YOUTH INFORMATION
The Hispanic Youth Symposium
The Pathways Program
The Pathways program begins by immersing students in the Hispanic Youth Symposium (HYS). Each HYS is held for four-days and three-nights on a college campus where sophomore and junior-level high school students participate in workshops stressing academic achievement, career choices, community service, and personal responsibility. In addition to this professional focus, students are given the opportunity to culturally express themselves through participation in essay, speech, art, and talent competitions. By the end of each symposium, HCF and partners award over $14,000 in college scholarships to HYS students. Locating each symposium in a university setting in areas with large Hispanic populations, HYS reinforces a college-going culture in each particular neighborhood where it is housed. Knowing the value of continued support, especially for first or second generation Hispanics who are often the first in their families to attend college, HYS not only imparts this college focus on its 200 student participants-in addition, over 100 volunteers participate in each symposium.
Through a multifaceted approach, the Pathways program annually achieves its goals of:
- allowing up to 200 Hispanic high school students to experience life on a college campus at each Hispanic Youth Symposium;
- to provide access, college counseling and financial support to Hispanic students attending college;
- to offer year-round, professional workforce-capacity training; and
- to increase these students’ self confidence
The second phase of the Pathways program works to ensure the continued strength of each HYS student’s academic and personal growth. HCF partners with government and non-profit organizations that offer college and career-skill development workshops in the community, with topics including:
- “Completing the FAFSA and Financing College”
- Interview Skills,”
- How to Write a Resume,”
- Business Ettiquette”
HCF Connections
HYS participants are able to remain in contact with each other through HCF Connections-an online community for HYS students and HCF scholarship recipients. Through HCF Connections, HYS scholars use familiar technology to receive advice from culturally-competent peers and HYS alumni in regards to their college and career-related questions.
http://www.hispanicyouth.org/information-for-volunteersCity of Richmond Teen Pregnancy Prevention
On behalf of the Richmond Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, we are pleased to share the new Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Prevention documentary with you. To view the film, click Richmond Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Documentary. The reason to watch is simple. Everyone, that means you, a family member, a co-worker or friend, has a role in addressing the issues of adolescent sexual activity and its consequences. Teenage pregnancy is not only a youth issue, it is family issue, a neighborhood issue and ultimately a City of Richmond issue. When we reduce teenage pregnancies, we ultimately reduce poverty, crime, increase education outcomes, strengthen the workforce, and build stronger families.
Under the direction of the Mayor's Vision 2020 plan, The Richmond Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy is currently implementing a grassroots campaign to foster a community sense of urgency, to compel individuals to act. Here are the facts...• The U.S. has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the industrialized world
• 35% of girls in this country get pregnant at least once by age 20 - nearly 850,000 teen pregnancies
• In 2005, there were 934 pregnant teens in the City of Richmond
• The teen pregnancy rate in Richmond City has consistently been above the state level since 1995 and in 2005 was almost three times that of the overall Virginia rate (26.5 -State rate verses 71.8 -City rate)
• Richmond City had a dropout rate of 2.46% and a graduation rate of 50% (2005-06). Both rates are greater than the overall Virginia rates which are 1.88 % dropout and 79% graduation.
We need your help to turn around these negative trends, as Mayor Wilder states in the documentary, "everyone can play a part" in reducing the teen pregnancy rate in the City of Richmond. Since your work touches the lives of numerous City of Richmond residents, we are asking that you present this documentary to as many individuals as permissible. Without your assistance, we will not accomplish our goal.
On behalf of the Initiative, we welcome the opportunity to discuss the Campaign and your role in impacting the City of Richmond's teen pregnancy rate. For more information about the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative and the resources we provide, such as the Speaker's Bureau, designed to further discussion and facilitate action steps within your organization, you may contact the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative at (804) 646-3343.
Thank you, in advance, for your support.
Herman Johnson, Jr.
Coordinator, Teen Pregnancy Prevention Services
Office of the DCAO for Human Services
City of Richmond
701 North 25th Street, Suite 229
Richmond, Virginia 23223
804.646.3343
804.646.5145 fax
www.richmondgov.com/tpp
For more information about TPP marketing and public awareness campaigns, contact Tesha Davis, Marketing and Public Relations Specialist, 804.646.2133.=========================================================
National Resource Center for Hispanic Mental Health
2008 Hispanic Higher Education Scholarship Fundfor more information about the scholarship click