Monday, March 25, 2013

Interview Questions & Answers

Antquan Smith from Sea Haven answered the following questions: 1.) How do you determine who can attend Sea Haven? Sea Haven Street Outreach program have Federal procedures that we follow which only allow youth from the ages of 17 to 21 to access our facility resources, but if we have any referrals were the youth is to young we follow our Safe Place procedures. 2.) Do you think mentoring at Sea Haven will improve their behavior and social skills? I believe that it will improve their behavior and social skills because they are interacting with youth from different backgrounds. 3.) How did Sea Haven get discovered? • Sea Haven was incorporated in 1980 and is registered with the South Carolina Secretary of State as a 501 (c) 3 non-profit agency. • Sea Haven Inc is a member of the Youth and Family Services Network. YFSN provides training, consultation, funding, and advocacy support for members. The Sea Haven Executive Director is currently the South Carolina state representative for the YFSN Board. Information about the network is available at www.yfsn.org 4.) Do you usually see an increase in behavior in the kids when people mentor? We do see an increase in behavior because the mentees are usually in the same age range as our clients. 5.) Are there many behavior issues with the children? There are different behavior issues with each client that comes into our facility. Each client comes from diverse background when it comes to family issues. 6.) How often do you get applications for children to attend Sea Haven? The drop in center is non-residential and most of our clients are referred to our program from other agencies or word of mouth. 7.) Do you think there is enough awareness about Sea Haven? Sea Haven does a great job with awareness about the organization and is always seeking different ways to raise awareness about Sea haven and also the youth that we serve. 8.) Are there usually many volunteers that help at Sea Haven? We have a lot of support with volunteers, but the one issue we run into is the volunteers outside schedule which sometimes conflict with what we are doing 9.) Is Sea Haven a private organization? Sea haven is not a private organization

Monday, March 4, 2013

Reflection One

What new knowledge have you gained about your topic through research for the proposal and problem/solution papers? I have gained a lot of new knowledge since I have conducted research on my topic. I have learned that over time the children that people mentor being to develop a sense of trust for their mentor. When they develop this trust they begin to count on you to be there for them, to be their friend. The children begin to rely on their mentor and see them as a role model. Children will also develop better social skills. Where are you going to volunteer? I am volunteering at Sea Haven for Kids. Have you already made contact with the organization where you would like to volunteer? If so, who is your contact person? If not, how can you contact them? Yes, I have already made contact with the Sea Haven officials. My contact person is Antquan Smith. Mr.Smith will be supervising me throughout this project. What kinds of activities will you be participating in when you volunteer? On the days that I volunteer I will be participating in the reading program. This program allows the children to pick out a book and have the opportunity to read to me and/or gives me the opportunity to read to them. I will also play a variety of games as well as arts and crafts. What is one good thing that has happened since beginning this project? One good thing that has happened since beginning this project is that I have gained a better insight on how childrens' life's are affected by their parents. I have had three different children become attached to be and have became more comfortable around me. When I see those children's face light up when I walk in the room it gives me a warm sensational feeling. What is one improvement you need to make? One improvement I need to make is logging the amount of time each time I go.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Proposal for Sea Haven

I am going to be volunteering at Sea Haven for Youth. Project Lighthouse is a part of Sea Haven. “The intent of this program is to provide education, informational, and prevention support for runaway, homeless, street youth in order to reduce the daily risks these youth and to convince and assist as many as possible to utilize the available community services to leave the street for a more productive, safe life” (Street Outreach "DROP IN" CENTER FOR YOUTH AGES 16 up to 22). According to the Street Reach program, in 2011 there were 684 students in Horry County who were homeless. According to information available at The South Carolina Department of Education, the following statistics represent the great challenges homeless children and children in poverty face: approximately 20% of homeless children do not attend school, within a year approximately 41% of homeless children will attend two different schools; with each change in schools, a student faces the challenge of being an average of four to six months behind their peers. “Many homeless children lack basic school supplies and a reasonable environment in which to do homework” (Homeless Education: An Introduction to the Issues). Outside of the supports available through schools, there must be resources and support available for children who are homeless or live in poverty. In order to change or break the vicious cycle of continued homelessness and poverty, programs such as Sea Haven are vital. The purpose of my project is to provide mentoring and emotional support for the children who utilize Sea Haven. One of the biggest obstacles for homeless children and children of poverty is coping with an environment that is stressful and often lacks emotional support. These children often feel alienated from others. The stress caused by their environment causes students to lose motivation and desire to learn. Building positive relationships is essential for these children to continue their educational and personal growth which will provide them opportunities for a future that does not include poverty or homelessness. Throughout this project, I will be working with Logan Jenerette. Antquan Smith, who is the Outreach Coordinator, will be supervising us while we are volunteering at Sea Haven. We will be mentoring children, reading to the children, creating arts and crafts, and playing games, along with other activities. I will help the children discover ways to overcome daily challenges. I am also going to help them monitor their progress in school. I will be a role model for the children to help them understand that they have opportunities to change their way of life and their future. Through this experience, I will develop relationships which will provide the needed emotional support for children to have higher self-esteem. With a higher self-esteem, the children will overcome their feeling of alienation and have an increased motivation to succeed in school. With a higher motivation, the children will have greater academic success and hopefully complete high school, providing them with the opportunities to break the cycle of poverty in which they live. The children will form personal relationships allowing them the opportunity to network with individuals and or programs that are introduced by Logan and me. I will gain insight on demographics and different cultures. This will help me grow as an individual and understand diversity. In order to determine the effectiveness of my project, I will utilize weekly school information (grades, tests, assignments, or behavior log). I am going to utilize the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale to determine if the children’s self-esteem change during the time that I work with them. I will administer this scale at the beginning, middle, and end of my project. I will keep a journal to record information, activities, and the child’s attitude each time I go. I will also record academic progress and school information. Multiple resources will be required throughout this project. I will provide my own transportation with my own vehicle. I will seek advice from teachers about possible incentives and ways to motivate the children to improve academically and achieve their weekly goals. I may need to buy small incentives and school supplies. I will also need a notebook to record information. Works Cited "Street Outreach "DROP IN" CENTER FOR YOUTH AGES 16 up to 22." Providing a safe place. Sea Haven for Youth. Sea Haven for Youth. Web. 31 Jan 2013. http://www.seahaveninc.com/street_outreach.html "Street Outreach." Providing a safe place. Sea Haven for Youth. N.p.. Web. 29 Jan 2013. http://www.seahaveninc.com/street_outreach.html "Homeless Education: An Introduction to the Issues." South Carolina Department of Education. South Carolina Department of Education. Web. 29 Jan 2013. http://ed.sc.gov/agency/programs-