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YES
Program
Y.E.S. – “Youth Experiencing Success” – is a dynamic after-school
program for urban youth. Urban churches interested in developing
their own after-school ministries can tap into the training,
consultation, and ministry empowerment offered through Family
Guidance’s Director of Camp and After-School Programs, Sal Hanna, to build
a terrific outreach ministry to the children of their community.
Y.E.S. has helped visionary urban congregations to develop
partnerships with neighborhood schools to improve students’ academic
performance and problem behaviors.
Y.E.S. targets at-risk urban-area elementary and middle school
students. They are enrolled through open registration including
referrals from public school staff, social service organizations, and
the participating church congregation.
Y.E.S. programs serve kids on the North Side, Carrick, Swissvale,
Homewood, the Hill District, and Aliquippa. Academic improvement is
impressive. One North Side site reported that each student in the
program in its first two years dramatically improved his or her grades,
and report cards showed significantly better marks for behavior as well.
One Hill District site saw one fourth of their children make the honor
roll little more than a year after being referred to the program for
academic problems. More importantly, Y.E.S. has been a powerful
force for introducing unchurched and generally aimless urban youth to
the person and work of Jesus Christ.
This ministry model for inner city youth from distressed family situations
provides the right amount of structure and personalized attention that
they need to realize their own potential for academic achievement and
spiritual growth. This program enables us to reach significant numbers
of children and help them by supporting and enhancing their ability to
function and achieve in the school system.
Ideally, the program meets several days a week during the school year,
working closely with the local schools. Trained professionals as well as
trained volunteers offer tutoring in subjects such as language arts,
math, history, science, reading and the Bible, under the supervision of
the
Y.E.S. program site director in a multi-disciplinary team approach
which incorporates the whole-person ministry that is the trademark of
all Family Guidance programs.
Students learn study skills, homework completion skills and independent
thinking and problem-solving skills. The effectiveness of this training
is assessed and evaluated throughout the school year as the students’
grading period results are made known. Y.E.S. programs can be
complemented by a recreational summer day camp during the summer
vacation period.
To find out more about this urban youth ministry or to become a tutor,
recreational aide, or volunteer for a Y.E.S. program, contact Sal Hanna,
Director of Camp and After School Programs at
shanna@familyguidance.net
or 412-741-8550.
Promise CampFamily Guidance’s Promise Camp is one of Pennsylvania’s finest
camping ministries for at-risk youth.
The program is designed specifically to minister to the needs of
kids from disadvantaged backgrounds. A close counselor-to-camper
ratio ensures that our campers will get the individualized attention
they need and crave. The highly relational program ministers to
“survivors” of the next generation, unlike many camp programs that
cater to the “achievers”. The hope Jesus Christ offers is presented
in a winsome way, and many children find Christ each summer at camp.
Activities at camp instill self-confidence and help our campers
develop team-building and relational skills.
  
Perhaps one reason for Promise Camp’s
success is the unique makeup of our kids. Camp is usually our children’s
first opportunity to go away from home, even if only for a week. This is
often the first time in their lives children start to form their own
ideas and plan their own lives – what they believe, what they aspire to,
what kind of life they want to lead. They’re asking the questions for
which only Jesus has the answers.
To inquire about camp counselor and
junior counselor positions, click
HERE or contact Sal Hanna, Director of
Camp and After School Programs at
shanna@familyguidance.net
or 412-741-8550.
We are currently undertaking a exciting expansion
of our camping facilities. Check out the progress of construction
HERE.
The One-to-One Program, Pittsburgh’s first youth mentoring program, is a
vital force that is reclaiming young lives. After a multi-year study,
One-to-One was recently acclaimed the nation’s premier mentoring
ministry.
Mentors love the hands-on opportunity to shape a young life, to make a
profound difference in a one-child-sized mission field. One-to-One,
directed by Joanne Galinowski, provides community volunteers with the
support they need to be effective working with an at-risk child, and our
mentors maintain a vital friendship with their mentees nearly three
times as long as the national average. A recent survey of parents whose
kids are in One-to-One showed an astounding 100% claimed their
satisfaction with the mentoring services and the achievement of their
child’s goals in the program. Parents reported that their children had
become more self-confident (85%) and were better behaved (87%) since
entering the program.
Our mentors:
- offer mature guidance and role
modeling as children make decisions that will steer the remainder of
their lives.
- impart life skills and
relationship-building skills that help prepare our kids to function
positively as citizens in society
- provide over 200 hours per year
in “individualized instruction,” a highly effective form of education,
to children hungry for relationships and attention
A recent study showed that
children in mentoring programs were:
- 46% less likely to use illegal drugs
- 27% less likely to start drinking
- 52% less likely to skip a day of school.
- More likely to have healthy family relationships
To find out how you can
become a mentor or for more information about the One-to-One Program,
contact Joanne Galinowski, One-to-One Program Director at
jgalinowski@familyguidance.net.
LAMP
LAMP (Learning Assistance and Mentoring Partnerships) is a
collaboration among Pittsburgh Public Schools, Family Guidance and
area churches to serve high-risk, gang-prone youth from middle and
elementary schools.
 The
primary goal of LAMP is to mentor the children who are most at-risk
to become involved in gang-related activities before they are
drawn into that lifestyle. The Pittsburgh Public Schools Intervention
Team will track and refer students to pair with role models
specifically chosen according to each child’s needs. Participating church congregations will supply volunteer mentors, who
will be trained and matched by Family Guidance. Churches will be
equipped over a three-year period to establish their own community
mentoring programs. Through LAMP, kids will have a friend when they
didn’t have one before. They will have someone to talk to, someone
to help them with their homework, someone to involve them in
positive activities in their neighborhood and around the City. They
will find the acceptance and belonging they desire, but in an
encouraging environment that offers hope for a bright future.
If you feel led to become a
mentor, or believe your church has a vision to serve,
contact Joanne Galinowski, One-to-One Program Director at
jgalinowski@familyguidance.net.
The very core of marriage and family is being challenged and
ravaged. This is true across our society and it is true in our
local communities. Perhaps those who suffer most from this are
the children, who are placed at greater risk of several dangers,
including the risk of involvement in the child welfare system.
For this reason, we have formed a team to spearhead a targeted
program for unwed couples and married couples with young
children, who reside within the East End of Pittsburgh. This
team is a collaborative partnership between:
CUBM, in a
collaboration with Geneva College, has established an
outstanding formal education program for urban leadership.
CUBM started with 13 students in 1990 and continues to offer
students the opportunity for higher education in two urban
settings: Pittsburgh and the Beaver Valley.
NFI’s
mission is to improve the well being of children by
increasing the proportion of children growing up with involved,
responsible, and committed fathers. We accomplish our mission
through:
-
Educating and inspiring all Americans,
especially fathers, through public awareness campaigns,
research, and other resources.
-
Equipping and developing
leaders of national, state, and community fatherhood
initiatives through curricula, training, and technical
assistance.
Engaging every sector of
society through strategic alliances and partnerships.
We have
received federal funding to provide a program we call “The Marriage
Works”, over a four-year period. The community and places of
worship will be equipped to offer programs such as:
-
small group
marriage education classes for couples,
-
couple-to-couple
mentoring,
-
fatherhood and
parenting assistance.
 These
programs are open to eligible members of the community regardless of
faith, religious affiliation or church membership. These
programs will assist couples in developing healthier relationships
that will provide a more positive environment in which their
children can be raised, hopefully preventing the need for
involvement in the child welfare system.
Participating Couples
will receive:
Benefits
of being in the program:
Participants will gain improved:
Visit
www.themarriageworks.org
to see our new website, along with current class listings and other
great resources!
Services offered by The Marriage Works are free!
Participating communities and places of worship
will receive extensive expert consultation,
training, assistance in
recruiting participating couples, and other resources at no charge to
them.
We are
asking communities and places of worship that share our common
vision to stand with us and partner with us. If your
congregation is passionate about serving marriages and families, we
would be delighted to discuss the possibility of partnership with
you.
If you know
of couples with children in Pittsburgh's East End who could benefit
from this program, please pass this information on to them.
Please
contact Program Director, Shawn Pinkston at
(412) 325-0602 or
themarriageworks@cubm.org for more
information.
TWOgether Pittsburgh
For Couples who are married,
considering tying the knot, or untying it.
For complete details
and schedule information, visit our new TWOgether Pittsburgh website
at
www.TWOgetherPGH.org
TWOgether
Pittsburgh is an initiative for local churches and other partners
who believe in the social, psychological, physical, and spiritual
benefits of a healthy marriage.
Exactly what is TWOgether Pittsburgh?
TWOgether Pittsburgh is the most intensive marriage support
initiative ever in the greater Pittsburgh area. It is a
five-year, $8.35 million federally funded, healthy marriage
initiative to strengthen marriages and families in the
Pittsburgh area.
How
did TWOgether Pittsburgh come into existence?
TWOgether Pittsburgh was forged by a coalition of like-minded
agencies who believe in the strengthening of marriages. The
coalition includes:
What has this Coalition done prior to this?
The
Coalition was formed in 2002. In 2004 it received a federal
grant that allowed the formation of
The Marriage
Works, the fore runner of TWOgether Pittsburgh. The
Marriage Works has been operating, with great success, through
five churches in the Pittsburgh area since that time.
Exactly how will TWOgether Pittsburgh strengthen marriages?
The
strength of TWOgether Pittsburgh will be its support for
congregations and other local partners. It will help
congregations and grass-roots organizations provide help to
individuals, couples and families through:
-
Marriage Enrichment
-
Pre-marriage Preparation
-
Divorce Prevention (for marriages in crisis)
-
Couple to Couple Mentoring
-
Parenting Education
-
Fatherhood Programs
Who
are the “other partners?”
There
will be academic partnerships to advance high school family
education. TWOgether Pittsburgh will partner with five schools
in the Pittsburgh area to aid teens in the early phases of
relationship decision making. There will also be a sizeable
public awareness campaign to assist individuals in finding where
to turn for help and to help congregations touch their
communities at their point of greatest need.
Where does the funding come from?
Funding for TWOgether Pittsburgh comes primarily from the
Administration for Children and Families. There is some local
funding as well.
Exactly what does the TWOgether Pittsburgh coalition offer
partnering congregations?
The
benefits include financial and technical support, marketing and
outreach elements, as well as the numerous benefits from
marriage assistance in their local community.
There
will be a stipend that will permit the congregation to hire a
part-time coordinator of these marriage programs. In addition,
TWOgether Pittsburgh will include assistance in the selection of
this part-time staff person. Following your hire, this
coordinator will work with the staff specialist at TWOgether
Pittsburgh for the implementation of these marriage programs.
This coordinator will help the congregation launch at least two
of the above-mentioned marriage and family programs each year
and implement all of the church-based programs by the end of the
five-year term of the grant.
TWOgether Pittsburgh will have on staff six program specialists
to help equip partnering congregations to become expert in these
six models of ministry. The coalition will also offer
congregations resources such as bulletin inserts, posters, and
other promotional materials. These items will be designed to be
used directly within your congregation. Additionally, a
community-wide awareness and outreach element will include a
website, billboards, radio and TV spots, and numerous other ways
to help connect couples from the community with congregations
where they can get help.
Funding for this
project was provided by the United States Department of Health
and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families,
Office of Family Assistance, Grant: 90FE0103. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or
recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United
States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration
for Children and Families.
For more information, please contact
us at
info@TWOgetherPGH.org,
or call
1-888-WED-4EVR. |
