expects to have it open to students starting in the fall. During the last Washington State Legislative session, the City of Yakima was invited to join the Nuevo Camino program family that was seeking state legislative support for the 2019-21 biennium. This program, begun in 2015, has worked to "strengthen and enhance comprehensive violence prevention and intervention services for at-risk youth currently inclined to be involved in gangs or experiencing violence in their communities and/or their families." In consultation with the Nuevo Camino project team, it was agreed that many of the outreach efforts of Now Is The Time 2 have been extremely successful and there may be a desire to replicate them in Nuevo Camino communities. Equally, the successful mentoring approach utilized by Nuevo Camino staff will help inform ongoing efforts in Yakima. Ultimately the proposal was not approved by the Washington State Legislature. However, the Legislature did appropriate $1 million for a competitive grant program for criminal street gang prevention and intervention to be administered by the Department of Youth and Families. Per the budget proviso: The department of children, youth, and families shall give priority to applicants who have demonstrated the greatest problems with criminal street gangs. Applicants composed of, at a minimum, one or more local governmental entities, and one or more nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations that have a documented history of creating and administering effective criminal street gang prevention intervention programs may apply for funding.... Based on this available funding, we believe that the GRIT program will have a good chance of being funded through this money. In the alternative, if approached by other entities seeking to apply for the funds with programming components similar to those of the GRIT program, we could work collaboratively with nonprofit and/or nongovernmental agencies bringing services to Yakima. At a minimum, the Village and Steering Committee would be available to provide support to any provider using these funds in Yakima. 4 19 The City previously applied for two grants, one from the Yakama Nation in the amount of$5,000.00 and one from the Yakima Community Foundation in the amount of $25,000.00. Neither of those grants were awarded. The City, and the Steering Committee, continue to look for grants to support the program created with the proviso money. With established partnerships and a successful pilot program with data support we believe we will ultimately be successful in finding funding to sustain our efforts. 5. Develop Partnerships A. Pilot Program Partnerships Work continued with the consultants that were discussed in the previous report. At the time of the last report the MOU with the Yakima School District and ESD 105 was still in draft form. That MOU was finalized, with the addition of Sageland Mediation, which housed the intervention specialist, and is attached hereto as Exhibit "8." The MOU allowed the intervention specialist to conduct the limited pilot project at two middle schools with up to ten 6th graders. This pilot project was used to evaluate the methods, forms, and structure of the program and to provide feedback as to its effectiveness. The intervention specialist is housed at and trained through ESD 105, works in two Yakima School District middle schools, and is part of the team evaluating the pilot project and the GRIT program. B. Village Partnerships One of the most significant sustainable accomplishments of the GRIT program so far is the creation of the Village—a group of stakeholders that meet every two months to network, be educated on relevant and timely topics, and to find and fill gaps in services to the community's youth. Village meeting educational topics have included a panel on after-school activity providers, a presentation from former gang members and gang affiliated people about their mentoring efforts with gang involved youth in Yakima, and a presentation on gang statistics and indicators from the Yakima Police Department. Additionally, Opportunities Industrialization of Washington (OIC), a local service provider providing programming for youth, the elderly, and families (including the Strengthening Families program), applied for an OJJDP Mentorship grant for at-risk youth. This grant was collaboratively submitted with entities that also participate in the Village, such as health care providers, juvenile justice representatives, and service providers. Groups of Village participants also met to evaluate whether they could work together on grant applications. One such group met to see if they could collaborate to apply for a grant providing for outdoor activities for at-risk youth after the GRIT Coordinator found the grant opportunity and connected them. The Yakima Arboretum, OIC, and other 5 20 possible partners ultimately determined that they could not apply for the grant due to timing issues. Finally, the United States Attorney General's Safe Neighborhoods program intends to focus its efforts on Yakima. As part of the program, the AG's Office looks to the community to provide the necessary wrap around services for the targeted individuals and their families. Those services include health care, housing, programming, education, life skills, and help with employment. A recent meeting for community stakeholders included many Village members. It is also anticipated that the US Attorney General's Office will provide additional information directly to all Village members at its next meeting in August, and solidify the participation of service providers in the Project Safe Neighborhoods program. C. OJJDP Grant and Future Partnerships The partnerships created during the pilot program benefited the City because both the ESD 105 and Yakima School District were willing to make a more significant commitment to the effort in the OJJDP grant application. During the application process the City also received letters of support from twelve service providers that participate in the Village meetings. These letters confirmed their ability and desire to partner with the City to provide services to the youth that would benefit from the proposed Yakima Youth Leadership Program. The City also anticipates more requests for collaboration with the City and service providers to bring information and education to the community and families. The City was contacted by the Washington Healthcare Authority about helping host information sessions on trauma-informed approaches. The City immediately reached out to Village members which might be interested in helping with coordination and received positive responses in return. Such positive response indicates that stakeholders are ready to work together and across sectors to help Yakima combat violence and gang activity. 6. Develop Capacity Building Although no MOUs were specifically entered into with regards to capacity building, the Village has built the capacity in Yakima by creating a common vision of collaboration on gang and violence issues. Village members are not required to apply or enter into any agreement to participate. The Village meets every two months, approximately, and we have seen approximately 50-60 attendees at each meeting during the course of the proviso-funded program. Part of capacity building is building the education and knowledge base of stakeholders. The Village has provided educational opportunities for stakeholders in the form of panel presentations from former gang-affiliated persons that spoke of the support and consistency youth need, and a panel of service providers providing after-school youth programming that discussed their capacity and what they would need to increase capacity. Further, the Yakima Police Department, through an officer and its crime 6 21 analyst, presented data on crime in Yakima, gang influencers, and the street gangs that are present in Yakima. Meetings have also included each participant giving a short description of the work their agency or group is doing relevant to gangs and/or youth violence prevention. They have also included opportunities to network and collaborate in an informal setting. At one meeting, a gentleman was looking to start a basketball program, but needed a location. He was introduced to a community service provider that has a gym and was looking for more programming opportunities. There are few opportunities to have these conversations in person, and the benefit of the Village is that it provides an opportunity to make those personal connections that are so important in sustainable partnerships. 7. Outreach and Selection The Yakima Youth Leadership pilot program ran after spring break to the end of the school year in two middle schools—Lewis & Clark and Franklin. It involved ten youth (5 from each school), of both genders. The youth were chosen by a team familiar with the youth and their families, including school teachers, school administration, and the school resource officers. The intervention specialist, Mr. Garza, also observed 6th graders to provide input on possible participants. The Program Criteria Summary report is attached as Exhibit "9." Outreach and education for GRIT and youth programming in general was done through the prevention component of GRIT. I Am Empowerment conducted radio interviews on Radio KDNA. Those interviews ran weekly through May, and included one live interview per month where listeners could call in with questions. The interviews were conducted in Spanish on the Spanish language radio station Radio KDNA. This was chosen as the primary method for outreach to the community because it is listened to by a large number of Yakima residents. Further, it is important to get information to different segments of the population, including those that are not primarily English speaking. GRIT also conducted radio outreach geared towards youth and their families on local contemporary radio stations in Yakima in English. The work with Townsquare Media ran through June and included radio spots and short interviews aired on three different radio stations at various times during the day. Attached as Exhibit "10" is a letter from Rocio Carrion regarding the Radio KDNA interviews. 8. Coordinate Intake and Case Management Plans Mr. Garza, the intervention specialist (job description attached as Exhibit "11"), created individualized plans for each student and family based on the initial survey responses, his observations of the student at school, interests of the student and his/her family/guardians, and the resources available to meet the student and his/her family/guardian needs. He met with the youth at least two times per week, and with their families/guardians on average once per week. The meetings were primarily held at the schools for convenience of the students and their families. 7 22 A file was kept on each student to monitor their progress, note what services were recommended and referred, and to note anything else that was pertinent. The students and families/guardians completed an initial survey. The survey is available as an online resource for future use, and a printed copy of the questions of the youth and parent survey are attached hereto as Exhibits "12.a" and "13.a." The consent form developed for participants is attached as Exhibit "14." Each participant's plan included Mr. Garza's set curriculum. That curriculum covered education and discussion of the following subjects: Communication and Active Listening Skills Social Media: Dangers and Responsibilities Drug Awareness Gang Awareness Harassment/Intimidation/Bullying Conflict Resolution Family and Belonging A copy of the Leadership Program Format developed by Mr. Garza for the GRIT program is attached hereto as Exhibit "15." The curriculum included not only Mr. Garza lecturing or lessons, but also role playing, especially with regards to communication, conflict resolution, and getting along with family. Additionally, to create incentive for behavioral change, Mr. Garza created challenges surrounding attendance and grades. These challenges provided for incentives for completion—if a student had no attendance issues during a set period of time they would get a gift card for a local restaurant to take their family out for dinner. Similarly, for increases in grades, incentives in the form of gift cards for restaurants were provided. As part of the incentive, Mr. Garza would discuss what the students would do with the incentive. Since the challenge was intentionally scheduled to end near Mother's Day, the students expressed the desire to take their moms out for dinner with the reward. Although not used during the pilot program due to the short period of the pilot, it is anticipated that throughout the program period follow-up surveys would be conducted for both the youth and families to see how attitudes and knowledge of the subject matter were continuously changing as a result of the program. 9. Monitoring Progress The most significant progress in the final quarter of the proviso period was the execution and completion of the Yakima Youth Leadership Program pilot project in partnership with ESD 105 and the Yakima School District. That is described in more detail above, and in the attached report from our researcher, Juliana Van Olphen (Exhibit "16"). Ms. Van Olphen's report outlines the Yakima Youth Leadership Program and analyzes the surveys conducted as part of the program. Interviews and surveys were done with the 8 23 participants and parents/guardians at the end of the program and are included in her analysis of the program. Copies of those interview questions are attached as Exhibits "12.b" and "13.b." The Steering Committee also discussed the future of the program and the need to continue the efforts in a strategic and sustainable manner. The Steering Committee agreed to keep meeting after the proviso period expired, despite the fact that no funds have been obtained to continue the program. The City of Yakima agreed to support the efforts of the Steering Committee and Village as well, regardless of funding. One of the items on the Village meeting agenda on August 7, 2019, will be the future of the Village meetings. With no funding, we will be asking stakeholders to step up to help plan and facilitate such meetings in the future. The City will still be available as the coordinator of the meetings, but it is looking for more logistical participation from stakeholders. The Youth Advisory Group met three times during the course of the proviso period. During that time they provided a number of great ideas on how to get high school youth involved in the program as informal mentors or to run after school activities. The City will be providing their ideas to the Steering Committee as that Committee continues its discussions about the program and strategies to combat gang and youth violence. The City has secured additional funding for prevention and intervention activities through its receipt of a SAMHSA grant. Project Safe Neighborhoods will provide a coordinated approach to directly working with gang members who want to make a lifestyle change. The City awaits decisions on the OIC of Washington OJJDP mentorship grant application, and its own OJJDP Youth gang suppression grant application. The City also continues to search for and evaluate other funding opportunities to continue the program. 10.Capacity Building As you can see, much was accomplished with regards to Now Is The Time 2 with the generous grant from the Governor's Office. We convened stakeholders and community service providers every other month to discuss and learn about the issues affecting the community, as well as allow networking and the breaking down of silos to create an atmosphere of collaboration. We created the Yakima Youth Leadership Program, which with the documents created and a structure in place, can be executed with funding. Finally, we reached out to provide community members information about pertinent topics associated with gangs and violence through Spanish and English radio programming. All of this is outlined in the report from our researcher, providing data and analysis of our efforts. Hopefully this will help us be successful in future funding opportunities as we have created a program that has positive effects on 6th grade youth in Yakima. The City appreciates the opportunity to utilize this money to create a program that will benefit the youth of Yakima. If you have any questions, or need additional information or documentation, please do not hesitate to contact us. 9 24 The Evaluation of a Pilot Intervention "Now is the Time 2" to '.educe Gang Violence in Ya 'ma, ashington1 Final Report July ll, 2019 Juliana van Olphen, Independent Evaluation Consultant Karla Villanueva, Gang Resistance intervention Taskforce (G.R.i.T.) intern This report was prepared for the City of Yakima, City Manager's Office with grant funding from the State of Washington, Department of Commerce. This report is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation should read: van Olphen, J & Villanueva, K. (2019). The Evaluation of a Pilot Intervention "Now is the Time 2" to Reduce Gang Violence in Yakima, Washington: Final Report (Department of Commerce St 9-31450-001). Berkeley, California: Van Olphen Consulting. This project was funded hy the I)cpartmcnt of Commcrcc, State of Washington,Contract Num her Si 9-314.5u 00]. 1 25 This evaluation report presents objective information on the implementation and impacts of the program being evaluated. Any conclusions or recommendations are directly informed by the findings themselves. 2 26 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 6 BACKGROUND 9 Recent Increase in gang violence in Yakima County 9 Yakima County has multiple risk factors for gang involvement 9 NOW IS THE TIME 2 10 The Yakima Village 10 Development of Steering Committee 11 Design of the Now is the Time II Logic Model 12 SEEKING INPUT FROM KEY STAKEHOLDERS 13 Input from after school providers 14 Input from youth 15 DESIGN OF THE YAKIMA YOUTH LEADERSHIP PROGRAM(YYLP) 16 Design of the Mentoring Component 16 Selection of Schools&Youth Eligibility Criteria 17 DESIGN OF THE NTT2 EVALUATION 17 Mixed Methods to Address Evaluation Questions 18 FINDINGS RELATED TO GRIT CAPACITY BUILDING 19 Village meeting frequency and topics addressed 19 Results of GRIT Village Meetings 20 OUTCOMES OF THE YAKIMA YOUTH LEADERSHIP PROGRAM 22 Students Enrolled and their Family Demographics 22 Frequency and duration of meetings with mentor 23 Topics addressed by mentor 24 Impacts of Program on Academic Performance 24 Student perceptions of how program impacted their academic performance 26 Student perceptions of how program impacted their communication skills 26 Student perceptions of how the program changed their interactions with peers 27 3 27 Program helped youth think differently about gangs 28 Students said program helped them to feel better about themselves 28 How female students felt about having a male mentor 28 CHANGES IN KEY SHORT-TERM OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS 29 Student attitudes toward gangs 29 Changes in experiences of and responses to bullying at school 29 Attitudes toward school and learning improved 30 Youth conflict resolution and decision-making skills improve 30 Youth relationships with adults at home improve 30 Modest changes in substance use behaviors 30 GUARDIAN PERCEPTIONS OF PROGRAM OUTCOMES ON YOUTH 31 Changes in student attitude and/or behavior 31 Changes in student communication 32 Changes in student-guardian relationship 32 SCHOOL STAFF PERCEPTIONS OF PROGRAM AND ITS OUTCOMES 33 Program Successes 33 Program challenges 34 Suggested changes to the YYLP 34 SUGGESTIONS TO HELP YAKIMA YOUTH AND FAMILIES 36 Suggestions from students about how to help Yakima youth in the future 36 Suggestions offered by guardians 36 Suggestions offered by school staff 37 PROJECT LIMITATIONS 37 CONCLUSIONS 38 RECOMMENDATIONS 39 APPENDICES 41 4 28 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This project represents a collaborative effort among the authors and many others. Throughout the project,the authors worked with a critical team including Matt Fairbank(coordinator of the project), Sara Watkins (Yakima Municipal Lawyer), Gary Garza(mentor working with youth in the project), and Alise Mnati (Safe Communities Partnership, Spokane) in order to ensure a rigorous evaluation design. The authors would also like to thank administrators and staff at Franklin and Lewis and Clark Middle Schools for their openness to having the program at their schools, and special thanks to the youth and their families for their willingness to be involved. Finally, the authors would also like to thank all the individuals and organizations who were somehow involved in the project, including members of the Steering Committee, participants of the Village meetings, and community members and organizations that work diligently and compassionately every day to support Yakima youth and their families. In closing,the authors would also like to thank City Manager Cliff Moore and former Assistant City Manager Ana Cortez for their support of this project and the author's role as an independent evaluator. 5 29 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction Now Is The Time 2 (NTT2), a community health and safety plan, vision 2025 produced in early 2018 by the City of Yakima City Manager's Office was developed to initiate a city-wide response to the growing problem of gang violence. This community health and safety plan detailed goals of the pilot program and built on OJJDP's best practices for planning and implementation of the Comprehensive Gang Model. The project included: • the development of a Gang Resistance Intervention Taskforce (steering committee)to oversee project • building the capacity of Yakima organizations serving youth and families through the creation of a Village to bring together diverse local organizations and agencies serving Yakima youth and families • foregrounding the role of Yakima city in supporting the network of providers and experts who provide services to youth and families • design of a comprehensive theory of change (NTT2 logic model) with input from key stakeholders o design and implementation of the Yakima Youth Leadership Program (a mentoring program to improve outcomes for Yakima 6th graders and prevent them from becoming gang-involved) Design of the Program Evaluation The evaluation of NTT2 focused on the following key aims: 1. Develop the capacity of the city of Yakima to reduce gang violence o Did the project build a network of organizations and individuals coming together to address gang violence? o Did the project increase networking and collaboration across individuals and organizations that serve Yakima youth and families? 2. Describe the mentoring component of the pilot intervention (Yakima Youth Leadership Program) o What was the frequency and duration of meetings with students? o What were the topics discussed during meetings with students? 3. Describe short-term outcomes for youth involved o What were the program impacts on students' GPA, attendance, disciplinary actions, and attitudes toward school? 6 30 o What were program impacts on student's communication and interactions with parents/guardians, peers and teachers? o What were program impacts on student's awareness of and attitudes toward gangs? Key data sources to answer the evaluation questions included: • evaluations of Village meetings • student data sheets (logs completed by mentor after every meeting with students) • pre/post surveys with youth • in-depth interviews with youth, parents, and school staff Major Findings • The Village increased networking and collaboration among agencies serving youth and families; attendees of Village meetings learned about other potential partners and resources for referrals • Although the Yakima Youth Leadership Program (YYLP) started late in the school year, students met with the mentor an average of 13.8 times and each meeting lasted an average of 30 minutes • The GPA and attendance of most students enrolled in the YYLP improved. • Disciplinary actions were reduced for some students, but students still experienced suspensions including one long-term suspension near the end of the school year, • Students' attitudes and behaviors improved, with improved attitudes toward school and learning, more negative attitudes toward gangs and better attitudes toward their parents • Program improved students' communication with peers,teachers, and parents generally improved and youth were more likely to report knowing how to disagree without starting a fight or argument after participating in the program o Students were less likely to get into a fight with a bully and more likely to report bullying to a parent after the program o Students also reported that they were less likely to hang out with "the wrong crowd" Recommendations Recommendation related to capacity-building efforts and future partnerships • Provide more opportunities for agencies and organizations to network and identify ways they can support each other and collaborate to better serve the community 7 31 • Support organizations and agencies in getting more funding for their programs and identifying creative ways to address staff and space shortages; after school providers, in particular, currently cannot meet the demand for their services and students echoed that they would like to have more after school programs and activities available to them • Drawing on the list of 150 agencies and organizations that has been developed from the Village meetings, create an interactive database that can be shared among organizations and across sectors that would allow for organizations to share resources, track participants' engagement with their services, and identify key impacts of their service utilization Recommendations related to programs and services for Yakima youth and families • Seek funding and support to expand the YYLP in order to serve more students, work more intensively to support and educate families and increase parent engagement, and collaborate more effectively with schools • Collaborate with the Yakima School District to try to reduce disciplinary actions that may lead to youth being out of school for lengthy periods of time • Create more after school programs or satellites of existing after school programs (at or near schools) and other kinds of opportunities and activities for youth including weekend and summer programs • Ensure that programs and services for youth and families are accessible and affordable 8 32 BACKGROUND Recent Increase in gang violence in Yakima County Yakima county has experienced an increase in its murder rate since 20142,3. In 2014, the rate of murders per 100000 residents in Yakima county was 4 per 100,000 residents and increased to 15.1 per 100,000 residents in 2018. Yakima has 26 street gangs, with an estimated 1,300 members and associates (1.4% of the city's population).4 While it is not known how many of these are gang-related', 93% of the 27 gangs present in Yakima County are rated as either extremely or somewhat violent and 89% are rated as highly or somewhat organized. Yakima County residents believe gangs are a problem The Yakima County Gang Assessment published in 2012 found that 99% of survey respondents believed gangs to be a problem in their community, more than half felt gangs threatened their safety and 76%were not satisfied with the current response to gang activity.6 Yakima County has multiple risk factors for gang involvement High rates of Poverty in Yakima County In 2012, a coordinated effort by the Yakima County Gang Commission investigated the problem of gang violence in Yakima. A Yakima County Gang Assessment was conducted using a protocol developed by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's (OJJDP) Comprehensive Gang Model.' A number of risk factors for gang involvement were identified, including poverty, single parenting, and high unemployment rates related to seasonal agriculture. ' The city is ranked 15th in per household income of the top 15 cities in WA state.9. Seventy-two percent of students in the Yakima School District qualify for free and reduced meals.10 Twenty 2 Moran,Delmy. Yakima County homicide count grows in recent years. https://kimatv.com/news/local/yakima-county-homicide-count-grows-in-recent-years,Dec. 31, 2018. U.S. Census. Yakima County,Washington;Washington. https twww.census ooti quick facts/fact table valdmacountvwashmgton_WA PS104521S 'Project Safe Neighborhoods Yakima Police Department Group Audit, draft form as of June 1, 2019. 5 The proportion of murders that are gang-related was not known at the time this report was completed,however this information may be available from the Yakima Police Department. 6 Yakima County Gang Commission. Yakima County Gang Assessment, 2012 Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Comprehensive Gang Model-Guide to Assessing Your Community's Youth Gang Problem, 2009. °Yakima County Gang Commission. Yakima County Gang Assessment, 2012 hops/ wenorthwest org%wp-content;uploads'2013/021Yakima-County-Ganc Assessment-2012.pdt' 2012. s Wikipedia,Washington Places Ranked by Ranked by Per Capita Income. haps /en tt ikipedia org wik1/l dst of 1\ashington locations by per capita income 10 Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction,WA State Report Card, Yakima School District httpa/reportcardospi kl2.wa.us/summary asp t'schoolld 294&year 2016 17&reportl,evel Distnet 9 33 percent of Yakima residents lived in poverty in 2018 and per capita income (2013-2017) was $21,684." Low education levels in Yakima County Yakima also has high rates of school dropout and low levels of education among adults. In 2017, more than 1 in 4 (26.9%) adults age 25+in Yakima County did not have a high school diploma or GED.' Yakima County has high rates of school dropout and reports of students not feeling safe in school." Homelessness among Yakitna County students Homelessness among Yakima County Students enrolled in public schools more than doubled between 2010-2011 to 2016-2017, from slightly over 500 per 1,000 students to almost 1,250 per 1,000 students and the Yakima School. District increased its number of summer meal sites from 22 in 2017 to 39 in 2018." NOW IS THE TIME 2 Now Is The Time 2 (NTT2), a community health and safety plan,vision 2025 produced in early 2018 by the City of Yakima City Manager's Office was developed to initiate a city-wide response to the growing problem of gang violence. This community health and safety plan detailed goals of the pilot program and built on OJJDP's best practices for planning and implementation of the Comprehensive Gang Model." These included development of a steering committee comprised of subject matter experts in mental health/substance use, education, health, social services, etc., selection of a lead agency, identification of a coordinator, development of a network to connect existing providers and resources, and assessment of the gang problem. The Yakima Village Building on these best practices, a key focus of this project was the creation of the Yakima Village to bring together local organizations and agencies serving Yakima youth and families. The purpose of this Village was to develop the organizational capacity of partners and improve the network of services and activities available to youth and their families. NTTT2 was designed as one of the strategies addressing youth development and assumed that the City of Yakima TJ.S.Census. Quickfacts, Yakima city,Washington;Yakima County,Washington.. https 'rrww.census cev'quickEactsuiact table yakim acityrcashington,l akimacountyrcashington PS[045218 `z Yakima Valley Community Foundation Education. ht In.a cakimaval1ectrends.orI g aph.cim'cat id:::::::4&sub cat id &ind id 1 (2017-2019). Yakima Valley Community Foundation Health. http:/lakunavat ley trends.orggraph.dm?cat of 7&sub cat id 2kmd id =7. (2017--2019) Yakima Valley Community Foundation.Housing. httpa y akunavallel trends.orp graph.cfm?cat id =88,:sub cat id 4&ind id 2,(2017-2019) OJJ 1)P, Comprehensive Gang A4odel. 0 3 4 should play an important role in supporting the network of providers and experts who provide services to youth and families. As described in the plan, the City as lead agency would help to try to better coordinate providers and services in order to help families more easily navigate the range of resources (including housing, food assistance, family support, substance use, education, etc.) needed. Who is part of the Village? Meetings (first convened in 201.8) were intended to he open to everyone in Yakima with an interest in youth development. The initial list of invitees for the first meeting included about 30 names/organizations, but, through word-of-mouth, media announcements, and a snowball approach Skyhere initial attendees identified others to he invited, the list of organizations/agencies and community members who have attended at least one village meeting now includes 175 organizations and individuals. These organizations represent the following sectors: • Education • Housing • Employment • Recreation • Law enforcement • Tourism • Criminal/Juvenile justice • Faith communities • Health care • Social services • Philanthropy • Arts Development of Steering Committee When the Village was first created, the intention was that members of a steering committee (a smaller group of experts from relevant sectors including family support and case management, mental health/public health, independent living skills, employment training and retention, education, law enforcement and criminal justice, faith communities, and youth development) would he identified from this larger community of stakeholders in.the Village. The steering committee would have the role of guiding and overseeing the project. However, several members of the city council, felt strongly that they wanted to oversee the project, so the steering committee became comprised of several city council members hi addition to representatives from four of the sectors named above. These members represented the Yakima School District (Superintendent), the health care/mental health care field (Yakima Valley Farmworkers Clinic), criminal justice (the Yakima.County Juvenile Court.Administrator), and the judicial system (Prosecuting 35 Attorney).'6 fly early September, 2018, the committee was renamed the Gang Reduction Intervention Task Force (GRIT Force) and GRIT became known as the city's organized response to gang activity and youth violence. The GRIT Force unanimously decided that they wanted the focus of an intervention to focus on 6th grade youth, and this decision was also supported by the larger community of the Village who felt that prevention of youth gang involvement had to start in 5th or 6th grade. Role of the GRIT Force Steeling Committee Although the initial intention was that the GRIT Force would guide the project,they instead reviewed, discussed and approved decisions made by a smaller group (heretofore refen-ed to as the GRIT action committee) including the hired coordinator (Matt Fairhank), Assistant City Manager Ana Cortez (until January 2019 when she resigned), Sara Watkins (Senior Assistant City Attorney) who assumed the role of Assistant City Manager Cortez on the project, consultant Alise Mnati (coordinator of the Safe Communities Partnership, a Spokane initiative addressing gang activity in Spokane) and the mentor hired to work one-on-one with youth at the schools. Juliana van Olphen (independent evaluator) also consulted with this group regularly in order to design a rigorous evaluation of the program. The GRIT Force met monthly from September. 2018 and all decisions related to GRIT were approved by the GRIT Force by a vote. This included hiring decisions, approval of contracts, modifications for increased financial amounts, by laws, charter, Memorandum of Understanding with the Educational Services District (F,SD), Yakima School District (YSD), and Sageland Mediation, Mr. Fairbank's business. They received monthly reports, asked questions, and provided input into the design of the pilot intervention with youth, named the Yakima Youth Leadership Program (YYLP). Design of the Vow is rite Time ll Logic Model Input from participants at the November Village meeting and scholarly data' from decades of research with youth at risk of gang involvement informed the identification of risk and protective factors for gang involvement across a number of domains (Community, Family, School, and Peer and Individual) (sec Appendix 8). Using this list, the OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model, and participants' ideas for how to create change, the following logic model was developed to '°In March,two additional representatives were invited to join;these included the chief of police and a former gang memhar now working for an organization providing services for gang affihaled youth. 17 1I) Hawkins Sc. R.F. Catalano, H F. :Investing in Your Community's Youth: An Introduction to the Communities That Care System. Retrieved from hlips:iiwww.cmnmunilieslhatcarr.neDuseriilcsililes1irveslina-in-Pour-Cnmmurill uVonth.ptll2005. 12 36 represent the theory of change for diverting late elementary age youth and middle school age youth who are likely targets of gang recruitment and involvement. Program: Now is the Time ii Program Logic Model 501atlbn' TM Maar Yarma has anmaarapNIav Iva Tata Of gang lnv :ut b/area mut-ad gam mamma ma eatlncee by drvo by Madam and Maim Tr,My gndatUGng COMprePeratre Gar°Marlat apxoach lu tddm55ing the Magma am&MTg aagaMma apilat atcmam lade oae rs Malta malt Wads and Odaachgfare r vaMate&relftaTgeicpY are mama-arttoo anarrao.empnl The grogram mama/ma k tliaradeneffi mama tam nvalvemear a,,a mamma ecami rott'maleshram parWrxm taeP Vaal art,tar as eget mama para^Ial Jpy.4 atIO InGP'Ite WGiM1}atih tlfaMT.nrmare pTwam paracIp ten IORM ONTTMds AMAIN Prataa%a ga P W am e v ni ew M tireMf n Fnares star < g f ma ay riasd Ina Na gwaea d-i�ls' 4 ga 6am .; a ww TT uvm.mama;. `� empaTTam Maas mama.nnen mob. >ancgmrm'* 1 gamma Mama es atM nna�d n g rewJ o smart E 1T pie/we, Orr Mar .a:mea 4aa' T ioe 9aa }i.mT anh -` Tre a aee V mem- ro mama T M Y aO G,na.'o' el t Nam n als v II idtie P ,N^J PnsN elc S•w ne '¢ au4. • Y em..e TM' almym Imam QI't eadaTratal ham mmma. aw vpnn MantaY,,It sly aad. �k mamma Or nab re A eaar B%Taa m z9wr.M taE T maa ,. ammfc P taz4 y & neecbN'+ a t pa a / % . /TPA{ aa'nR JI , tlen am Qn ntGaem Ir3.,tt./Ara. Mw„pe ker,.it19 Assumptions Carer xasr.'.v .p T arm rams dab poeW2roau`1 External Faelors Gamma Jua Ygngeaetlin 55}e esn mime eadW c:.aa aid etee9f acMn is 4rVe l^tE aren teeSM M e sal..meftmmet- ng• M4a1s•ganp14.a“pos`PP— P s'-xNi a« yc prwam5a dst aaNs9 ent E:aM na. tJa.tl uretanwna ttava -s tavxeye aa.s e%ryumc*m :5om nirva pmlel eSrcldaaq Wb@. dw rwsnwIti (Figure 1) The program was designed to divert identified youth from gang involvement with a positive mentor/coach relationship with program staff, pro-social activities for after school, parental supports and incentives for both youth and family for active program participation. SEEKING INPUT FROM KEY STAKEHOLDERS In early January, two focus groups were held to solicit input from key stakeholders about the program, its design, and any suggestions related to supporting youth and families. One convened after school providers (Henry Beauchamp Community Center, On the Corner, Yakima Police Activities League, Beyond the Bell ) and another convened middle and high school youth (twelve students ranging from 6th to 1 lth grade). The purpose of these groups was to hear their 13 37 perceptions of challenges faced by Yakima youth and families as well as their suggestions for what is needed to best support Yakima youth and adults. Input from after school providers A theme that emerged was how important it was to support parents, help to get them motivated and engaged so they set a good example for their children. One person said parents were more likely to come to events if they know the staff, have a meal and child care available. If the setting is comfortable and familiar to parents, they will come. Another theme was the idea that people and organizations working with youth and families in Yakima need training in ACES and how to work with those who have a history of trauma. School district should be more engaged A theme in participants' responses was that the Yakima School District Yakima School District should be a key partner in this effort. One participant said the district used to have retention officer who worked primarily with high school students and tried to figure out what was going on in the home environment and provide supportive services. This position no longer exists. Finding out what the school district is doing to address the needs of at-risk youth and prevent suspensions is critical. How to help prevent youth from entering gangs The following suggestions for programs or strategies to help prevent youth from becoming gang-involved emerged: • Provide a safe space for youth who have been suspended or who have left school need a place to go.They need to feel comfortable and safe. Getting these children back in school can be an insurmountable challenge. Organizations like HBCC allow suspended children to work there. • Structure activities to keep kids off the street from 3 to 8.Engage kids in things they want to do (e.g., sports, arts, etc.). Provide alternatives to gangs. • Support interagency collaboration and collectively attract additional resources to make this effort sustainable. • Provide more support to parents • Recruit interns through establishing partnerships with Central Washington University which can place students in Yakima(e.g., David Rolf, professor in Leisure Studies is looking for internship sites (AmeriCorp). • Develop partnerships to share resources.For example, On the Corner has space, but not the staffing, whereas Beyond the Bell needs space. 14 38 Resource constraints faced by after school providers A theme in participants' responses was the challenges their programs face due to resource constraints, primarily in limited funding and volunteers. One person said their program survives on a shoestring budget and they are in need of more volunteers, particularly those willing to work with middle schoolers. Another person said their program can serve up to 200 kids, but if they do not have the sufficient staffing level they have to turn kids away. Additionally,the capacity of all the programs to serve youth and families is extremely limited; most programs have waitlists. Another resource constraint related to the program facilities. One program' can only work out of a school gym as they cannot use the school library or classrooms. This program shares resources with a second program which has available space (including classrooms, auditorium, kitchen, green space and gym), but no resources to use said space. Additionally, one person from a different program said that there was no resource or space for homeless youth under age 18. This person shared they would like to open a soup kitchen on Saturdays for homeless youth. Input from youth Bullying is a challenge at school One-third (4/12) of the students expressed that bullying is a challenge at the school. Two students shared the type of bullying they've witnessed, with one specifying bullying against LGBTQ youth. A different student shared that their school has an anonymous tip line where students can report bullying and student drug use, and the police will investigate it. Suspensions not proportionate to the offense One-fourth of the students (3/12) expressed that school suspensions are not proportionate to the offense. One student shared they were suspended for over a week for saying they were going to "mess with someone"who had sexually assaulted their friend, whereas the assailant faced no consequences. A different student shared that a student was suspended for briefly talking back to a teacher. Another student said that the school does not share with students about bullying, and will suspend students instead. More security needed Twenty-five percent(3/12) of students participating cited the need for more security. One student said they need to be secure from weapons in schools, particularly at the middle schools. Two students said they need security guards. One of these students specified the need for security guards to stay after school to check on and address the violence that occurs at the parks near the school. 15 39 Lack of school-student communication Two students addressed the lack of communication between the school and students regarding incidents, including bullying. One student suggested for the school to explain what's happening to the students so that they aren't left to their own conclusions. This student wants better communication with students about incidents. Suggestions for changes at school One-fourth (3/12) of the students expressed they want more after-school activities. One student suggested an LGBTQ club at school, while another student suggested a self-defense program. A different student suggested that the high schools involve students in covering up tagging or graffiti at the school, in neighborhoods, and around the city with art, such as murals. A final student expressed they simply wanted to school to explain to students how they can play a sport or participate in an activity. Suggestions for youth activities and spaces Many students (6/14) offered suggestions centered on activities and spaces specifically for youth. One suggestion was for more after school programs. Two suggestions were for an afternoon or night gym for youth to "keep kids off the street." Another suggestion was for a basketball court for the same reason. One suggestion was for "more youth hangout spots," with another suggestion specifically for an arcade or game room for youth. Resource-related suggestions One-third of the students suggestions related to low school or community resources. Two of the suggestions were for canned food and clothing drives. One suggestion was for more funding for schools. A final suggestion was for more scholarships. DESIGN OF THE YAKIMA YOUTH LEADERSHIP PROGRAM (YYLP) Design of the Mentoring Component In order to prevent 6th grade youth identified as at risk from becoming gang involved, an intensive mentoring program was designed to take place in 2 middle schools. This program, called the Yakima Youth Leadership Program (YYLP), was designed to target identified risk and protective factors including school attendance and engagement, academic performance, and pro-social skills, and good communication skills. The program design and logic model were shared with the mentor who was recruited to work with youth and he became a regular participant in weekly meetings of the GRIT action committee. He drew on the program logic model as well as his former experience as a police officer providing classroom instruction in the 16 40 Gang Resistance Education and Training(G.R.E.A.T.) program" and (later) as a school resource officer(SRO). Selection of Schools & Youth Eligibility Criteria Franklin Middle School and Lewis and Clark Middle School were selected as the sites for recruitment of 6th grade youth. Recent Yakima enrollment data showed that Franklin Middle School had a total enrollment of 859 students, with 304 in 6thgrade and a loss of 32 or 10.5% of students between 6thand 7`hgrade. Lewis and Clark had a total enrollment of 841 with 292 students in the 6thgrade and a reported loss of 33 or 11.3% of students between 6thand ?"'grade. Many stakeholders consulted (at Village meetings and in focus groups) suggested that youth in 6th grade should be targeted for the YYLP since this is the age when youth begin to show signs of becoming gang affiliated or gang involved. Five youth were selected from each of the middle schools named above. Schools were asked to identify students who would be appropriate for the program. At Franklin Middle School,the administration/staff provided a list of the students they wanted in the program. At Lewis and Clark Middle School, the staff requested help identifying students to be included. Gary Garza,the mentor recruited to work with the 6th graders, collaborated with school staff to identify the following eligibility criteria for students: 1. Decline in school attendance 2. Decline in grades 3. Association with older students 4. Discipline involving drug use 5. Lack of interest in sports 6. Documented gang behavior 7. Observed indicators of gang behavior(clothing, hair style, body language) 8. Generational gang influence (Parents/older siblings involved in gang life) DESIGN OF THE NTT2 EVALUATION With input from members of the GRIT action committee and with reference to the program logic model (see Figure 1),the following aims and key questions were developed to guide the evaluation of NTT2: 1. Develop the capacity of the city of Yakima to reduce gang violence o Did the project build a network of organizations and individuals coming together to address gang violence? 'Gang Resistance Education and Training.https://www.great-online.org/GREAT-Home 17 41 o Did the project increase networking and collaboration across individuals and organizations that serve Yakima youth and families? 2. Describe the mentoring component of the pilot intervention (Yakima Youth Leadership Program) o What is the frequency and duration of meetings with students? o What are the topics discussed during meetings with students? 3. Describe short-term outcomes for youth involved o What are program impacts on students' GPA, attendance, disciplinary actions, and attitudes toward school? o What are program impacts on student's communication and interactions with parents/guardians, peers and teachers? o What are program impacts on student's awareness of and attitudes toward gangs? Mixed Methods to Address Evaluation Questions Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to answer the evaluation questions. To address aim#1 (to develop the capacity of the city of Yakima to reduce gang violence) and its corresponding questions, surveys using an online survey platform (Survey Monkey) were conducted at the meetings of the Village in March and in May. Participants were asked about knowledge gained and about how their connections to other individuals and organizations had changed as a result of these meetings. To address aim#2 to describe the mentoring component of the YYLP, student data sheets were completed by the mentor at every meeting with enrolled youth. Data sheets included the date and duration of the meeting, the student's school attendance, any disciplinary actions against the student(e.g., suspensions or expulsions), topics discussed and students' participation, and any referrals made. To address aim#3 to describe short-term outcomes for youth, a pre- and post-survey was administered to the youth. Although this survey was available through an online survey platform (Qualtrics), most students completed a hard copy of the survey and survey responses were later entered online. Most of the measures used in the survey were drawn from scholarly literature and from existing youth surveys (such as the Youth Risk Behavior Survey)19 In addition, the youth survey was reviewed by a small youth advisory committee and changes in wording and phrasing of questions were made based on their input. At the end of the program, an in-depth interview lasting between 45 and 60 minutes was conducted with youth. All data collection instruments were examined carefully by the GRIT action committee that met weekly throughout the project. The committee looked at drafts of the surveys and interview 19CDC. Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/index.htm 18 42 guides, simplified the language, shortened them, and made sure they were aligned with the logic model. All consent forms for participation of youth in the YYI.P were dratted in consultation with Yakima School District Security/Safety staff and with reference to legal documents related to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. FINDINGS RELATED TO GRIT CAPACITY BUILDING The following section focuses on sharing results related to the following evaluation aim and questions: Evaluation Aim r1: Develop the capacity of the city of Yakima to reduce gang violence • Did the project build a network of organizations and individuals coining together to address gang violence? • Did the project increase networking and collaboration across individuals and organizations that serve Yakima youth and families? Village meeting frequency and topics addressed Four Village meetings were held between November, 2018 and May, 2019 and the number of attendees ranged from 51 to 61 (see Table 1 below). 19 43 GRIT Village Meeting Dates, # of Attendees, and Topics Addressed Meeting date and Topic/Agenda #of attendees November 14, Matt Fairbank(Project Coordinator) &City Manager Cliff Moore- Welcome 2018 Networking at Table&sharing passion for working with youth at risk of gang violence or youth and families affected by gang violence 61 attendees History of Now Is the Time 2 Grant& Goals OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model Participants generate ideas/theories for how to prevent youth from becoming gang involved(followed by debrief) (See Appendix 1 for the meeting notes) January 15, 2019 -Update on the service delivery component of the current grant effort -Training on gangs in Yakima from David Cortez and Katlin Standiford of the Yakima Police Department 53 attendees -Presentation by Chevy Cortez, leader of the Love Project and a former gang member (See Appendix 2 for the meeting notes) March 18, 2019 Open doors youth reengagement program presentation Panel discussion by In This Together, Triple R Ministries, and The Love Project 51 attendees (See Appendix 3 for meetings notes and Appendix 4 for the evaluation) May 29, 2019 Presentation by Gary Garza,mentor for the YYLP 55 attendees Panel of after school providers (See Appendix 5 for the meeting notes and Appendix 6 for the evaluation) (Table 1) Results of GRIT Village Meetings The first aim of the evaluation was to develop the capacity of the city of Yakima to reduce gang violence by building a network of organizations and individuals working with youth and families in the city. Meetings of the Village were well attended and new organizations & members 20 44 attended every meeting. And, as mentioned earlier, the contact sheet recording the names and organizations of attendees grew from a small number of about 30 to almost 150 by the end of the project. Increased Networking and Collaboration Among Agencies Serving Youth and Families A secondary question about outcomes related to the Village focused on whether there was increased networking and collaboration among individuals and organizations attending the Village meetings. The following key themes emerged from survey responses from a subset20 of participants who attended Village meetings in March and in May. Opportunity to network and learn about other programs Participants appreciated the opportunity to learn about all the local agencies and resources for youth and families in Yakima. Eleven out of 14 respondents from the March Village meeting said they learned about programs or organizations to which they could refer people in their program. Many participants spoke, in particular, about how the meeting provided a valuable space where they could learn about all the resources available for at risk youth in Yakima, network with other organizations, and make connections for the future. According to one participant: "Several agencies in one place gave us the opportunity to make some important contacts and future partnership." Half of the survey respondents appreciated hearing about the different youth programs discussed at the May Village meeting. Some specifically appreciated learning what the different programs offer, what they need, and the role they fill in youth's lives. One-fourth appreciated the opportunity to network. Organizations shared different ways they can help to prevent gang violence, sharing their capacity (volunteers, space/facilities, or expertise). Two organizations said they are running programs with space for more participants. Serving youth and families better through building partnerships Most respondents felt the March meeting helped them to identify ways they could partner with other organizations to better serve Yakima youth and families.One person said,"I think there are some organizations that we can partner with, and working together will help better serve some families." This, the idea of sharing resources and collaborating with other organizations and agencies, was a sentiment echoed by others. For example,the director of a free after school program implemented in 2011 (On the Corner or OTC) said she had attended all Village Meetings and appreciated the opportunities to network with other agencies at those meetings: 20 The response rates for the March and May meetings were 27%and 22%,respectively. See Appendices 1-6 for all meeting notes and evaluations. 21 45 An example of this is that we had one of our OTC middle school youth tag our facility and, after being caught, I was able to reach out to another participant of the GRIT village meetings that I would not have been aware of before. This other participant is a reformed gang member who offered his time to come and speak to this youth and the family. This sixth grade youth lost an uncle to gang violence. " Reinforcing a theme discussed earlier, several who attended the March meeting also talked about finding out more about resources to which they could refer their participants. For example, one person mentioned finding out about providing resources to youth and families through the People for People 2-1-1 Call Center and another said they learned about the ESD Open Doors program. One participant said the meeting was a catalyst for their organization: "It gave me the opportunity to start a conversation with my team." Finally, one participant talked about how the meeting made them aware of how other organizations might need their services: "As a trauma informed trainer, I see the need to extend my reach to more organizations and groups. " Other collaborations have developed as a result of network at Village meetings and are detailed in Appendix 7. Suggestions to help organizations build their capacity to serve youth and families in Yakima Finally, in order to continue helping Yakima to build its infrastructure of support for youth and families, several respondents suggested developing a database that would allow organizations to identify where help is needed and respond directly. Another suggested a shared database between organizations of the individuals served to track outcomes and impact. One respondent suggested for a way for like-minded organizations to connect. OUTCOMES OF THE YAKIMA YOUTH LEADERSHIP PROGRAM The following section describes the demographics of the families of youth participating in the program and the number of youth enrolled. A description of the mentoring program follows, with details about the frequency, duration and content of meetings between the mentor and enrolled youth. Finally, short-term impacts on enrolled youth are described using data collected by the mentor, pre/post survey data, and qualitative data from interviews with the youth. Students Enrolled and their Family Demographics Ten students were selected to participate in the program; 5 were enrolled at Franklin Middle School and 5 were enrolled at Lewis and Clark Middle School. Six of the youth were male and 4 were female. 22 46 Race/ethnicity of participants' parents Most parents of youth participating in the program described themselves as Hispanic or Latino. Two parents described themselves as White. The race/ethnicity of the 6th grader participants' parents was similar to the breakdown of students in the Yakima School District(78% Latino, 17.3% White, with the remaining students from other groups). Parents' Education Levels and Employment Four parents reported less than an 8th grade education, 4 parents reported a high school degree or equivalent, one parent had some college or technical schooling and one parent was a college or technical school graduate. Six parents were employed and 3 were not. Among those who were employed, 1 worked less than 10 hours per week, 1 worked 21 to 30 hours per week, 3 worked 31 to 40 hours per week, and 1 worked 41 to 50 hours per week. Household Income Most families of participating youth lived below or near the federal poverty line. Reported household income for the last year ranged from $10,000-$19,9999 to $50,000-$59,999. Three parents reported a household income between $10,000 and $19,999, one parent reported a household income of$20,000 - $29,999, and 3 reported a household income of$30,000 - $39,999. Only 2 parents reported household incomes between $40,000 and $59,999. The process evaluation of the mentoring component focused on the evaluation aim#2 and related questions (see Figure blank below) intended to describe the mentoring process. Evaluation Aim#2: Describe the mentoring component of the pilot intervention (Yakima Youth Leadership Program) • What is the frequency and duration of meetings with students? • What are the topics discussed during meetings with students? Frequency and duration of meetings with mentor Between late March and early June, students met with the mentor an average of 13.8 times. Meetings were held at the students' respective schools and each meeting lasted an average of 30 minutes. Students generally met with the mentor twice a week, but half of the students missed a meeting due to the mentor's other commitments with the city (council meetings and the radio interviews) and a few other meetings were missed because of a child's illness, suspension, or because of state testing. 23 47 Topics addressed by mentor The topics the mentor addressed with students included the following: • Effective Communication/Active Listening • Social Media—Dangers & Responsibility • Drug Awareness • Gang Awareness • Harassment/Intimidation and Bullying • Intervention lesson overview • Conflict Resolution • Family/Belonging Impacts of Program on Academic Performance The following sections describe findings related to the evaluation aim #3 focusing on short-term outcomes for youth involved. Evaluation Aim #3: Describe short-term outcomes for youth involved • What are program impacts on students' GPA, attendance, disciplinary actions, and attitudes toward school? • What are program impacts on student's communication and interactions with parents/guardians, peers and teachers? • What are program impacts on student's awareness of and attitudes toward gangs? Changes in Students' GPA The GPA of 6 of the 10 students enrolled in the program increased slightly, from a.13 increase for 1 student to the largest increase of 1.598 for a student who began the program with a GPA of .05. Several students who began the program with GPAs of less than 2.0 experienced increases in their GPAs (from 0 to .54 for 1 student; from .68 to .972 for another; and from 1.477 to 1.607 for another). There were 3 students whose GPAs decreased slightly (from 2.329 to 1.92 for 1 student; from 3.815 to 2.933 for another; and from 1.29 to 1.117 for a third). 24 48 Students' GPA Before and After Program Student# GPA at start of YYLP GPA at end of YYLP Change in GPA 1 2.187 2.383 0.196 2 2.329 1.92 -0.409 3 0 0.54 0.54 4 3.815 2.933 -0.882 5 1.29 1.117 -0.173 6 1.477 1.607 0.13 7 2.171 2.009 -0.162 8 3.01 3.617 0.607 9 0.05 1.648 1.598 10 0.68 0.972 0.292 (Table 2) Attendance improved while students were enrolled in the program Four out of 10 students had a history of poor attendance prior to their enrollment in the program. For example, one student had a poor history of attendance before the program and was suspended from school soon after the program began. However, this student then maintained their attendance until close to the end of the program when they were again suspended. This student completed one of three attendance challenges. Another student who began the program with 12 absences dating from January 1, 2019 attended school regularly during the program except for a 1-day suspension and 2 excused absences. This student also completed 2 of 3 attendance challenges'. The other students (5 out of 10) who began with a regular attendance history maintained their attendance and completed 3 of 3 attendance challenges. Reduction in disciplinary actions involving students Disciplinary actions were reduced for some students, but students still experienced suspensions including one long-term suspension near the end of the school year. All students began the program with a history of disciplinary issues. Four of the 10 youth had no disciplinary issues after enrolling in the program. The other students had minor disciplinary issues (most had only a 21 Attendance challenges were opportunities offered by the mentor to earn gift cards, for example to pay for a meal at a local restaurant, as a reward for good attendance. 25 49 1-day suspension and no further disciplinary issues, but 1 had a long-term suspension near the end of the program). The student with the long-term suspension also had only 9 meetings with the mentor (as compared to a range of 12-16 meetings for the other youth. Student perceptions of how program impacted their academic performance The following sections (based on data with 8 of the 10 youth involved in the program) describe themes that emerged from the in-depth interviews with students at the end of the program.22 The following data is based on in-depth interviews with 8 of the 10 youth. Mentor encouraged students to focus in school Over half of the students (4/7) expressed that the mentor encouraged, motivated, and pushed them to do well in school, both academically and behaviorally. According to one student, "[working with the mentor]motivated me. It made me want to change and start to behave more." This student also expressed that their grades have improved and they haven't gotten into much trouble lately, and another student expressed the same. According to yet another student,the mentor taught them how to be a leader and encouraged them to focus on getting their grades up and "doing good." This student was further motivated by their goal of one day becoming a police officer. Gift card incentives helped motivate youth to change Several students expressed that the gift cards awarded to them motivated them to do better in school. According to one student,the mentor"put challenges on me, like not to be late to class. If I did the challenges, he'd give me rewards, like a gift card to go out to eat." Another student expressed that the gift cards encouraged them to do better in school since they were able to use the cards to support their family through contributing to groceries. Similarly, another student expressed that it meant a lot to them to earn the reward to help out their family. Student perceptions of how program impacted their communication skills All of the students expressed that their communication has changed through working with the mentor. A few of the students (3/7) specifically cited their verbal and non-verbal communication skills, and over half of the students (4/7) said they learned more about conflict resolution. For example, one student said they had stopped talking back to their parent/guardian. 22 Two female participants had to leave the state immediately at the end of the school year and were unable to schedule the final survey/interview meetings. 26 50 Students reported better communications with parent/guardian All but one of the students (6/7) expressed that they now communicate with their parent/guardian(s) more, especially their mothers. One student reported that they and their mom now ask each other about their day and how they are doing. Students reported increases in communication with their parents about their day and about school. One student said they had begun asking a parent for help with school work. Another said they had begun practicing active listening with their mom thanks to the mentor's help. Another student reported that the mentor helped them to open up and talk to their mom. A different student reported that before the program, they would get home from school and go straight to bed, but now they tell their mom about school and speak to her more. Change in interactions with teachers All but one of the students expressed changes in how they interact with their teachers. The student who shared that their interactions with teachers have not changed did express positive communication with teachers, such as letting their teachers know when they are having an issue with the material or with other students. Of the students whose interactions did change, two expressed that they now tell their teachers when they need help with school work, with one further adding that they will now tell a teacher about issues with other students. Two other students expressed that they no longer talk back to their teachers. Of these students, one also shared that they used to talk a lot in school and be really distracting for others, but in working with the mentor they've "[realized]that me being quiet is actually important to people that I can actually listen to, it's helped me." A different student shared that they simply interact with their teachers more, while another student specified they now "[talk]with them more about giving me more work to get my grades up." Student perceptions of how the program changed their interactions with peers Four students (out of 7)who were interviewed expressed that their behavior towards their peers has changed since working with the mentor. These behavioral changes were generally linked to their academic improvement. One student said: "I stopped hanging out with bad people. I don't do bad stuff no more. I'm trying to get my grades up." Two additional students expressed that working with the mentor has helped them to stop "hanging out with the wrong crowd". One of these students expressed that they felt the program had helped them to "[be] a better person." A different student expressed they now get along pretty well with other students due to working with the mentor on their conflict resolution and verbal and non-verbal communication skills. According to another student, learning about verbal and non-verbal communication helped them do better in school because they could now recognize another student's negative approach and 27 51 walk away from a tight. A final student expressed they are no longer starting tights, and that "[their] attitude and behavior changed." Program helped youth think differently about gangs All but one student (who said they understood before participating in the program that `gangs just make you become a bad person and don't get you far in life') expressed that working with the mentor changed the way they think about gangs. One student said: "Being in gangs will not get you anywhere. You should never he in a gang." A few students shared that they simply now know more about gangs. According to one student, they learned that one of their belts had a gang sign on it and so they stopped wearing it. Two students shared that they were considering joining gangs prior to the program. According to one student,"I thought that if I would get in one they(other students) would notice me.And I tried to ]loin/, but I would usually lust think about trying to fit in. 1 didn't know that there would be problems like shooting and all that." The student further explained that the mentor taught them about the problems that come with being in a gang. According to the second student, "I was about to join a gang, but once I met [the mentor] everything changed.... "Everything changed [fiom] what he taught me- [of what] not to do and what to do He told me to walk away from something that's not right... If something's wrong, then you walk awcgr. Don't he a part ofit" Students said program helped them to feel better about themselves More than hal cur the students interviewed shared that the program has helped them feel better about themselves and, consequently, change their behavior and actions. One student shared that they've "been listening more" and another shared that their attitude and behavior have changed. According to a third student, the meetings helped them to make better choices, feel better about themselves, feel confident, and be unafraid to say what's on their mind. A different student shared that the meetings with the mentor have helped them change how they think about themselves: "I used to think 'oh I'm a fool', `kids won't ever like toe', and 'I'rn a disappointment to my family.' But ever since I started talking to/the mentor] he would teach me no, don't think about that no more, remember about this and this [their chats].'" How female students felt about having a male mentor While four female students participated in the pilot program, only two participated in the final interview and shared their opinion about having a male mentor. One girl shared that she thought the mentor was strong and that he had inspired her to be a police officer. She stated that she "does not mind the gender" of the mentor; she simply wants a mentor who cares about her and can help her. The other girl, on the other hand, shared that she "would have explored more of my feelings and(been"' less quieter" with a female mentor. She expressed that since she doesn't "usually talk to guys much," it took some time to trust and be open with the mentor; she now :8 52 really likes that they "can be honest with each other and not judge each other." This student further explained than an ideal mentor is "definitely someone who's Mexican." The student described how she needs someone who speaks Spanish because it's hard for her to just speak entirely in English. CHANGES IN KEY SHORT-TERM OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS The following section (based on pre-post surveys with youth) describes the following: changes in attitudes towards and experiences of bullying; changes in attitudes toward school and learning; changes in conflict resolution and decision-making; and changes in relationships with adults at home. Student attitudes toward gangs Student awareness about gangs in their school and neighborhood increased slightly and more youth held negative attitudes toward gangs after the intervention. For example, after the intervention, more youth reported that 'kids join gangs to feel they belong to something' (7 versus 4 at baseline) and that 'kids join gangs because their friends pressure them' (6 versus 4 at baseline). While more youth agreed that `joining a gang could be dangerous' (7 after the intervention versus 5 at baseline), more youth also agreed (after the intervention)that 'most kids join gangs' (6 versus 3 at baseline). There was a slight increase in the number of youth who agreed that 'kids join gangs because their friends pressure them' (6 versus 4 at baseline) and a modest increase in the number of youth who disagreed with the statement 'kids that join gangs have more protection than kids who don't join gangs' (7 after the intervention versus 6 at baseline). Changes in experiences of and responses to bullying at school Slightly more students reported that they felt safe at school after the intervention (6 versus 4 before the intervention), however there were minimal to no changes in students' reported experiences of bullying. One student reported a reduction in frequency of experiences of bullying, but 2 students reported being bullied 2-3 times in the last 30 days both at baseline and after the intervention. Half(4 out of 8) of the respondents reported never experiencing bullying both at baseline and after the intervention. After the intervention, students were much more likely to report talking to an adult in charge after an experience of bullying(4 versus 0 at baseline) and 5 students reported talking to a parent/guardian about it(versus 4 at baseline). One student reported being less likely to get into a fight with a bully after the intervention. 29 53 Attitudes toward school and learning improved The intervention had a small but notable impact on youth attitudes toward education. For example, there was a small increase in the number of students who felt that the things they were learning in school were going to be important to them later in life (8 post-intervention versus (; at baseline). In addition, more youth strongly agreed or agreed that education was important so it was worth it to put up with things they didn't like about school after the intervention (8 versus 5 at baseline). There was a slight increase in the number of students who didn't like school (5 versus 4 at baseline), but the timing of the interviews (at the end of the school year when kids tend to be tired and ready for a break) may have contributed to negative feelings about school in general. An important change was that more students strongly/somewhat agreed that the things they were learning in school were going to be important for them later in life (8 post-intervention versus 6 pre-intervention). There was no change in how interesting students found their classes or in whether or not they had goals or plans fur the future. There was a very slight decrease in frequency of participation in school-related clubs, with one student reporting slightly less frequent participation in school-related clubs. Youth conflict resolution and decision-makhig skills improve Alter the intervention, more youth reported knowing how to disagree without starting a fight or argument(7 versus 5 at baseline) and twice as many youth reported thinking about the possible consequences of their decisions (8 versus 4 at baseline). Slightly more youth agreed they would stand up to their friends when they felt pressured to do something they didn't want to do or that they thought is wrong (7 versus 5 at baseline). Youth relationships with adults at home improve Twice as many youth reported `enjoying spending time with other adults they live with' after the intervention as compared to baseline (6 versus 3). And, there was a slight increase in the number of youth who reported enjoying spending time with their mom, asking a parent/guardian for help with a personal problem, and who felt their parent/guardian gave them lots of chances to do fun things with them (8 after the intervention versus 7 at baseline). Modest changes in substance use behaviors Before and after the intervention, all the youth reported never having dune the fidlowing: vaped or juuled; chewed, snuffed, or dipped tobacco, used alcohol, used illegal drugs. At baseline, only 1 youth reported any of the following behaviors once a week: smoking cigarettes, using pills their parents didn't know they were taking, or using prescription drugs without a prescription. After the intervention, except for 1 youth who reported using marijuana once a week, none of the youth reported any of these behaviors in the past 30 days. 30 54 There was a slight increase in the number of youth who reported hanging out with other kids or family members using substances (none at baseline, and 2 at the end of the intervention period). GUARDIAN PERCEPTIONS OF PROGRAM OUTCOMES ON YOUTH The following section, using data from short interviews conducted with 1 parent or guardian at the end of the program, shares themes related to evaluation aim#3 intended to describe short-term impacts on youth involved in the program. The following themes are discussed: changes in student attitude and behavior; changes in communication; and changes in student/parent or guardian relationship. Eight parents/guardians were interviewed, including 7 mothers and one female relative (all parents/guardians will heretofore be referred to as "guardian"). Three of the interviews were conducted in Spanish. Almost all of the parents/guardians interviewed (7/8) expressed that the program and the mentor's work with their child had been helpful. Changes in student attitude and/or behavior Three of the guardians noticed a change in their child's attitude and behavior. Two noticed only a change in attitude while three noticed only a change in behavior. Three noticed only a change in behavior while two noticed only a change in attitude. A few of the guardians (3/8) noted behavioral changes related to school. One guardian expressed that their child is no longer fighting at school. Another guardian shared that their child is now doing their school work and is not getting in trouble anymore. A different guardian expressed that their child now gets in less trouble at school. This guardian did say, however, that the child's behavior has not changed at home. Similarly, a guardian expressed that the program has not really helped their child in terms of behavior, as the child tends to behave well only for periods of time before getting in trouble again. A few guardians (3/8) noted that their child had more self-control now than before their participation in the program. According to one guardian, her child now has a better attitude and behavior. The guardian explained that the child's behavior still needed improvement, but that there was now less bad behavior. The guardian gave the example of her child recently having a really bad attitude and kicking a door in the home. Rather than get the child in trouble right away, she waited and the child called themselves down after a few minutes. Another guardian shared that her child is no longer as impulsive, and has learned how to say no and not accept things they know are bad. A final guardian shared that her child is less rebellious. This guardian additionally shared that her child no longer wears gang related attire as, thanks to the mentor, they are now aware of what it means. 31 55 Two guardians (2/8)noted changes in their child's attitude and behavior toward themselves and others. One guardian shared that before the program, her child had a very bad attitude, was very mouthy and disrespectful, as they had been hanging out with the kids who get in trouble all the time. Once her child started the program,their behavior began to change for the better and go back to what was normal for them: respectful and obedient. This guardian further shared that the program really affected her child for the better. A different guardian expressed that her child is now more grateful and give thanks often. The child will now thank her for what she does, will hug her more, and will help her around the household. The child also expresses more carino (care, love, and affection)for the family. Two guardians (2/8)noted the gift cards helped incentivize their children to participate in the program. One guardian expressed that the program in general had helped her child feel more sure of himself, but that the gift cards especially made her child happier because they were able to her,the mother. A different guardian expressed that the child used to be upset about being in the program, but later became excited about it as they liked the challenges and gift cards. Changes in student communication Most of the guardians (6/8)noted that their child now communicates with them more. The type and degree of communication varied by guardian. Whereas one guardian expressed that her child is now more open about their life and school and initiates conversation, another guardian expressed that her child will mostly only share about the program and only when they are in a good mood. In both of these cases, however, the children previously shared little to no information with their guardians. Half of the guardians expressed that their child will share with about school and a few (3/8) expressed the child will share about the program. A few guardians noted that their child is now more accepting of what their guardians tells them, including consequences to bad behavior, explanations and answers to questions, and warnings on the dangers of gangs. Two guardians noted that their child now shares more about their preferences. One guardian expressed that her child is getting better at not lying. A different guardian expressed that her child now generally communicates more and will even talk things through with other students instead of getting into a fight. A final guardian expressed that the program has, more than anything, helped her child talk to others. Changes in student-guardian relationship A few of the guardians (3/8) expressed that their relationship with their child has not changed. Half of the guardians expressed that the relationship between their child and themselves (or another guardian in the home)has changed for the better in some way. One guardian expressed that the program has helped to make her child calmer; as such,the child and guardian no longer argue as often and instead help each other out. Another guardian expressed that she and her husband now have more confianza (trust and confidence) in their child, as does their child with 32 56 them. A different guardian expressed that while her relationship with her child has not changed, the relationship between her child and her husband has. When the husband is able to speak with the child for a long time, the child will listen to him and change his attitude. SCHOOL STAFF PERCEPTIONS OF PROGRAM AND ITS OUTCOMES Program Successes Impact on student attitude, behavior, and academics Most of the school staff members/ administrators (3/4) noted various positive changes in the students' behavior and attitudes. All of these individuals noted that the students are now more willing to interact with them. One staff member noticed this in only one student, who is now also more pleasant, but the other individuals noticed this change among all the students. According to an administrator,the students have begun to open up and share with the school administrators and talk with the staff about the needs of other students for the staff to reach out to. All of these individuals noted changes in the students' attitudes. One staff member shared that the students now view themselves differently;these students now understand they can change their behaviors and have the hope to be able to do so. Another school staff member noted that the grades, attitude, and attendance have improved for all of the student participants. Similarly, an administrator shared that the students have made huge strides. According to them, the students are much more positive and happy, and are doing better in the classroom. Two individuals expressed that the students are using self-regulation skills in the classroom. The administrator shared that the behavioral referrals have decreased for all five of the student participants at their school, and noted that the work that the mentor has done with them in regards to conflict resolution and peer pressure is really making a difference. These students are now walking away from what used to get them into arguments or fights and are implementing the skills that the mentor has worked with them on. Similarly,the staff member shared that the students are less excluded from class since they began working with the mentor. When asked how the program has helped the specific students who have been involved,the administrator and staff member from the same school both mentioned a particular student. This student comes from a generational gang family, but is moving in a different direction. They both expressed that this student academics and attitude have greatly improved. According to the administrator,the student's energy and focus are the biggest shift for them. 33 57 Helpful to have a mentor not affiliated with school A staff member identified that it has been very helpful for the students to have a mentor who was unaffiliated with the school. According to them, with an independent mentor, the students don't feel they are being judged and can talk through behaviors. Additionally,this staff member expressed that it has been helpful to have someone who consistently work with the students, as in their role they only see the students when crises erupt. Program challenges Limited duration of program Most of the school staff members/ administrators (3/4) identified the limited duration of the program as a challenge. All of these individuals expressed that the program needed to start sooner in the school year. One of these staff members identified the late start of the program as the biggest challenge since the mentor had to spend most of his time growing rapport with the students. An administrator expressed that the program was likely too short to make a noticeable difference, as they had not noticed a change in the students or their relationships and was unsure if the students' teachers have noticed an impact. A staff member similarly expressed they had not noticed an impact with the teachers due in part to the short-term project length. Additionally, both of the staff members suggested that the program needed to continue during the summer. According to one of these staff members, the summer is when students most need this type of resource and the program should keep in touch with the students over the summer. Small Student Enrollment Half of the school staff members/ administrators (2/4) expressed that the pilot program has been too small. According to a staff member, the biggest challenge of the program was its small size. They expressed that the program needs to have more students involved. According to an administrator,the sample size was too small to impact the broader school climate and perhaps 10 student participants (per school) would have made a difference. Suggested changes to the YYLP Team Effort and Teacher Involvement Most of the school staff members/ administrators (3/4) expressed that the program should take on a team approach and involve teachers in the efforts of the program. Two of these individuals suggested a formal information sharing process between the teachers, school staff, and YYLP staff. A school staff member expressed that this process would allow the teachers and school staff to know which students are in the program and act as observers of behaviors that need improvement. This staff member also suggested that the program be linked up with the students' 34 58 PBIS intervention (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports), and to have the whole team of teachers, school staff, and YYLP staff be part of the effort to formalize it. A different staff member suggested that the program take the time to orient all of the 6th grade teachers to the program and its goals at the beginning of the school year, and for the teachers to be part of the effort to nominate youth for the program. Both of the staff members emphasized the need to engage teachers in the efforts of the program. Maintaining current students Both of the staff members expressed that the program should continue supporting the current student participants. Both also suggested that the program continue through the summer. Additionally, one of the staff members suggested that, if granted the OJJDP grant,the program should have the students who do well become leaders in the program and role models for other students rather than simply graduating them out of the effort. Meeting with the students Both of the administrators shared suggestions regarding the YYLP staff's presence at the school and interaction with the students. One of the administrators suggested that the YYLP staff member meet with each student at a consistent time so that the teachers can plan for the time the students will be out of their classroom. The second administrator expressed the need for the YYLP staff member to have a daily presence at the school, helping the students connect and engage with after school activities in order to fill the students' "down time." Expanding the program A staff member and an administrator shared suggestions regarding the expansion of the program. The staff member simply suggested that the program serve more students. The administrator expressed that the messages of the program be shared with more students, perhaps the entire 6th grade or the whole school. Suggestions for Engaging parents A staff member and an administrator (each from different schools) expressed that the program needs to engage parents more. The staff member suggested that the program educate parents (and teachers) about the possibilities and opportunities of the program. The administrator shared that some parents are shocked to learn that their children are involved with gangs, while other parents, who have been gang involved themselves or members of their extended family are, want to work with the school to develop a different path for their children. A separate administrator suggested there be parent meetings at each of the four middle schools each a week apart with the same information shared so that parents can attend the meeting that is most convenient for them. 35 59 Community Partnerships A staff member and an administrator from the same school expressed the need for community partnerships. The staff member specifically suggested partnerships with the Yakima Police Department and the Yakima Valley Fammorkers Clinic. The administrator suggested the program partner with businesses and community members to engage with the program. SUGGESTIONS TO HELP YAKIMA YOUTH AND FAMILIES The following section shares suggestions for future programs with Yakima youth that emerged from interviews with students, guardians, and school staff Suggestions from students about how to help Yakima youth in the future When asked to share ideas or suggestions for how the city could help Yakima youth and families in the future, one student felt the Yakima Youth Leadership Program should expand to more schools and help more kids. They said that the kids who are having a hard time, have low grades, and are always in trouble can change, too, and help. Another student mentioned an after-school program in the city, where kids can do fun activities and homework. The student said there should be more programs like it. Finally, another student indicated that youth need to have someone to talk to and share how they feel, saying: "1 would ask them.first how they feel about themselves and how they think they're going to he in the future 'Do you think that in the future you will have a good life? Do you think the things you are doing right now is going to affect you in the future? 1-would definitely ask them that. '' Suggestions offered by guardians More than hall(5/8) or the guardians interviewed shared suggestions regarding programs for youth. One guardian expressed that there should he more progranis for youth in general. Two guardians suggested summer programs for youth, with one specifying that the summer resource should be at the schools. Another guardian similarly suggested programming at the schools, but specified the need for non-sports, middle-school level after-school programs. According to this guardian, such programs could provide learning opportunities, and keep youth engaged and distracted from disruptive behaviors. Two additional guardians expressed similar concerns; programs should keep youth from being home alone or out on the streets. One guardian suggested there be a boot camp for youth to learn behavior and respect. A different guardian suggested there be more programs like the YYLP that help not only her child, but other youth who have problems. A few guardians (3/8) made parent-related suggestions. One guardian suggested there be programs that help parents know how to help youth with problems. Two guardians expressed the need for schools to inform parents about what is going on with their children. One of these 36 60 guardians particularly expressed frustration with the school only informing her of her child's behavioral issues once they had gotten out of hand, rather than contacting her when she could have helped to curb the behavior. Only one guardian expressed that they had no suggestions as the city is "doing a great job." Suggestions offered by school staff One administrator highlighted that the community programs and organizations currently available were far from the location of their school. They suggested satellite programs of some of the Yakima after school programs (such as the Yakima Police Activities League, Henry Beauchamp Community Center and Union Gospel Mission's Madison House) located in the neighborhood adjacent to the school or at the school itself If the satellite programs were to be at the school, they further suggested that grant funds be used to compensate school staff who agree to be available to keep the school building open for these programs. All of the school staff members/ administrators expressed the need for parent engagement. One administrator shared that their school has been working to address low parent engagement for the past three years and that they felt middle school is a critical age for parent engagement. A different administrator suggested there be parent outreach and support.. A staff member suggested the city involve parents in programs and help them re-engage with their children. They further specified involving parents in their children's sports programs and doing field trips with both the children and parents to connect them with different resources, such as the Yakima Police Activities League. An administrator had many, varied suggestions. This included suggestions to: create more summer activities for middle-school-age youth; create long-term mentorship relationships for these youth and a future chance to job-shadow; and help these youth connect to the school. According to this individual, as a community they need to make the program's approach a habitual way of life and create a model that maintains this long term. PROJECT LIMITATIONS The major challenge faced by the Yakima Youth Leadership Program was the delayed start date. A number of factors contributed to this, including delays imposed by the city council, challenges hiring a project coordinator, and difficulties gaining the support of the Yakima School District. While the NTT2 grant funds became available July 1, 2018, the steering committee did not meet until September 13, 2018 due to the city council's decision to restructure the steering committee. At this initial meeting,the steering committee interviewed candidates for the project coordinator role. Due to other difficulties in the hiring process, the project coordinator did not begin their role until mid-October. The combination of the city council's decision and the challenges hiring 37 61 the project coordinator meant that the project was not able to truly begin until 3 and '/2 months after the grant funds became available. These were the first delays to the project. The next delay to the project was due to difficulties in gaining the support of the Yakima School District and drawing up the necessary Memorandums of Understanding(MOUs)for the project. While the YYLP mentor was hired on February 1, 2019, by the time the MOUs had been established and the school sites selected it was early March. Additionally, it took time to identify the youth participants and place the mentor at the school. As a result,the mentor had his first meeting with most youth in early April. Due to the delayed start date, the program's time period was relatively short and the program commenced late in March when there were less than three months left of the school year. This meant that the mentor had a very limited time to build rapport and trust with the student participants. Additionally, the program coincided with state testing periods at the end of the school year,thus causing most of the students to miss 1-2 meetings with the mentor. Lastly, it becomes more challenging to work with students at the end of the school year due to fatigue, burnout, and their anticipation of the summer break. Finally, an intention of the program was to build relationships with and provide support to the parents as well as the youth. The logic model (Figure 1) reflects this parent intervention component. Due to program's late start and short duration however, the mentor's limited time was focused on the students and he was consequently unable to work closely with the parents. CONCLUSIONS Despite some early challenges getting off the ground,Now is the Time 2 accomplished some significant outcomes. In the first 6 months,the project brought together many key stakeholders from across the city of Yakima including staff and people from education, after school programs, health care, social services, faith communities, youth development, housing, criminal justice and law enforcement, and housing as well as many passionate community members. These efforts (especially the Village) increased networking and collaboration across sectors and organizations, and laid the foundation for some important next steps to continue building the capacity of local organizations to better serve Yakima youth and families. Despite its limited reach to 10 youth in 2 middle schools,the Yakima Youth Leadership Program improved many key outcomes for youth. Intensive work with the mentor improved GPA and attendance for most youth, reduced disciplinary actions, and improved youth attitudes toward learning and school. In addition, most youth developed a stronger sense of self by the end of the program and were able to communicate better with peers, teachers and with parents. Conflict 38 62 resolution and decision-making skills improved for most students. Students' awareness of gangs increased through the program, and their negative attitudes toward gangs increased. RECOMMENDATIONS The following recommendations for next steps are informed by the findings presented in this report: Recommendation related to capacity-building efforts and future partnerships • Provide more opportunities for agencies and organizations to network and identify ways they can support each other and collaborate to better serve the community • Support organizations and agencies in getting more funding for their programs and identifying creative ways to address staff and space shortages; after school providers, in particular, currently cannot meet the demand for their services and students echoed that they would like to have more after school programs and activities available to them • Drawing on the list of 150 agencies and organizations that has been developed from the Village meetings, create an interactive database that can be shared among organizations and across sectors that would allow for organizations to share resources, track participants' engagement with their services, and identify key impacts of their service utilization Recommendations related to programs and services for Yakima youth and families • Seek funding and support to expand the YYLP23 in order to serve more students, work more intensively to support and educate families and increase parent engagement, and collaborate more effectively with schools • Collaborate with the Yakima School District to try to reduce disciplinary actions that may lead to youth being out of school for lengthy periods of time For example,by hiring more mentors for each school to institutionalize the program. 39 63 • Create more after school programs or satellites of existing after school programs (at or near schools) and other kinds of opportunities and activities for youth including weekend and summer programs • Ensure that programs and services for youth and families are accessible and affordable 40 64 APPENDICES Appendix 1: GRIT ViUwe November 15, 2018 Meeting Notes Appendix 2: GRIT Villaae January 15. 2019 Meeting Notes Appendix 3: GRIT Village March. 13,2019 Meeting Notes Appendix 4: GRIT ViUwe March 13,2019 Meeting Evaluation Appendix 5: GRIT \Tillaae May 29, 2019 Meeting Notes Appendix 6: GRIT Village May 29. 2019 Meeting Evaluation& Survey Results Appendix 7: GRIT Viihige Agency Collaborations Appendix 3: Risk&Protective Factors Appendix 9: Youth Survey Appendix 10: Youth.Interview Guide Appendix 11: Parent Interview Guide Appendix 12: School Staff Interview Guide Appendix 13: Student Data Sheet Summary 41 65 APPENDIX 1: GRIT Village November 14, 2018 Meeting Notes Gang Reduction Intervention Taskforce Nov. 14,2018 GROUP 1 Child and families need to feel connected to their community (personally and socially) in a positive way. This connection would prevent gang involvement and reduce gang activity. Ways to be connected: • Connect through the schools with 6th and 8th graders and their guardians to take interest inventories and assessments. • Mentoring. • Establish guardian support groups. • Create scholarships to pay fees for sports, parks and rec activities, clubs, and transportation. • Create massive advertising campaigns to support free, positive family activities. • Provide opportunities for children and their families to have successful experiences. GROUP 2 Target group: Male, 10— 11 years old There is power in: • Collaboration and networking with other systems (partnering organizations) and leveraging capacity of our partners. • Having joint meetings/presentations from different partners. • Learn what we all do and how we can join together. • Coalition—on going meetings and action • School involvement and small study/research of impact/change within the school system. • Peer support • Outreach efforts • Wrap around supports GROUP 3 Safe healthy kids need 3 things: a place, hope, and love. These things give children a purpose. Purposes are positive or negative. Positive purposes are (1.) a sense of belonging(2.) learning new skills and (3.) celebrating progress. Negative purposes are (1.) lack of support and (2.) no identity. Positive and negative purposes lead to intervention. 42 66 GROUP 4 Target Group: Male, middle school age (11 — 14 years old) —Franklin - 10 Washington -10 Lewis & Clark-10 Prevention Peer—to—Peer module A male role model • Has lived the experience • Family engagement • Addressing behavior/trauma • Collaborative/partnership referrals or resources for basic needs • 'Incentives money, new job, skills,job placement, diversion programs, gift certificates for clothing, and school supplies, etc. • Application process • High Ropes course • Camp Cispus Goal/track for success: Grades, attendance, behavior GROUP 5 Target Group: 4th grade high risk males Time: Before/during/after school Program Type: • Incentive Program • Skill building • Education • Parent and child interaction/social skills • Expectations/education and behavior GROUP 6 PREVENTION • Strong Family Relationships 1. Family counseling 2. Family bonding activities 43 67 3. Education for parents/family members 4. Mentor/trusted adult figure a. Someone the youth can relate to b. Has had past gang involvement • Pro-Social Activities 1. YMCA/Community Centers 2. School sports/clubs that are affordable and available to all 3. Safe and supportive environment 4. Support group for ex-gang members • Basic Needs 1. Access to resources and services 2. Education on where to obtain needed items/services. (J.E., food, clothes, etc.) • Community Acceptance 1. Felon-friendly employers 2. Community perception GROUP 7 PREVENTION STARTS YOUNG EARLY GRADE SCHOOL • Programming in grade schools for families • Parenting/Family classes IDENTIFY BARRIERS FOR FAMILIES FROM PARTICIPATING IN PREVENTION SERVICES • Bring services to large companies to help mitigate financial losses • Message in the community to support families participation in intervention INCREASING COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES PARTICIPATION IN SERVICES WITHOUT LOSING RESOURCES TO SURVIVE (CORPORATE/BUSINESS) INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY SAFER COMMUNITY GROUP 8 WHAT PEOPLE NEED—REFER TO MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS • Connection 44 88 • Purpose • Meaning Throughout a person's life they find power in positive connections, love, meaning, purpose, and acceptance. Programs designed with these concepts in mind must be culturally relevant to make people feel that they matter. Crime involvement/violence such as murder, is fought by parent education and money to improve the neighborhood living environment. GROUP CO1MUNFTY APPROACH ADDRESSING THE ROOT CAUSES/FACTORS OF VIOLENT INVOLVEMENT EMENT AMONG OUR YOUTH ADDRESSING: • Cultural ID --- Family upbringing Racial ID ----Nationally and worldwide • Youth find a common language—How- Why—Factors Support services in our schools directly • Understanding Our Community Mapping Address economic issues • Working towards a community supportive approach/setting for our parents in our local public schools, community centers, faith based, other youth driven approach to services directly. • Understanding Our Community Its strengths and weaknesses How can agricultural developments help our community? • Addressing Mental Health Issues—Representation of professional mental health councilors with education certificates and degrees. • Addressing policies, requirements, and procedures with youth resources. • Community reflection TARGET GROUPS: • Parents • Community providers • Middle school children ages 1.1 — 14 • Yakima County • Rural Community Approach • On-going enriching educational programs for parents and youth. GROUP 10 45 69 HEALTH • Basic needs (food, housing, clothing) • Healthy relationships • Mental health/substance abuse • Addressing violence Addressing the need where they arc at. It's everyone's job. EDUCATION: Parents: • ACES/Incredible Years • Powerful Families (Leadership Advocacy) • Strengthening Families • GED or High School diplomas • Mentoring --formal and informal Youth: • Tutoring After school/summer programs • Employment WIOA, Youthbuild, 100 Jobs, 100 Kids • S.T.EAI. • Mentoring—formal and informal INCOME • How to understand and address poverty. • Generational poverty • Training programs —NCAC; PFP GROUP 11 KIDS AND FAMILIES ARE SAFE AND SUPPORTED • Engage neighborhoods, schools, etc. • Provide learning opportunities, life skills experiences by drawing on strengths, skills, interests of community members. • Holistic approach (Prevention, Intervention, Suppression) • Learn from past successes and failures 1. Build on successes and strengths 2. Engage previous participants then leaders SUSTAINED, COORDINATED, COMPREHENSIVE, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT KIDS AND FAMILIES ARE ISOLATED, NOT SUPPORTED AND AT RISK! 46 70 47 71 APPENDIX 2: GRIT Village January 15, 2019 Meeting Notes City of Yakima Gang Reduction Task Force meeting 1/15/19 Intro: Cliff Moore, Yakima City Manager Intro: Matt Fairbank, Gang Reduction Intervention Taskforce Consultant David Cortez: Sergeant,Yakima Police Dept. As a police officer, initially,he had street beat. He found that gangs were responsible for a lot of the crime locally. He started to become proactive to target these individuals to prevent the burglaries, auto thefts,mischief situations, etc. After 6 years,he became a detective(concerning property issues). He found that 65%of those crimes were being committed by gang members,most of the others were being committed by drug users. He began to work with gang members and drug users. After a few years,he transferred into major crime,working with serious assaults,homicides, etc. They were half gang related.Now, it's gone up. The others were due to drugs or DV situations. By the end of 2003,he wrote up a gang assessment and became a gang investigator. They targeted individuals(gang members)in hopes of reducing crime. Three years later,he went into the community services division. He taught 4th and 7th graders in schools. This was GREAT: Gang Resistance Education and Training. It introduced kids to skills they don't have—social skills, listening, communication,goal setting, etc. The research has found that the kids who succeeded and failed were from the same neighborhoods and schools. Their likability had a huge effect on their outcomes.When people like someone,they tend to spend more time with them,i.e. coaches,teachers,parents. Likable kids got more help and support. They found that it had nothing to do with race or similar characteristics. Things are not hopeless. It's always worth spending some time to make things better. These days,we're seeing an increase in youth crime(all types of crimes)-armed robberies,gun possession, serious assaults. There is an increase in gang issues. The kids in gangs are getting younger,and there are more gangs. The increase in gangs leads to an increase in violence. The victims and suspects are a lot younger. Kids these days are open in talking about their drug use. Legalizing marijuana has led to more drug use.Marijuana legalization has brought about an Increase in revenue,but it has simultaneously brought a huge increase in the damage it causes. There's been an increase in DUIs. These types of crimes are very expensive to prosecute. Homelessness is a contributing factor. Kids in this situation tend to have no respect for authority(their parents, teachers,police, etc.). Their parents don't want them back because of the lack of respect and their inability to control them. The leading cause of death among African American youth is ODs. It has surpassed car accidents. Katlin Standiford: The gangs sell drugs and use drugs. Drugs are actively part of the gang community. She showed a heat map of Yakima that correlated with this(see slide). Between 2017 and 2018, drug issues went up. In 2017 there were 106 ODs; in 2018 there were 188 ODs. The east side of town has more of this,but it's making its way west. Dave Cortez:In everything in life,you need to know as much as you can about your opponent in order to oppose them/it. This is also the case with gang issues. Definition of Street Gang: (see slide). Three or more people with a common name, sign,or symbol, and they engage in criminal activity. All gang members commit crimes. The reasons street gangs form: bias,they're being treated differently. It's the unpopular kids. Racism is a factor. This is a thing that makes them different and heads them toward gangs. Class distinction is a factor. The less money 48 72 you or your family has,it makes you feel less than. So you gravitate towards others in the same position you're in, leading to gangs. Types of gangs: • Turf oriented: about neighborhoods or location Hybrid: These pop up out of nowhere. They have no real roots or ties to city or location. Profit oriented gangs. Their purpose is to make money. They will be the ones involved in human trafficking, pimping out girls,gambling rings,extorting people. Politics,religion,philosophy. These gangs are about beliefs,ex. jihadi gangs. The gang violence happens in prison too(lie gave an example about a guard who was beaten up). Katlin Standiford: Criteria for classifying them as gang members: criminal activity, self identification,hanging around gang members, colors,numbers, signs,tattoos,photos with other gang members on social media, associating with other gang members, involved in gang related crime or activities;targeting rival gang members(one of these two in bold is necessary in order to classify someone as a gang member),ID'd as a gang member by another gang member; (see slide as it is a list of 13 items) The police must show at least two of the criteria plus the two in bold,and it has to be within the last 5 years in order to classify someone as a gang member. If it was longer ago than that,they have to be removed from the database.The local database is shared with a state database. Last year,they had 3000 people in this database who had some level of an alert about gang involvement.Locally,they exchange information with the Department of Corrections(prison)to keep it current Gang members today are as young as 9 years old! Dave: Graffiti gives us a lot of intel who's active,which gang is where,who's going into rival territory(someone who does indicates he's got backup and is probably armed). They can watch the graffiti to get information. It's not illegal to be a gang member.It's the crimes that are illegal. Shots fired pie chart slide shows where evidence was collected about shots fired in Yakima in 2018. This is broken down according to motive.Accidental discharge 1%,drugs 16%,DV 5%,gang 42%,homelessness 4%,money 1%, unknown(the rest 21%?). The gangs here are the Surenos(blue, 13) and Noitenos(red, 14). They started in the 1980s.In 1988,gangs came up from California. They were willing to use guns. More crime came with them. Sometimes,the parents of gang members in California would send them to Yakima to get them away from the CA gangs,but it just exported the gangs to here. This took a small fish in a large bowl and made him a big fish in a small bowl. So the gangs here became just like they are in CA. They became quiet in responding to questioning by police.They won't answer questions even when they are the victims of crime. Dave Cortez told more about the history of the gang situation. There was a split between the northerner CA gang members(14 stands for the letter N north). The number 1:3 stands for the letter M.i.e. the Mexican mafia. These are southern CA gang members.Using the colors is how they could tell them apart in prison and elsewhere. When Dave first started here,there were a couple of street gangs Now there are lots(see slide). The population has grown, so the number of gangs has too. With that increase comes more crime. They are now being controlled by die CA gangs.Now we're dealing with gang members who are spoiled brats—generation IY(the I in IY stands for I 49 73 phone,I pad, i.e. the I generation). They were born in the 2000s. (See slide comparing generation Y and generation IY)Generation IY: low empathy, slack-tivist(little involvement)unless it's a fashionable cause;technology is practically a body part;they are very self-absorbed; ambiguous about the future—have no clue about the future; postponed maturation. What motivates one to join: (see slide) Dynamics: (see slide) They're looking for direction,have a lack of supervision,poor self-esteem. Gangs allow them to gain status that they couldn't otherwise gain outside of the gang. They are influenced by the media. They are motivated by money. They can be very charismatic. Violence in the gang culture: They use violence for image, status,recognition,respect,problem-solving,pay back. Research consistently shows the connection between gangs and violence. Katlin: Homicides in Yakima: (showed slide for 2018—the number of homicides per 1000 people). There's been an increase since 2014. There's also been an increase in the population during that time. 44%of our homicides were gang related. The rest were accidental, due to drugs, alcohol,DV,homelessness, etc. Dave: Gang investigation barriers: (see slide) Prosecution concerns: Threats to victims and witnesses by the gang interferes with prosecution and with the availability of witnesses. Matt: Gave out colored dots for people to vote for which topic areas attendees would like more info on for the posters on the wall for a future meeting. Chevy Cortez,the Love Project:He's been here 24 years. He was born in Texas. He's been here since 1987. His family came as migrant workers. They first went to Mt. Vernon,then Sunnyside and Granger.He had never experienced gangs. When he was 10,his mom partied a lot. He had to drag her home, clean her up,and care for her. In 1989 they moved to Tri-Cities with her mom's boyfriend. Chevy did very well in school and was still not exposed to gangs. At age 11,he started drawing. He got his first tattoo at 11. He found out that his mom's boyfriend's family were drug addicts. He decided to never be like that. In 1990,gangs started coming around. The landscape has changed a lot from then to now. Gangs took him in when he was in the Tri-Cities. At 13,he joined the gang. He had a lot of anger. He hated the rivals with a passion(the reds). In 1993 he moved back to Sunnyside at age 15. He was in the LBL (?)gang.He got his brother into it. You had to keep your mouth shut about activities.In 1995 he found out he was going to be a dad. Because of this he decided to snap out of it. He knew that he would end up dead or in prison and didn't want that with a kid on the way. He moved to Yakima. He started attending school at OIC. He got his GED. He had gotten kicked out of several schools for being in gangs.He knew he would die if he stayed in the gangs. In OIC two people that worked with him made a huge impact - Sandra(his case manager)and Jodi(a teacher who taught the GED program). The turning point was meeting and becoming friends with Mike, a Norteno from CA.Mike gave him an invitation. It was an invitation to church to see a movie,the Duke of Earl. He then became a born-again Christian. This changed his life. He wanted to work with gang members and help kids. This is how the Love Project came about. He went back to school. He is now a graphic designer and is successful, despite coming from poverty. His life changed because of God and because of people who took the time to work with him. He got tired of people talking bad about Yakima and decided he wanted to make it better. What they do at the Love Project is show up for kids—go to the juvenile detention center, etc. There's not a lot for the kids to do around here. This contributes to them joining gangs. Show up for the kids! You can get out of the gangs. There is a way out. 50 74 Matt: How can we be those people who show up in the lives of kids?Kids at Hope(on the west side). What makes a difference is for kids to have faith in their potential,to trust that they can do something with their lives. It's not the programs that fail. It's us that fail. What touched you the most about the presentations today? Put your dots out. Thanks for coming. The next meeting will be in two months. 51 75 APPENDIX 3: GRIT Village March 18, 2019 Meeting Notes OPEN DOORS YOUTH REENGAGEMENT PROGRAM PRESENTATION Nikki Cannon, Executive Director, ESD 105 Ms. Cannon explained the statewide program that ESD 105 participates in. This dropout reengagement program is designed for young adults 16—21 years old who are either drop outs or not expected to graduate from high school by the time that they are 21. This holistic approach to education reengages youth by offering a variety of programs: • GED preparation so they can earn high school and college credits • Job training apprenticeships • Housing, support, clothing, and supplies • Emotional regulation and mental health services • Mentoring • Transportation • Community support There is a great need for the Open Doors program in the Yakima area. Right now, 900 youth in the area are eligible for this program. Most youth who drop out of school have Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE). Most of these children suffer from health challenges based on their ACEs history. Only 79% of students in Yakima School District class of 2018 graduated. (Yakima County student graduation rate is 73.2%.) If disconnected youth can be reengaged in the educational system and graduate with a GED they are more likely to get jobs. Crime also goes down. Research shows that if the graduation rate grows by as much as 10%murder and assault rates go down by 20%. The Open Doors program builds better lives and a better community. Through community partnerships and offering multiple ways for students to be successful in life, disconnected youth can become a valuable part of our city. ESD 105 intends to start an Open Doors program this fall and is looking for partnerships with agencies to base service delivery on site for the variety of programs listed above. The site will be on S. 2"Ave, across from the ESD 105 buildings. PANEL DISCUSSION BY IN THIS TOGETHER, TRIPLE R MINISTRIES,AND THE LOVE PROJECT These organizations work together, side by side, to help youth stay out of gangs. Members on the panel shared their personal stories on how gang involvement influenced their early years and how they were able to get out of gang life. Their experiences gave them the desire to go out on the streets and mentor young children. In their cases it was a caring person or a program that enabled these people to leave the gang life. 52 76 People involved in these programs range from legal professionals to former gang members. They are all very dedicated people who want to keep kids out of gangs. Most of their time is spent working on an individual basis with kids so they can have a caring adult in their lives. The key to success is spending time with the kids several times a week to build a trusting relationship. As a mentor, one has to get on their level and be determined to be there for them. Commitment to these youth also has risks. Some people have been threatened by older gang members because kids are listening to their message of love, honor, and acceptance. The group invited people to attend their weekly meetings at 5:15 on Thursdays at the Heights Church at 101 Butterfield Rd., just north of Terrace Heights Drive. 53 77 APPENDIX 4: GRIT Village March 18, 2019 Meeting Evaluation Evaluation of GRIT MEETING March 18, 2019 Attendees at the March 18th GRIT Village meeting were asked to provide feedback about the meeting via a short survey via Survey Monkey, an online survey platform, after the conclusion of the March 18`hmeeting. The following themes were identified: Opportunity to network All participants who completed the evaluation appreciated the opportunity to learn about all the local agencies and resources for youth and families in Yakima. Eleven out of 14 respondents said they learned about programs or organizations to which they could refer people in their program. Many participants spoke, in particular, about how the meeting provided a valuable space where they could learn about all the resources available for at risk youth in Yakima, network with other organizations, and make connections for the future. According to one participant: "Several agencies in one place gave us the opportunity to make some important contacts and future partnership." Participants inspired by former gang members on panel Several participants highlighted how inspired they were by the panel presentations by In this Together, Triple R Ministriesand the Love Project. Panel members shared their experiences as former gang members and a participant highlighted the critical impact this population can have on youth who may be at risk of gang involvement: "(What I liked most about today's meeting was the) testimony given by the panel. Real talk, the youth will listen to them as most have been there, done that and they are credible." Participant learnings A majority of participants learned more about organizations working to address gang involvement and about the passion for doing this work that is shared across groups and organizations. Three participants specifically mentioned learning about Open Doors, and another 3 participants mentioned learning about faith groups (In This Together, Triple R Ministries and the Love Project)that are involved in this work. One participant said it was their first time learning about these organizations, indicating that there may be some need for more networking opportunities like this one. Several other participants spoke more generally about learning there are many organizations and individuals in Yakima that are trying to help youth, and some clearly felt hopeful as a result: I learned that the concern for those in gangs and in preventing gang 54 78 involvement is shared by a broad range of people in the community. That gives me hope!" Another person said, "Gang prevention success depends on an intentional effort from individuals to get involved and the awareness that it is a collective work. It's a daunting job that necessitates people in the front line like Chevy who's been a gang member and can relate to their lifestyle." Serving youth and families better through building partnerships Most participants felt the meeting helped them to identify ways they could partner with other organizations to better serve Yakima youth and families.One person said,"I think there are some organizations that we can partner with, and working together will help better serve some families." This, the idea of sharing resources and collaborating with other organizations and agencies, was a sentiment echoed by others. Reinforcing a theme discussed earlier, several also talked about finding out more about resources to which they could refer their participants. For example, one person mentioned finding out about providing resources to youth and families through the People for People 2-1-1 Call Center and another said they learned about the ESD Open Doors program. One participant said the meeting was a catalyst for their organization: "It gave me the opportunity to start a conversation with my team." Finally, one participant talked about how the meeting made them aware of how other organizations might need their services: "As a trauma informed trainer, I see the need to extend my reach to more organizations and groups. " Suggestions for next GRIT meeting Several respondents expressed the desire to have more time for networking at the next meeting: "Would love to have a little bit longer to have some conversation around the table about how organizations could partner and help each other. Obviously it's tough to do that with the entire group, but maybe that could happen in smaller groups with similar focuses. " Another person with a similar idea felt it wasn't helpful to have individuals stand up and introduce themselves to the large group. Instead,this person suggested: "Consider having 10 minutes to "meet" someone(s)you don't know. No reporting out, stay focused on the prize-what are we doing with the initiative." This person said they had a lot of questions about the ESD Open Doors initiative and expressed surprise that no one at their table had been contacted by those planning the Open Doors program even though they represented critical youth-serving organizations in Yakima. Another suggestion made by a couple participants was to continue to bring key agencies to the meetings and perhaps have another panel presentation from another organization serving youth. However, participants clearly greatly appreciated the meeting, the opportunity for learning about other resources in Yakima, and wanted "more of the same". Helping organizations in Yakima build their capacity to serve youth and families. The following suggestions were offered for next steps to help organizations in Yakima build their capacity to serve youth and families of Yakima: 55 79 • Create ways to facilitate networking, capacity and partnership building across organizations serving youth and families. hor example, one person recommended "...a website that lists all of the community agencies that attend these meetings along with so many others that don't.If we were able to go to one place to access this information to improve networking and collaboration, including training that we could all take part in, I think would he a nice start." Another person wanted a way to learn more about the needs(such as supplies, volunteers, space, etc.) of local programs and organizations that others could immediately respond and propose collaborations and partnerships. Another respondent urged for a "process"to facilitate referrals for youth and families, with a"commitment from agencies that are going to he involved in assisting with the program." Another person said it is important that agencies and the services they provide for youth and families become more visible in the community as key resources hi Yakima Similarly another respondent advocated for..."Physically getting out there and getting involved is the only way this will continue to work. " • Raise awareness among local agencies about progress made and partnerships created • Provide opportunities for youth to get involved. One participant said: "To actually have the opportunity to step out there with the youth. Maybe we can have a gathering with youth and have a "speed dating"type of event. We have youth sit down or he stationed, and'us as providers, every 5-10 minutes, we would switch, explain our program-a minute or 2, then we ask the youth about themselves. Then the hope will be that they now know adults who would be supporting them along with having resources." Another said: "Bring youth in on the conversation....Never do anything for them without them."Another participant talked about the need to develop closer relationships with youth (see comment: "Get closer to them know their fhith'). The need for more training to build the capacity of organizations was mentioned by a couple participants. One said, "Training'1 Good intentions and the desire to help aren't enough. Suggestions to prevent youth from entering or becoming involved with gangs 'The strongest theme related to how to prevent youth from entering or becoming involved with gangs focused on building strong relationships and trust with youth and helping them to overcome traumas in their life("reducing ACES and increasing resiliency"). Another respondent specifically mentioned how important it is to "disconnect"youth from older generations of gang members and provide more "connections with supportive adults who will take time out and just he where they are".:Another respondent said, "The root of Juvenile delinquency is the lack c- love, instruction, and discipline in the home. We must equip and support agencies that are in the 56 80 front line because they have access to kids through the relationship and trust they build with them." In addition to supporting youth, one participant also encouraged more support for families: "Reach out to families who you know are struggling with their child's behavior or just plain struggling." Another theme in respondents' suggestions focused on better supporting groups and organizations in the community that are already helping youth and families and building their capacity to do more. This person also expressed some frustration with grant-focused projects such as GRIT which "will go the way of its predecessors and long term nothing ever really gets done. " They continued... "I'd like to see more support of the groups out there that just jumped in and are already doing great work. Most of them are not being supported and I think that is where Yakima is really getting it wrong. If we want to make a difference, let's look at what we have in our community that is working and build up capacity from there. " Consistent with this theme of building the capacity of local organizations, at least 2 respondents urged for more partnerships between local agencies and schools. One suggested that agencies could provide more talks and sessions in the schools, participate more in school events, and offer more resources to parents. Finally, one respondent felt that Yakima needed more youth development agencies (such as Boys and Girls Club). Providing more positive outlets and opportunities for youth was another theme in several respondents' comments. For example, more opportunities related to sports, music, or "special event days in Yakima with activities for youth" were suggested. Consistent with the earlier theme of positive mentorship and support for youth, another respondent suggested "finding other ways for them (youth) to find belonging and connection. Keeping kids from dropping out of school would help a ton.Open doors seems great, but maybe it's a little bit reactive versus proactive." 57 81 APPENDIX 5: GRIT Village May 29, 2019 Meeting Notes GRIT VILLAGE MEETING May 29, 2019 Five After School Programs in Yakima and a Middle School Pilot Program were featured at today's meeting. There were just a few minutes available at the end of the meeting to highlight some programs/efforts that have not previously been represented. AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS: Panel Presentation of five programs. ON THE CORNER/CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH 1604 W. Yakima Ave. Yakima, WA 98902 Denise Svendsen, Director 509-575-6490 denise.svendsen@cicyakima.org This after school program meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30 — 5:30 p.m. Their program offers a safe environment where children can learn good character traits, explore hobbies, participate in enrichment programs,tutoring, and receive emotional support. The curriculum also has children involved in service projects so they develop a sense of community. There is a Girls Coding(computer) Club that meets on Wednesdays for middle school girls during the school year. On the Corner partners with the WSU extension office. They provide programs, staff, and funding for the girls. There is no cost to participate in On the Corner programs. YAKIMA POLICE ACTIVITIES LEAGUE 602 N. 4th Ave. Yakima, WA 98901 Michele Forester, Outreach/Program Coordinator 509- 575-6180 micheleyakimapal@outlook.com YPAL offers a large variety of programs to show children that there are alternatives to drug and gang involvement. All activities are supervised by police officers and adult volunteers. Types of activities include recreation, leadership, mentoring, education, and athletic programs. Participants range from 5 — 18 years old. YPAL also works with the whole family. Case management services are available to the parents of the children who come here. In August a new Parents of Teens Support Group will be added to the schedule. The summer program will be 58 82 held 11 a.m. —5:30 p.m. Monday—Thursday and will include sports, camping, and trips to the library and pool. There is an annual fee of$20 per youth (living in Yakima)to be a member. Annual fee of$25 for youth living outside of Yakima. $15 summer program activity fee to cover (city pool admission fee). Some scholarships or fee work off arrangements are made as needed. AGAPE YOUTH CENTER/ FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH 112 N. Pierce Ave. Yakima, WA 98902 Annie Bunch, Intern or Ruben Escalera 252-675-9171 509-205-8159 abunchcareer@gmail.com This Center is part of the community outreach program of the church. Their goal is to help decrease gang involvement and drug use in Yakima. The Center offers a safe place for children to gather for games, snacks, mentoring, and enrichment activities. While the focus is on middle school and high school students, all age groups attend the programs. The Center is open Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 2:00—5:30. There is no cost to participate. ROD'S HOUSE 204 S. Naches Ave. Yakima, WA 98901 Joshua Jackson, Director joshua@rodshouse.org 509-895-2665 Rod's House serves homeless teenagers and young adults. The average ages are 13 —24 years old. It provides a safe, supportive environment where people can have their basic needs met. Services include clothing and food banks,job training and employment opportunities. It also connects teens with behavioral and physical health care. It's their goal to empower homeless young people to reach their full potential and be a positive influence in the community. They are open Monday—Friday 12:00 - 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 2 PM. No fee for services. HENRY BEAUCHAMP COMMUNITY CENTER/OIC 1211S. 7 ' St. Yakima, WA 98901 Adrianne Garner, Director 509-575-6114 59 83 Ad.Ga@YVoic.org The Community Center located in Southeast Yakima usually serves about 2,500 children annually. The After School Program is open Monday—Thursday 2:30—5:30 p.m. It offers a wide range of academic, athletic, leadership, and recreational programs for the neighborhood children. Children who go to Martin Luther King Elementary, Adams Elementary and Washington Middle School receive priority status for program participation. They also work with Juvenile Court by providing community service opportunities for at risk youth. Their summer program will be open Monday—Thursday 9 a.m. —4 p.m. They also coordinate the 100 jobs for 100 youth program and are still looking for additional job placements for youth this summer. The program is 4 weeks long. Youth work 20 hours per week at minimum wage. There are no costs for HBCC programs. Other programs invited but not able to participate included: Yakima Music en Accion YAMA: Stephanie Hsu, Director stephanie@yamamusic.org 509-571-4789 Modeled on the El Systema successful program, it teaches elementary, middle and high school age children to play string instruments and vocal (singing) skills as well as leadership, self-discipline and public presentation skills. Programs happen at Garfield Elementary and Davis High School. Program operates during the school year, Monday through Thursday after school. No cost to participate. (Times and cost information not yet confirmed with YAMA.) Beyond the Bell Kim Lopez, Program Manager Kim.lopez@yakimawa.gov 509-575-6020 After School Activity program sponsored by the Yakima Parks and Recreation Department. After school program for games, arts and crafts, homework assistance, fun and friends. Elementary age students. Takes place at Roosevelt Elementary School (120 N. 16th Ave., Yakima, WA 98902). Monday through Friday during the school year from after school to 6 PM. Cost is $3 per child per day or $46 per month. Registration beginning August 2nd at Parks office 2301 Fruitvale Blvd. 98902. Madison House 60 84 302 S 4th St Vinny Carrillo, Program Manager vinny.carrillo@yugm.org (509) 457-3370 Madison House is a program of the Union Gospel Mission located at the former Madison Elementary School in SE Yakima. Madison House's mission is to build up and fulfill the inner-city community's God-given potential through education, emotional and spiritual well-being. The Madison House summer and after school programs provide a safe haven for youth- an alternative to the streets,the gang influence and the peer pressure drug involvement. Program operates from 2:30 to 6 PM during the school year. (Days and times not yet confirmed with Madison House) All of the after-school programs expressed a need for additional volunteers and financial support. Please contact the program contact people if you know of resources to share. Presentation by Gary Garza—YAKIMA YOUTH LEADERSHIP PROGRAM The Yakima Youth Leadership Program is the WA State Grant Funded program designed as a Pilot Project under the GRIT efforts during this state fiscal year. Gary Garza is the program's staff person. As a former Yakima police officer and student resource officer for 30 years Gary studied behaviors that led middle school students into gangs and drugs. Under the Yakima Youth Leadership Program, Gary meets twice a week with 10 students who are 11 and 12 years old from Lewis and Clark and Franklin Middle Schools. They are either from generational gang families or have behavioral issues. The children are taught how to solve problems by role playing and developing their communication skills. Other subjects taught are the responsible use of social media, goal setting, drug and gang awareness and conflict resolution skills. The families of these students also are involved in this project. Besides receiving help with their parenting skills and referrals to community resources and services that they have identified they need help with, they have other responsibilities. They have to allow their children to be in the program and commit to continue the practices taught even when the project has ended. 61 85 Once the program's current funding has ended in June of this year, there will be follow up plans for the students by the Yakima School District via school resource officers and school leadership staff. School counselors will help families connect with existing programs for support during the summer. What are the next steps for this project? Gary is tracking the participants grades and school performance in hopes that a broader program will be developed in the future. Educational Service District 105 Education Advocates will also maintain contact and support with the students in the Yakima Youth Leadership Program when school begins again in the fall. Programs that have not previously participated had representatives at the meeting Arts Awareness Program, Lisa Graham and Derrick Worrell Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church, Alex Rule, Pastor, Spanish language congregation Yakama Nation Youth Treatment Center, Michael Balli and Joshua Jim Yakima County Dept. of Assigned Counsel, Juvenile Division, Jeff Swan Yakima School District Administration, Scott Izutsu Yakima City Council, Dulce Gutierrez 62 86 APPENDIX 6: GRIT Village May 29, 2019 Meeting Evaluation & Survey Results GRIT Village Meeting on May 29,2019: Evaluation 1. What was the best part about today's meeting for you? Half of the respondents appreciated hearing about the different youth programs. Some specifically appreciated learning what the different programs offer, what they need, and the role they fill in youth's lives. One-fourth appreciated the opportunity to network. For two respondents, Gary Garza was the best part of the meeting. 2. What do you think are the biggest challenges facing youth and families in Yakima? One-fourth of the respondents cited challenges related to youth programing, including the "lack of after school and family programs" and the limited "transportation for youth to programming." One-fourth cited poverty as a challenge. One-third cited challenges related to parent resources and work structure, including `family structure where both parents work and don't have capacity-financially or in time for much else," and low parent skills and education. Two respondents cited challenges relating to gangs, including"dreaming of a life beyond gangs." Other challenges cited included drugs, systemic racism and oppression, and "a community that is in silos and agencies that do not want to change their ways. " 3. What do you think are the most urgent needs of families in Yakima? Two respondents cited well-paying jobs, with one specifying "economic mobility within the community." Two respondents cited parent education, with one specifying education "regarding gangs, substance abuse and their rights." Another respondent cited gang recruitment intervention. Three respondents cited needs related to access to resources, with one specifying "more free/no cost programs." Two respondents cited resources needed for youth, including after school programs and mentorship opportunities. Other needed identified included mental health resources, safe housing and neighborhoods, and a welcoming community. 4. Do you think gangs are a problem in Yakima? Most of the respondents agree that gangs are a problem in Yakima. One respondent marked "somewhat"while another did not respond. 5. What do you think would most help to prevent youth from entering or becoming involved with gangs? One-third identified help related to youth programming. Some simply suggested for more programs and activities in the community, while one respondent specified the need for free or affordable programs. One respondent said "finding their passions and interests and placing them in correct groups/programs"would help youth. Relatedly, two respondents expressed the need for youth's strong sense of belonging and attachment to family and community. Also in terms of family, three respondents separately cited family support, parent involvement, and resources for generational poverty. Other suggestions for help included youth work opportunities, positive role 63 87 models and mentors, a safe place to be when parents are not home, and an increased number of police officers with some exclusively focused on gang activity. 6. What suggestions do you have for next steps to help organizations in Yakima build their capacity to serve youth and families in Yakima? Two respondents made suggestions related to databases. One suggested a database that would allow organizations to identify where help is needed and respond directly, while another suggested a shared database between organizations of the individuals served to track outcomes and impact. One respondent suggested for a way for like-minded organizations to connect. Two respondents made suggestions related to community awareness, including reaching out to parents and campaigning for awareness and recruitment. Other suggestions included mentoring, after-hours availability, increased funding, and after-school and weekend programming for youth and families. GRIT Village Meeting on May 29,2019: Results from Participant Surveys 1. What was the best part about today's meeting for you? • Julia K. Panelists need to be cut short and speak equally. I also think it needs to be addressed the quality of the programs—some have lower quality than others. • I love hearing about programs for youth in Yakima County. • Joshua J. Networking and seeing the panel and what programs offer. • Nothing written down. • Meeting the people at my table. • Networking, Hearing about youth programs. • Teri S. The entire presentation of after school resources and Gary Garza! • Hearing how basic life skills, problem solving, communication, are missing from the lives of these youth and how the community is trying to fill that role. • Listening to the needs of after school programs. • Andy F. Gary Garza. 2. What do you think are the biggest challenges facing youth and families in Yakima? • Julia K. A community that is in silos and agencies that do not want to change their ways. • Dreaming of a life beyond gangs. Developing goals and having help in achieving them. • Joshua J. After school activities. • Poverty. • Transportation for youth to programming. Poverty • Systematic racism/oppression. • Teri S. Parents work long hours and kids home alone. 64 88 • Quinn D. Parent education and resources. • Family structure where both parents work and don't have capacity-financially or in time for much else. • Reaching serious gang members. • Andy F. Poverty, Drugs, lack of parenting skills, latch key kids. • Rick D. Lack of after school and family programs . . . more weekend. 3. What do you think are the most urgent needs of families in Yakima? • Julia K. Access and a welcoming community. Kids and families won't attend if they don't feel welcome. • Opportunities for mentorship—someone to show youth another way that does not involve gangs, drugs and violence. • Joshua J. After school hours. • Assisting in providing resources to families • Good paying jobs and safe housing/neighborhoods. • Mental Health Resources. • Teri S. Parent Education and Support. • Quinn D. Education of Parents regarding gangs, substance abuse and their rights. • Economic mobility within the community. There are not enough jobs that pay family wages for all those who need one for their family. • Nothing written down. • Andy F. Domestic Violence, and drug use. Gang recruitment intervention. • Rick D. More free/no cost programs . . . Increase and development of mentoring. 4. Do you think gangs are a problem in Yakima? Yes No Not Sure (if No skip to #5) Yes 10, Somewhat 1,No 0, Not sure 0 One not marked. 5. What do you think would most help to prevent youth from entering or becoming involved with gangs? • Julia K.Prevention—that 3`athrough 5`hgrade development of when they are modeling what teens are doing. • Belonging to something important. • Joshua J. After School Activities. • Finding a resource to assist with generational poverty. • Nothing written down. 65 89 • Provide Family Support. • Teri S. Education. More things to do in the community. • Quinn D. Strong family and community attachment. • Parent Involvement—jobs-job shadows—paid work opportunities that last all year round. Increase the number of police officers with additional officers focused exclusively on gang activity. • Finding their passions and interests and placing them in correct groups/programs. • Andy F. Positive role models and mentors. Safe place to be when parents aren't home. • Rick D. No cost or affordable programs after school and weekends. 6. What suggestions do you have for next steps to help organizations in Yakima build their capacity to serve youth and families in Yakima? • Julia K. What is mentoring and what is the science of it. IT is concerning to have agencies promoting"mentoring"but it is really just career exploration and/or normal adult guidance. If all these agencies want to do actual mentoring, reaching out to Mentoring Works Washington would be beneficial. Mentoring matches not managed can cause more harm then benefit to kids. • A way for like minded and like missions to connect. • Joshua J. Be available after hours. • Nothing written down. • Some sort of database/list for people to see where help is needed and respond directly. • Nothing written down. • Teri S. Nothing written down. • Quinn D. Reaching out to parents—Yakima County Volunteer Attorney Service will have a school rights presentation for parents right before school starts in the fall. • Shared database of those served and someone to manage it. For example, if someone is at Rod's House they are in the database, then if they participate in an after-school program it is noted. This way outcomes and impact can be tracked. • Fund them. • Andy F. Media Campaign for public awareness and volunteer recruitment. • Rick D. After school and/or weekend programs for youth and families. 7. What suggested topics do you have for the next meeting of the Gang Reduction Intervention Taskforce Village? • Julia K. What is and is not mentoring. 66 90 • More about alternative education programs for kids who won't graduate from traditional high school. • • Hear from youth? • Teri S. Nothing Written down. • Maybe hear from Juvenile Justice: Steve Driscoll (YCJC detention manager), Judge Ruth Reukauf(YCSC Judge assigned to Juvenile Court), Jeff Swan (Public Defender, Juvenile Division), Joe Brusic, Yakima County Prosecutor. • There are models that fund after school programs for kids whose parents aren't home—are there any programs nationally or anywhere that skip the middleman (the after school program) and just fund parents to be home? In other words, what if we used our funding for parents? • Reaching Active Gang members. • Andy F. Nothing written down. • Rick D. Presentations from WA Juvenile Rehabilitation and/or County Juvenile Justice System and programs. 8. What is your organization's capacity to help the efforts being made to help kids make good choices and keep them away from gangs and gang violence (answer all that apply): 1 My organization has volunteers (Yakima Youth Treatment Center) 2 My organization has space/facilities (conference rooms for 35 and 15) 5 My organization has expertise in a field that it is willing share with youth, volunteers or organizations. 2 (including ESD 105) said running programs with space for more participants; another said soon to be running programs; can help with legal barriers (Yakima County Vol. Attorney Service) My organization is currently running programming for youth that has space for additional participants: My organization has youth that could use help/activities for kids and/or can provide referrals. • Teri Sanchez: People for People 211. My organization provides information on all agencies in the valley. • Andy Ferguson: First Baptist Church/Communidad Cristiana: Space/Facilities. Currently running programs with space for additional participants. • Rick deVilla: willing to volunteer. Has expertise in field. 67 91 APPENDIX 7: GRIT Village Agency Collaborations The following are some additional significant collaborations (not all immediately successful)that have developed as a result of networking among agencies at Village meetings: 1) Three organizations serving Yakima youth -- In This Together, The Love Project and Triple R Ministries—have collaborated to reach out to and engage with gang affiliated youth in hopes of accompanying them out of the gang lifestyle. 2) First Baptist Church/Comunidad Cristiana are opening Agape Youth Center in the near West side of Yakima. This center is designed for middle school and high school age youth who live in the neighborhoods around the church. The area has one of the highest presence of gangs in the city and also has very few youth services. They also have a summer day camp for elementary and middle school students. (This church also hosts weekly basketball and BBQs that the above groups put on for gang affiliated youth.) 3) The Yakima Area Arboretum, Yakima Police Activities League and the Henry Beauchamp Community Center collaborated to apply for a No Child Left Indoors grant from the Washington State Parks Department. 4) Many entities who have been participating in the Village meetings (including OIC of Washington and the Henry Beauchamp Community Center)recently collaborated on a grant application to OJJDP. The grant(if awarded) would provide mentoring for low-risk youth who have been in the juvenile justice system. In the collaborative grant process, there were representatives from the City of Yakima, the Yakima Police Department,the Yakima Sheriff's Office, mental health and health care providers (Yakima Valley Farmworkers Clinic), housing(Yakima Housing Authority), and Yakima Juvenile Justice Probation department. OIC, if the grant is awarded, would coordinate the mentors and youth. There would be minimal time commitment requirements for mentors (8 hours a month). Juvenile Probation, Yakima Farmworkers Clinic and YPD are all also represented on the Steering Committee board, and OIC is a regular attendee of the Village meetings. 68 92 APPENDIX 8: Risk & Protective Factors SCHOOL DOMAIN PEER AND INDIVIDUAL DOMAIN Risk Factors Protective Factors Risk Factors Protective Factors a Children who have • Active efforts by the a Due to laws:legalizing, a Youth in engaged Latino limited academic Yakima School District marijuana use for people families who are not success in school are to encourage over 21,youth likely rebelling likely feel more likely to drop out attendance(rewards perceive there to ae little pride in their heritage or experience for perfect attendance risk smoking marijuana. and therefore are more, behavioral blocks to and progress), Yakima County youth are resilient to the racism ongoing school + Education Advocates almost twice aslikely to and the low attendance. available for High be arrested for drug law expectations of them. + While schools try to School Age youth who violations as the state commonly present in reward attendance and have had contact with average (4 arrests per the wider community. punish truancy,these the criminal justice 1,000 versus 2.3 per efforts haven't been adequately successful system through an OSPI 1,000 children age 10 17, Whstv tr,•;,GdF at insuring annual grant to.ESC 105.. 2015 stet.) x ni in in nonini nix inn academic progress and + Local youth are more at..mst re cs.Fioasala academic competence F a111T11: likely to engage in tic.ar.i.Km b^3a.a=crz for all students, L. cg=ce:ior drraa:;y to rebellious or delinquent a 1r .social p,era'oup + Children between 1st roll n sclic ;:age behaviors than is the ?or innst., • ;i:ycutir_ and kth grade in Yakima vuu,th, norm in WA state.On a Ci a rn ,.Ge=v:c County are almost2.5 4 AI'ernat cc shoe( measures like alcohol and (.k in I le nt ball, ,e.i+. times as likely to have rctourec' ra t .u:ir.,f drug:offenses,property unexcused absences ridd e s,l,c., lg.v h.-d crime and vandalism; from school as their WA a-: una•c:ai Yakima County youth are. state counterparts as{:=iid , ,cfr ir,;-i, about 1.5 to 1.75 times. Fred feet iterns are not in. ,.au,iri more likely to be arrested H3u'a.ns and t„a a.ano io of ;ntrrmi c nsi:i'Oct for these crimes than the comm,nity domain peak ,i,lai inaz r h rn WA state average.) factors I"„� ci.ri}:dixm. + The Yakima County o When schools do not. teenage pregnancy rate is have a trauma io,=ormnd almost 3 times the state aporoacheo to school discipline;children v:ih'. average at 90 births per high ACEsscores we1,000 teenage more hkeiv to have girls/women. behavioral incidents. '... that lead to suspension and expulsion. + These rskfau ors lead to low%ohn e: atrachmeet and curnm,:rnet.as well is n^ere drama'ic. '.... challenges sucrt as long '...,. te`i'}clApension and: '.,. expo Si€gin. (All Statistics are from the 2015. WA.State Healthy Youth Survey.http,Wwww.askhys.re't) 69 93 COMMUNITY DOMAIN FAMtLY.DOMAIN Risk Factors Protective Factors Risk Factors Protective Factors • Low level.of • •attachment •. Active volunteers • Poor family.management Many parents are to their neighborhood serving youth in after (power dynamics off due engaged in their. • High level of school programs such to difference in children's education Community as On the Corner, immigration status), and work hard to make Disorganization(people Yakima Police Athletic (limited parenting skills), extra curricular unwilling to talk with Teague,Henry (Parental ahsence;.dads resources available to police about crimes Beauchamp Community not in picture,parents them. committed near them.) Center. working long hours, • Many of the more • Frequenttransitions in • Churches adopting. parents addicted to drugs traditional Latino. residency in schools and members or alcohol,parents in families in the area neighborhood, volunteering there. prison) have strong family • Laws favoring drug use, • Yakima Youth Awards • Family Conflict(between linkages.If the children legal marijuana use for annually honoring parents/adults/guardians, aren't rebelling,they. over age 21. youth who make a parents/guardians in likely feel cared about • Perceived ease of difference/are leaders conflict with children,and and watched over, availability of firearms • WA state laws on between siblings/step- (78%of the:Yakima. • Community norms firearms are fairly siblings$ school district's student favorable:to fire.arms :restrictive. • In:some families,parents: population are from • Limited opportunities have favorable attitudes Latino backgrounds.) for pro-social ra ha-r,needed: toward AntSocia' • Parents genuinely care. involvement % sgl'.c•.•cxrf. Behavior. for and:support their • Limited community at.achroghtin • In some families,parents children. rewards for pro-social nu g'sgrn lc on as have favorable attitudes involvement aM&i.nre.d t y igggIncim toward use of Alcohol, Whatg R cded: Red fort items are not in t..6r' et.a c .G.rursg Tobacco and other Drugs a gd.ggmong. "e's'in Leg Hews n's sod£ata•ano at of .C1r egg')ng„•iris, • Some families have fn utssaus t ,guard arcs. comm,msty domain risk „loci,a atct'r. history of antisocial or at,ct ,r parenting, factors rusgssusositStalgrcum. behavior including gang lye is,Fsa:;r • Pign-ateociacism end ac:s involvement. nggpigg..golggn 'In.r. racist staternerta•r the • Slang,'rg,' rn salslas stood • Low family attachment— ch,d<<n drsh,te r mmsnity. I :o-,tit;: due to differing aunt r; sass a 5'aars_ • }•igtt rate or poverty in n cr'a rg:nt..Cc'irroun:q generational expectations a n s a ofrata rt+2,: neighborhoods. r gran rrlafaa"a' of immigrant families, 'or,)r .:=a' a Log eaoectation of ' 'Cams rag-1,e,arc poor parenting skills, ma a vessiusst it S.I. chance for improved _'"'is +'s:r. limited time parents an gala tags,.. are Si,' ascrn.:f ,o spend with children. High level of rre,s9try in sad:I ing.a Sr.sort • Limited opportunities for pub in sphe'e.. =ggomniggy. families to have prosocial involvement in the d Immigrant parents don't Know wwnat tnci'rights are far diseiolining/contr:iti:ng: tha rchildren. (All Statistics are from the 2016 WA State Healthy Youth:Survey.http:J/oww.askhys.netj). 70 94 APPENDIX 9: Youth Survey Youth Survey Baseline& Final Hello. We are asking you to take this survey so that we can learn more about you and better support you in school and at home. The questions in this survey ask about your thoughts and opinions about yourself, your friends, your school, and your family. Your answers are CONFIDENTIAL.No one but the researcher and your mentor will know how you answered the questions. Your information will be assigned a unique identifier and no personal information will be used when results of the study are shared. Please follow these instructions: 1. Do NOT write your name on the questionnaire. 2. Read every question carefully and click on or circle your response to each question. 3. There are no right or wrong answers. Your opinion is what counts. 4. You may skip any questions that you do not want to answer. 5. You can stop filling out the questionnaire any time you wish. It will not affect your grades or your or your family's ability to get services. However, people usually find the experience of answering questions about themselves interesting and your honest responses to these questions will help us get to know you better and better support you and your family. When you are finished, follow the instructions of the person giving you the survey. Thank you very much for your help. Start of Block: Attitudes Toward School Q2 What is your participant ID#? Q3 How much do you agree with the following statements? Strongly agree Somewhat agree Somewhat Strongly disagree(4) disagree(5) Homework is a waste of time. In I try hard in school. (2) 71 95 Education is so important that it's worth it to put up with things about school I don't like. (3) In general, I like school. (4) The things I am learning in school are going to be important for me later in life. (5) 04 The following question asks about your experiences with school. Please select the best response for you. No! (means No (means Yes (means YES! (means definitely not mostly not true mostly true for definitely true true for you) (1) for you) (2) you) (3) for you)(4) Do you think you are getting uood grades? (1) Do you have a trusted adult at school you can PO to when you are upset? (2) I feel safe at my school? (3) My classes at school are interesting to me. (4) 72 96 I have goals and plans for the future. (5) 05IIow many times during this school year have you participated in school-related clubs, organizations or activities? never (1) 1-2 times (21 3-5 times (3) about once a month (4) several times a month (51 nseveral times a week (6) daily (7) End of Block: Attitudes Toward School Start of Block: Questions about gangs 06 How much do you agree with the following statements? Strongly agree Somewhat agree Somewhat Strongly (2). disagree(41 disagree(5) There are gangs in my school. (1) Most kids join gangs. (2) Kids that join pangs have more protection than kids who don't join gangs. (3) Kids join Bangs to fed they belong to something. (4) 7 97 Joining a gang could be dangerous. (5) There are gangs in my neighborhood. (6) Kids join gangs because their friends pressure them. (7) End of Block: Questions about gangs Start of Block: Positive Parenting 07 Below are some statements about your parent/guardian. Please rate each item as to how often it TYPICALLY occurs in your home. The possible answers are never, almost never, sometimes, often, and always. Never (1) Almost Sometimes Often (4) Always (5) Never (2) Your parent/guardian(s) compliment you when you have done something well. (1) Your parent/guardian(s) reward or give something extra to you for behaving well. (2) Your parent/guardian(s) tell you that you are doing a good job. (3) 74 98 Your parent/guardian(s) tell you that they like it when you help out around the house. (5) End of Block: Positive Parenting Start of Block: Poor monitoring/supervision child form 08 Please rate how often the following TYPICALLY occurs in your home. Never (1) Almost Sometimes Often (4) Always (5) Never (21 (� You don't let your parent/guardian know where you are by telling them, leaving them a note, or sendino them a text message. (1) Your parent/guardian(s) doesn't check that you come home from school. (2) Your parent/guardian(s) does tell you where they are going or leaves you a note or text telling you where they are going. (3) 75 99 You stay out in the evening past the time you are ''........ supposed to he home. (4) End of Block: Pour monitoring,/supervision child form Start of Block: Experience of bullvin , Q9 The next questions ask about bullying. Bullying is when 1 or more people tease, threaten, spread rumors about, hit, shove, nr hurt another student over and over again. Bullying could also be when someone sends mean, inappropriate or harmful pictures or texts to you. . It is not bullying when 2 people of about the same strength or power argue or tight nr tease each other in a friendly way. Q10 In the past 30 days, how often have you been bullied? never (11 ....once (2) 2-3 times (3) about once a week (4) several times a week (51 011 (lave You ever been bullied while on Your phone or other device(for example, by text, while playing video games,or on social media,such as Instagram, snapchat or group snap) Yes (1) Nn (2) Q12 Which of the following have you done when you have been bullied?Check all that apply. got into a tight (physical or verbal) with a bully (1) ignored it or did nothing (2) talked to an adult in charge at school (3) talked to a parent/guardian about it (41 talked to the bully (5) did something else (please write in) (7) 76 100 End of Block: Experience of bullyino Start of Block: Experiences with family Q13 The following question asks about your parent/guardian(s). Please select the best response for You• No! (means No (means Yes (means YES! Does not definitely mostly not mostly true (means apply to me not true for true for for you) (3) definitely u5 you)(1) you)(2) true for you) U' parent/guardian gives me lots of chances to do fun things with them. (1) I am involved in making family decisions. (2) If I had a personal problem. I could ask a parent/guardian for help. (3) I enjoy spending time with my mom. (4) I enjoy spending time with my dad. (5) I enjoy spending time with other adults who live with me(6) 77 101 End of Block: Experiences with family Start of Block: Pro-Social Skills Q14 How much do you agree with the following? Strongly agree Somewhat agree Somewhat Strongly (l al disagree(4) disagree(5) I know how to disagree without starting a fight or argument. (1) When I have problems at school, I am uood at finding ways to solve them. (3) When I make a decision, I think about what might happen afterward. (4) I try to understand how other people feel and think (5) I stand up to my friends when they want me to do something I don't want to do or that I think is wrong. (6) I can talk to an adult when I have a problem. (?l 78 102 End of Block: Pro-Social Skills Start of Block: Health Behaviors (215 During the past 30 days,how often have you done the following? Daily(1) 4-6 times a 2-3 times a Once a week Never (5) week (2) week(3) (4) vaped or Juuled (1) smoked cigarettes (2) chew, snuff, or dip tobacco (3) used marijuana (4) used alcohol used pills your parents don't know you are taking(81 used prescription drugs without a ,prescription 79 103 used illegal drugs (7) hung out with other kids doing any of the above(91 hung out with any adults or family members doing any of the above (101 016 Thank you very much for answering our questions. Your honest responses will help us to better support you and your family. End of Block: Health Behaviors SQ 104 APPENDIX 10: Youth Interview Guide Youth In-Depth Interview Guide—Evaluation of Yakima Youth Leadership Program Thank you for meeting with me today. The purpose of this interview is to hear about your participation in the Yakima Youth Leadership Program (YYLP). We'd like to know more about what you liked about the program and what changes you have to suggest. If you feel like the program helped you in any way, we are also interested in hearing about that. Before asking you to share your opinions of the program, we'd like to learn a bit more about you. 1. What do you like about school? 2. What is hard about school? 3. In what ways has meeting with Gary helped you in school? Probe: Can you tell me more? 4. Since meeting with Gary, how have things at school changed for you? (they may have answered this above in response to #3; try to probe to find out how their feelings about school have changed? a. How do you feel about school? Has this changed at all since you've been working with Gary? If so, how? b. How are you doing in school? Has this changed at all since you've been working with Gary? If so, how? c. How are your interactions with your teachers at school? (how, if at all, have these changed since you've been working with Gary? If so, how? 5. How do you get along with other kids at school? a. How, if at all, has this changed since you've been working with Gary? 6. Why do you think Yakima youth join gangs? 7. Has working with Gary changed the way you think about gangs? If so, how? Now I'd like to ask you about your home life. 8. What is the best thing about being home? 9. What is difficult about being at home? 10. Can you tell us more about your relationships with the adults (mother,father, guardian?) in your home? 11. How, if at all, have your home life changed since you've been working with Gary? a. How (if at all)have your relationships with (adults who live with child) changed since you've been working with Gary? 12. When you are having a hard time at school or at home, what do you do? 81 105 Probe: How (if at all) is that any different from how you responded to tough times a couple months ago? Now I'd like to ask you more about the program itself. 13. What have you liked most about working with Gary? a. Tell me about some of the meetings you've had with him. What have you done? b. How have these meetings helped you? c. In what ways has Gary supported you? d. In what ways has Gary supported your family? (this may not be relevant since there may not have been much opportunity for this) For GIRLS -- can ask 14. How did you feel having a mentor who was male? a. How important is it to you to have a mentor who is female? b. Who would be an ideal mentor for you? 15. Before we finish, I just want to know if you have anything else to share about the ways in which working with Gary has impacted you? a. Probe—How has it affected you as a student? b. How has it affected your home life? c. How has it affected the way you feel about yourself? 16. We are hoping to continue to help Yakima youth and families in the future. What suggestions or ideas to you have for things we could do to help Yakima youth and families in the future? Probe: What other ideas do you have for resources or programs that could really help Yakima youth and their families? Thank you so much for your responses and for your participation in the YYLP. 82 106 APPENDIX 11: Parent Interview Guide Parent Interview Guide—Evaluation of Yakima Youth Leadership Program Thank you for taking a few minutes to talk to me about your child's participation in the program. This conversation shouldn't take more than 5-10 minutes. Your child has been working with Gary Garza for the last couple of months. We'd like to hear a little bit from you about this. 1. How has Gary's work with your child affected your child, you, or your family? 2. Have you noticed any changes in your child's behavior since Gary began working with him/her/them? a. Can you share some examples? 3. How (if at all)has your relationship with changed since Gary has been working with your child? a. Can you share some examples? b. How (if at all)has the way communicates with you changed since they have been working with Gary? (Can probe: more conversation about school? about friends?fewer problems talking to your child?) 4. What suggestions, if any, do you have for programs or services that would help Yakima youth and families? 83 107 APPENDIX 12: School Staff Interview Guide Educator In-Depth Interview Guide—Evaluation of Yakima Youth Leadership Program 1. How long have you worked at Lewis and Clark Middle School in this position? 2. What do you like about working at Lewis and Clark Middle school? 3. Could you tell me why you wanted to bring the YYLP to your school? What impact did you feel it could have on the school and students? 4. What are your school's biggest challenges in working with youth who are doing poorly in school and may be at risk of joining gangs? 5. How, if at all, has the program helped your school to address those challenges? 6. How, if at all, has the YYLP helped teachers who work with children who are at risk? 7. How has the YYLP helped specific children who have been involved? 8. Can you tell us about how you have worked with Gary Garza since the YYLP came to your school? 9. What, if any, suggestions do you have for supporting the institutionalization of this kind of program into Yakima schools? What would it take for the YSD to support such a program? 10. We are hoping to continue to help Yakima youth and families in the future. What suggestions or ideas to you have for things we could do to help Yakima youth and families in the future? 84 108 APPENDIX 13: Student Data Sheets Summary S# GPA. GPA Change #and Avg. Resource Referrals(if any) at at. in.GPA :freq. min.. Changes in Attendance start end (from Meets of of of start to (wkly) meet term term end of s. term) 1 0.196 16, 30 Student began program with a poor attendance Student began program with some discipline Mr.Garza referred the student 2zpw history Apart from a 1-day suspension and 2 issues.Apart from a liday suspension midway to a summer program,but they excused absences student maintained good through the program,there were no could not attend due to plans attendance throughout the program and disciplinary issues to be out of the state for.the. 2,187 2.383. completed 3/3:attendance challenges.. summer. 2 -0.409 :14, 30 Student began program with regular Student began program with some disciplinary Mr.Garza reiferred student to 2xpw attendance.Apart from is-day suspension; history.Apart from a 1-deysuspenson and 1 anger management counseling; student maintained good attendance .classroom referral,there were no disciplinary student attended from the throughout the program and completed3/3 issues, midway to The end of the 2.329 1.92 attendance challenges. program. 3 0.54 13,. 35 Student began program with 12 absences from Student began program with a disciplinary Mr Garza referred the student 2xpw 1/1/13.Apart from atday suspension and history Midway through the program,student to a summer program,but they excused absences;student was in school received a 1-day in-house suspension followed could not attend due to plans throughout the program and completed 2/3 quickly by a l-day at home suspension.Near to be out of the state for the attendance challenges; the end of the program,student received a summer: referral.Student otherwise had no disciplinary 0 0 54 issues. 4. -0.882 15, 30 Student began the program with a regidar Student began the program with some Student expressed interest in 2xpw attendance history.Student maintained regular disciplinary history there were no disciplinary two different summer attendance throughout theprogram and: Issues throughout the program.. programs,presumably 3,815 2.933 completed.3/3 attendance challenges.. recommended by Mr.Garza. 5 -0.173 15, 30 Student began the program with bad Student began the program with a disciplinary Student expressed interest in 2Xpw attendance Apart from l excused absence, history there were no disciplinary issues summer program but believed student maintained regular attendance throughout the program. they would be out of state for throughout the program and:competed:2/3 the summer. 1.29. 1.117 attendance challenges. 6 0.13. 9„ 3375 Student began the program with a poor Student began the program with an extensive Student attended tutoring 2Xpw attendance history,Student was suspended disciplinary history Student was suspended after-school throughout the from school soon after the program began: from school soon after the program began:. program and expressed 1.477 1.697 Student then maintained their attendance until Student then had a few continuing disciplinary interest in a summer.program.. 85