Proposal for Emerging Opportunity Program Spring 2015

Transcription

1 Proposal for Emerging Opportunity Program Spring 2015 Submit application to Deadline: 12:00 pm (noon) on Friday March 20, 2015 LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Please limit your proposal and responses to the form and space provided. Any materials submitted in addition to this application form will not be considered in the evaluation of the proposal. Do not attempt to unlock or alter this form. If you need assistance with this proposal or are unclear about how to respond to any questions please contact CDD staff at Agency or Group: Title of Proposal: Contact Person: Global Youth ESL Support Program Andy Heidt, Julie Shadpa Amount Requested: $12990 Address: 601 Bay vw Telephone: Is this Group a 501 (C) (3)? Applicant Organization founded (Year): Name of Fiscal Agent (if Applicable): Fiscal Agent Contact Person: Project Description: ( Approx. 20 Words) julie-shadpa@bayviewfoundation.org Yes or No Yes 1966 Global Youth ESL Support offers global education,social-emotional, & academic skills for ELL youth. 1. Emerging Need or Opportunity: (5000 characters) Please describe the emerging need or unanticipated opportunity that warrants City resources and attention at this time: neighborhood youth are all immigrant, refugee, or 1 st generation community members from over 10 different countries. Most of our youth have lived at for much of their childhood---learning to appreciate cultural differences, hearing different languages spoken, and facing the common challenges of low income and food insecurity. Our youth are English Language Learners (ELLs) and struggle with academic achievement---falling behind grade levels despite constant hard work and effort. Their families have Limited English Proficiency ( LEP), use SNAP food benefits, and work within low-wage jobs. Families were not educated in this country and lack understanding of the K-12 school and higher education 1

2 systems, yet are appreciative of 's academic support for their children. Our staff have been dedicated to supporting the unique needs of our community through after-school and summer programs, as well as parent/family outreach and liaison with MMSD. Over the past 5 years, 's after-school and summer programs have expanded dramatically with sustained participation throughout high school and continual enrollment of elementary aged children. Our middle/high school after-school program enrollment has increased over 50% just in the past 2 years. High school program enrollment alone will increase another 10% in the fall of Our staffing and space capacity has certainly been stretched. Up until this year, we have been able to accommodate all ages within our program space through a choreographed rotation of activities suited for each age group. However, last fall, we noted an unusual pattern of decline with older youth attendance. So, in January 2015, we decided it was essential to separate the elementary from the middle and high school programs by adjusting facility space use. Our upstairs community and board rooms have now become new program areas during after-school hours. Staffing these additional rooms has proven more challenging than anticipated. The move into the new space has had a positive impact on our youth attendance, frequency of participation, and sense of ownership of program activities. With the additional space, absent of younger siblings, youth have had more open discussions about the stressors related to homework and assessment testing. Some significant issues have since come to the attention of staff as our youth have shared more of their school-based experiences. Our ELL youth have reported feeling marginalized within the school environment, discouraged at the lack of academic progress, and anxious about their future. Some students have shown symptoms of depression and anxiety related not only to school pressures, but to social isolation due to language and cultural barriers with school peers. Many lack a strong sense of selfefficacy in the face of coping with stressors. Since this move into the new space, we have seen greater need for both academic and social-emotional support. Although these issues have not likely had a sudden onset for our youth over the past few months, they have suddenly become very apparent. Our ELL youth are not simply faced with the usual academic pressures of middle and high school, they have to do twice the work---language acquisition along with subject content learning. The added stress of cultural and language barriers make social engagement anxiety-producing. Some students report feeling reluctant to access school resources due to these barriers. In effort to address the social-emotional and academic needs of our ELL youth, we are proposing a new approach to augment our middle and high school after-school programs. The Global Youth ESL Support Program will provide our youth with needed support to overcome the barriers of language, culture, and socioeconomic status at a critical time in their adolescence. This approach integrates aspects of global education, social-emotional learning, and ESL support within engaging activities, workshops, and field trips during after-school time. Our youth have many assets that go unrecognized--strong family systems, creative problem-solving, community support, and bilingual ability--- all of which offer a foundation for success. Our goal is for our youth to gain ability to acknowledge their strengths and embrace their cultural identity to move forward in their academic and adolescent development. Our youth, as well as our staff, have inspired this proposal for funding to address this opportunity to support the English Language Learner youth of the Triangle Neighborhood. 2. Applicant Organization or Group: (5000 Characters) Please briefly describe the history and structure of your organization. Include information about staffing, your board and/or volunteers. Please describe any successes you have had in the areas of programming or the project described in this proposal. 2

3 (est.1966) and the International Center for Education and the Arts has a long history of supporting primarily immigrant and refugee families with low to moderate income through affordable housing and access to free, high-quality programs focused on education, culture, and the arts. Over the past year, we have hired a full-time Outreach Coordinator and started offering various adult, senior, and outreach programs to our neighborhood. Our center offers a food pantry, community garden space, and computer lab, as well as facility use rentals for community members and local organizations to hold meetings, workshops, fitness classes, and celebrations. has successfully developed its after-school and summer programs over the past 5 years as demonstrated by a 200% increase in City program evaluation scores and a 60% increase in program attendance, attributed to the hard work of our dedicated program staff [Youth workers, Program Coordinator, Program Director]. Our staff have established collaborative relationships with MMSD ESL teachers and social workers to support our children and youth who attend after-school and summer programs. Parents, MMSD teachers, and staff now meet monthly during the school year for the Hmong Parent Empowerment meetings; we hold online school registration annually at our center to support our LEP families. In 2014, we piloted an Elementary ESL Summer Study program taught by MMSD ESL teachers, and plan to move into the second phase this summer. We have strong partnerships and established service learning projects with various departments of UW-Madison and Edgewood College. Our student volunteers offer over 1800 hours of service annually. Since 2013, our middle and high school program enrollment has increased by over 50%, maximizing our staff and space capacity, and creating a sense of urgency for addressing the emerging needs of our youth. Administratively, our organization has also undergone changes. For example, our Program Director has assumed all center program development responsibilities, grant administration, staff supervision, as well as direct arts programming; additional fundraising responsibilities are eminent given the emergent needs of our community. Our Program Coordinator oversees the daily management of the after-school/summer programs and coordinates all volunteer and service-learning partnerships, as well as other program-related activities and increasing administrative responsibilities. Our Outreach Coordinator oversees the emerging adult and senior programs, and will now be allocating some of her time to support our new initiative for our middle and high school youth. We currently have 3 youth worker/support staff (LTE) part-time positions for all after-school and summer programs. The Board has welcomed new members over the past year, and is enthusiastic about our center's growth to serve our community. Our most significant change in recent months is the arrival of our new Executive Director, Andy Heidt. He is a longtime friend of and is passionate about expanding supportive services and family-centered affordable housing for our community. 3. Intended Service Population: (2500 characters) Please describe the intended service population (e.g., where they are located, ages, ethnicities, income ranges, English language proficiency etc.). This program supports youth, grades 6-12, who are immigrants, refugees, or 1 st generation living in the low-to-moderate income housing of the Triangle Neighborhood. Our youth are part of families with limited English proficiency ( LEP); most parents are not able to read or write in English, have limited conversational ability, and were not educated in the U.S. All of our youth have attended English as a Second Language(ESL) classes. The majority of our youth are below grade level academically and rely on our after-school program for tutoring. Our youth all qualify for free or reduced lunch at school. Over 10 different countries and cultures from Asia [55% Hmong;10% Vietnam, Laos, Tibet], Africa [ 10% West Africa, African-American], Central America [ 25% Mexico] are represented within this youth group. Our youth are bilingual and have valuable perspectives on cross-cultural awareness and competence. 4. Innovation: (5000 characters) How does this proposal reflect a new or innovative approach to the stated problem? 3

4 This program has an innovative approach to supporting ELL youth by highlighting the strengths of immigrant/refugee families through the lense of global education, social-emotional, and ESL academic skill building. This program offers support for our ELL youth facing the challenges of low income, cultural barriers, and academic struggles that are inherent to most immigrant/refugee and 1 st generation community members. Global Youth ESL Support Program will integrate aspects of national global education programs that acknowledge cross-cultural awareness and bilingual ability as a key areas of competency for our globalized society---supporting college applications and workforce success. Incorporating socialemotional and ESL skill building into program activities will facilitate improved self-efficacy, self-esteem, and optimism. This approach to supporting ELL youth builds a foundation for our youth to embrace cultural identity, gain self-confidence, and become the global leaders of the future. Partnerships with MMSD ESL and social work staff, UW-Madison Morgridge Center, UW-Division of International Studies, and Edgewood College Civic Engagement department will all inform our program activities. 5. Project/Program Goals: (5000 characters) Please describe the specific goals, objectives and intended measurable impacts of this program/project. Include the number of people you expect will benefit from this project. Our overall goal is to support our community's immigrant/refugee and 1 st generation youth who are facing the challenges of language, culture, and socioeconomic barriers to achievement. Our proposed program will offer global education, culturally sensitive social-emotional learning, and ESL academic support to youth with the aim of fostering resilience, self-confidence, and a sense of hope. Our goals and objectives will be achieved through accessible, engaging activities, workshops, and field trips. GOALS: 1) Provide global education that highlights the value of cross-cultural awareness and bilingual ability; 2) Provide culturally appropriate social-emotional learning (SEL) opportunities; 3) Provide increased individualized ESL academic support. OBJECTIVES: 1) Facilitate activities focused on learning about the contemporary cultures and countries represented within the neighborhood, as well as around the world; 2) Facilitate interactive SEL activities that support skills in resilience, self-awareness, peer cooperation, and self-confidence within the appropriate cultural context; 3) Address the unique academic needs of ELL youth as they navigate assessment testing, class presentations, school-based resources, and college preparation through homework, language acquistion, and subject-based tutoring. IMPACT: 1) Youth will view their culture, ability to speak more than one language, and awareness of global cultures as a foundation that supports academic achievement, social engagement, and future success;2) Youth will improve self-efficacy and self-confidence; 3) Youth will feel more supported and prepared to cope with academic pressures. We anticipate 50 program participants (grades 6-12) during the school year. 6. Program/Project design: (5000 characters) Please describe structure of proposed program or project, hours of service/schedule, staffing, curriculum or project/service structure, etc. The Global Youth ESL Support Program will have global education and social-emotional learning concepts and skill-building integrated within activities, workshops, and field trips. Youth will have opportunities to explore other countries' contemporary culture, educational system, environmental issues and more, within the context 4

5 of cross-cultural dialogue among program participants. Youth will learn to develop a stronger personal cultural identity, as well as gain perspective on the value of cross-cultural understanding, being bilingual, and having a global view on education and other issues. Youth will learn social-emotional skills such as self-respect, conflict resolution, confidence, and goal-setting in order to build resilience and envision a brighter future for themselves. Global Youth ESL Support Program activities will highlight the international cultures of our community as well as all around the world. Activities will be based upon various global education and ESL out-of-school time programs, as well as online curriculum resources [ Globalization 101, Global Education Collaborative, TeachUNICEF,etc]. Social-emotional learning will be culturally sensitive and integrated into the program through long-term goal setting projects, service learning, and other group activities. Our Program Director and Outreach Coordinator will develop program activities, lesson plans, and curriculum based on available resources. Our Program Director has a masters degree in counseling art therapy, graduate work in global health, and over 20 years experience working in healthcare and community settings with culturally diverse youth. Our Outreach Coordinator has 3 years experience working as a Hmong cultural liaison and youth staff at. Activity design will also be responsive to youth feedback given at Teen Council meetings. Global Youth ESL Support Program will be offered as a new component of after-school programming-- providing needed additional support and extending program hours annually by 10%. Our after-school program will provide this new initiative with needed structure such as daily snack provision, volunteer recruitment, and program space. Global Youth ESL Support Program will be implemented by a new youth worker/support staff position at 20 hours per week for 40 weeks, to include orientation time and summer field trips. The Program Director and Outreach Coordinator will also provide direct support and ongoing program development as needed. Global Youth ESL Support Program will be offered Tuesday -Thursday 3:30-6:30pm and Friday 3:00-5:00pm throughout the school year, with 3 additional events offered during the summer.. 7. Community Engagement: (2500 characters) Please describe how community, residents and program and/ or project participants were engaged in the development of this proposal. Program participants, grades 6 to 12 inspired this proposal through ongoing feedback about their need for additional support to cope with the stressors of ESL academic achievement, living across two cultures, being bilingual, and low self-efficacy. 's Teen Council members identified areas of improvement for the new program space and activities, including more planned activities, workshops, and field trips. Families have discussed the need for separate programming for middle and high school to support their academic achievement. Many families feel overwhelmed attempting to connect with middle and high school ESL teaching staff and would like more liaison with our center. Our program staff have also explored various options for offering needed middle/high school programming with our limited resources. 8. Collaboration: (2500 characters) Please describe the level of involvement with other service providers, schools, funders, government bodies, or other public or private stakeholders in the development of this proposal and its expected implementation. MMSD ESL teaching and social work staff from Hamilton Middle School and West High School have remarkable investment in the success of our students and are strong partners in problem-solving the challenges that our ELL youth face throughout their education. Our hope is to build more connections between these staff and our families. Edgewood College- Civic Engagement Department Bonner Program and UW-Madison Morgridge Center are also collaborative partners in providing us access to professors and students interested in support English Language Learners through service-learning projects. We are anticipating growing our relationship with the UW- Division of International Studies program that supports the annual Wisconsin Global Youth Summit and various global education programs statewide. 5

6 9. Proposed Timeline for Implementation: Activity Estimated Start and Completion Dates Curriculum development by staff May 2015 UW & Edgewood volunteer recruitment and service learning course planning May 2015 West High School parent forum / Hamilton M.S. planning May 2015 Summer events June-August 2015 School year program Sept May Funding: (500 characters each) a) What other funding have you sought and/or received to support this project? fundraising efforts support staffing the Program Director and Outreach Coordinator positions, as well as much of the operational costs. b) Do you anticipate future funding needs from City sources associated with this proposal? Please describe. Our hope is that this pilot program will expand into a regular out-of-school time opportunity that will be funded by the City of Madison- Community Development Division during the next funding cycle in support of our young ELL community. c) Has your organization received funding from the City of Madison Community Development Division, City of Madison CDBG office, Community Services, the Emerging Opportunities Program or the former Emerging Neighborhoods Program in the last 5 years? Yes No 11. Budget: 6

7 Summarize your project budget by estimated costs, revenue, and fund source. BUDGET EXPENDITURES A. Personnel Costs (Complete Personnel chart below) TOTAL PROJECT COSTS AMOUNT OF CITY $ REQUESTED AMOUNT OF NON- CITY REVENUES 1. Salaries/Wages (show detail below) Fringe Benefits and Payroll Taxes B. Program Costs 1. Program supplies and equipment Office Supplies Transportation Other (explain) C. Space Costs 5. Rent/Utilities/Telephone Other (explain): D. TOTAL (A + B + C) SOURCE OF NON- City FUNDED PORTION fundraising fundraising fundraising Explanation of Other expenses: (500 characters) 12. Personnel Chart: Please list all paid staff that will be working on the proposed program/project. 7 Title of Staff Position F.T.E.* Proposed Hourly Wage* Global Youth Program Support Staff.39 $12.62 Outreach Coordinator.25 $18.99 Program Director.20 $23.48 TOTAL.84 *FTE = Full Time Equivalent (1.00,.75,.50, etc.) 2080 hours = 1.00 FTE Please identify FTE that will be spent in this project. $ $

8 *Note: All employees involved in programs receiving City of Madison funds must be paid the established Living Wage as required under City of Madison Ordinance Effective January 1, 2015 December 31, 2015, the Living Wage will be $12.62 per hour. 13. Fiscal Agent Relationship (if applicable): If applicant organization is not a 501c (3) this section must be completed. If applicant is a 501c (3) please skip to the Signature Page. Fundamental expectations of the Fiscal Agent and Applicant relationship: The Fiscal Agent should read the EOP application and have some confidence that the applicant agency will be able to successfully implement the proposed project or program. The Fiscal Agent will accept allocated funds from the City of Madison for the identified program or project and reimburse the applicant for expenses incurred performing the work of the contracted program. The Fiscal Agent and the applicant agency will decide who will provide and purchase the necessary insurance coverage for the identified program. The Fiscal Agent will ensure that the funded project or program is in compliance with City of Madison Purchase of Service Contact requirements, including but not limited to Living Wage requirements, Non Discrimination and Affirmative Action, and equal benefits protections. Applicant is expected to provide the Fiscal Agent with the Fiscal Agent Commitment Form. Please indicate date and staff person that received this form. Date: Staff person: Position: Telephone Number: 8

9 -SIGNATURE PAGE- 1. Affirmative Action: If funded, applicant hereby agrees to comply with City of Madison Ordinance and file either an exemption or an Affirmative Action Plan with the Department of Civil Rights. A model Affirmative Action Plan and instructions are available at 2. Living Wage Ordinance: All employees involved in programs supported by City of Madison funds must be paid the established Living Wage as required under City of Madison Ordinance Effective January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015 the Living Wage will be $12.62 per hour. For more information on Living Wage requirements, go to 3. City of Madison Contracts: If funded, applicant agrees to comply with all applicable local, State and Federal provisions. A sample contract that includes standard provisions may be obtained by contacting the Community Development Division at (608) If funded, the City of Madison reserves the right to negotiate the final terms of a contract with the selected agency. 4. Signature: (Any applications submitted without a signature will be considered incomplete and will not be considered for funding.) Applicant Signature: Enter Name: Andy Heidt By entering your initials in the box, AH You are electronically signing your name and agreeing to the terms above. Date: 3/19/15 9