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Miami Youth Council:
The City of Miami Office of the Mayor established the Miami Youth Council during the 2005-2006 school year with funding from The Children’s Trust. The Miami Youth Council combines community service, civic engagement, and leadership development for high school students attending Booker T. Washington, Miami Edison, Miami Jackson, Miami Northwestern and Miami Senior High Schools. From each of these schools a Youth Council has been developed. Each of these Youth Councils is receiving training through the school-based “Project Citizen” curriculum which is a program that focuses on education for democratic citizenship. Students are working in groups to identify and study a public policy problem, propose a solution, and develop an action plan for implementing their policy. The program is focused on increasing youth civic engagement and cultural competency and will directly impact over 700 children and parents. Furthermore, each of the Youth Councils will organize a Community Showcase Event highlighting their culture and their community. Students, teachers, business leaders and families from other schools and communities will be invited to participate in these events. If you are interested in participating in the Miami Youth Council, complete the Registration Packet and fax it to Vivianne Bohorques at (305) 854-4001 or email to vbohorques@miamigov.com.
Collaborators:
Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ Social Studies Department: http://www.dadeschools.net/
Sant La: http://www.santla.org/
Miami Bethany: http://www.miamibethany.org/
One Economy: http://www.one-economy.com/
Urgent, Inc.: (305) 576-3084/ http://www.urgentinc.org/
Weed and Seed: (305) 751-4866/ http://www.weedandseed.org/
Save A Life Foundation:
The Save A Life Foundation awarded the Mayor’s Office a $100,000.00 grant to provide emergency lifesaving skills training for students within City of Miami Schools. This program brings City of Miami firefighters into local schools. During the 2004-2005 school year, 5000 youth were trained. During the 2005-2006 school year, 20,000 youth will be trained.
Collaborators:
City of Miami Mayor’s Office: (305)250-5300/ http://www.miamigov.com/
Contact: Lisa Martinez – lmartinez@miamigov.com
Vivianne Bohorques – vbohorques@miamigov.com
Save A Life Foundation: http://www.salf.org/
Miami Learning Zone – Holmes Elementary: The Miami Learning Zone is an after-school program funded by the 21st Century Community Learning Center and The Children’s Trust. It developed from an expanded commitment to Holmes Elementary by a steadfast community-based collaboration led by the Mayor’s Office during the 2004-2005 school year. The goal of the program is to provide free quality after-school programming to at-risk, underachieving students. During its second year, the Miami Learning Zone will provide 200 students with free after-school care, Saturday Academy, parent workshops, and an array of family-focused field trips and activities. For more information or contact Vivianne Bohorques at (305) 250-5317 or vbohorques@miamigov.com .
Collaborators:
21st Century Community Learning Center: http://www.afterschoolflorida.hhp.ufl.edu/
The Children’s Trust: http://www.thechildrenstrust.org/
Citizens for a Better South Florida: http://www.abettersouthflorida.org/
Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Mentoring Resource Center: http://www.bbbsmiami.org/
YMCA of Greater Miami: http://www.ymcamiami.org/
Education in the Parks: Over the past three years, approximately 70 certified teachers have been present in City of Miami Parks’ summer or after-school programs providing reading and math tutoring aligned with Miami-Dade County Public School curriculum guidelines and the state’s Sunshine State Standards. In five of our parks, students currently participate in after-school programming funded by The Children’s Trust. Education is brought to life by certified teachers as students experience real world projects that incorporate skills taught during the school day. To learn more about the after-school programs offered in our parks contact LaCleveia Morley at (305) 416-1332 or lmorley@miamigov.com
Collaborators:
City of Miami Parks and Recreation: http://www.miamigov.com/
Contact: LaCleveia Morley – lmorley@miamigov.com
Miami-Dade Family Learning Partnership: http://www.teachmorelovemore.org/
Arts for Learning: http://www.arts4learning.org/
Museum of Science: http://www.miamisci.org/
Miami-Dade County Public Schools: http://www.dadeschools.net/
Mayor’s Taskforce on Youth Health and Fitness: The Mayor has brought together experts representing all sectors of the community working within the field of youth health and fitness to develop a report of recommendations to guide the City’s work. This report will assist efforts in bringing the issue of childhood obesity to the forefront of conversations as it relates to programming and services in our City parks and schools.
Collaborators:
City of Miami Mayor’s Office: (305)250-5300/ http://www.miamigov.com/
Contact:
Lisa Martinez – lmartinez@miamigov.com
Vivianne Bohorques – vbohorques@miamigov.com
Parent and Child Success Grant: This is a grant through the Florida Department of Education focusing on family literacy. Through the collaboration between the school system and the City of Miami, parents and children participate in tutoring sessions and family literacy events. Participants are at-risk students identified by Miami Edison Senior High School whose siblings attend the feeder pattern schools. Students receive tutoring from certified teachers and parents receive parenting and employment-related training. All participating parents and their children are additionally required to join in activities that facilitate quality family time. For more information on this family literacy initiative, contact Vivianne Bohorques at (305) 250-5317 or vbohorques@miamigov.com.
Collaborators:
Florida Department of Education: http://www.fldoe.org/
Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ Adult Education Department: http://www.dadeschools.net/
Haitian Neighborhood Center Sant La: http://www.santla.org/
Miami-Dade Family Learning Partnership: http://www.teachmorelovemore.org/
City of Miami’s Families First – Parent Academy: This program, funded by The Children’s Trust, targets parents and children ages 0 – 5 in an effort to support positive care giving and increase school readiness for infants and young children. Families First – Parent Academy serves approximately 520 parents and caregivers who reside in the Little Haiti and Overtown communities. The program offers free Parent Workshops, Parent and Me Classes and Family Literacy Activities once a week at 6 different locations. The facilities include Child Care sites, libraries and parks. Families are also given the opportunity to participate in Families First events which will demonstrate an awareness of the need to strengthen and enhance family involvement. For more information on this initiative, contact Vivianne Bohorques at (305) 250-5317 or vbohorques@miamigov.com.
Collaborators:
Gymboree Play and Music: http://www.gymboree.com/
Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ Parent Academy: http://www.dadeschools.net/
Miami-Dade Family Learning Partnership: http://www.teachmorelovemore.org/
Miami-Dade Public Library System: http://www.miamidade.gov/
WLRN Ready to Learn: http://www.wlrn.org/
Events:
- Lights On Afterschool: In his efforts to emphasize the importance of after-school programs, City of Miami Mayor Manny Diaz joined communities across America in celebrating the seventh anniversary of Lights On After School! This nationwide event allowed us to demonstrate how after-school programs in the City of Miami keep children safe, help working families and improve students’ academic achievement. As part of this celebration, the Mayor sponsored a Scavenger Hunt Pep Rally for 11 after-school programs in the City of Miami. On October 12, 2006 over 800 children, parents, community and business leaders, elected officials, and members of the media gathered at Bayfront Park to rally for after-school programs and the resources necessary to keep such programs intact and running efficiently. To learn how you can participate in next year’s event, contact Vivianne Bohorques at (305) 250-5317 or vbohorques@miamigov.com
- Miami Youth Council Community Showcase Events: The Community Youth Councils with the assistance and support from the City of Miami, the local schools, and community based organizations have developed three full day events showcasing the true historical flavor, cultural traditions, and unique aspects of their own community. Fifty students from each of the City high schools were invited to attend all of the showcase events in order to give them the opportunity to learn more about the different cultures in the City of Miami and the Miami Youth Council. On May 11th approximately 250 students, teachers and community members gathered at Hendersen Park for the East Little Havana Showcase Event. The participants took a tour of Little Havana where they learned about historic and meaningful sites, such as, Miami Senior High School, the Bay of Pigs Memorial and the José Martí Monument. The students also participated in Salsa lessons and were able to taste a variety of Hispanic foods to expose them to the culture of Little Havana. On May 16th the same students participated in the Allapattah Showcase Event where the focus was “One Community.” The students learned about the history of the Allapattah community and created a mural with local artist Xavier Cortada based on what they learned. The students also learned about the environment and the importance of planting trees. Citizens for a Better South Florida brought trees for the students to plant throughout Duarte Park. Lastly, on May 19th approximately 700 students participated in the Little Haiti Showcase Event. The focus of this event was to celebrate Haitian Flag Day. The students participated in a parade from Touissant L’ouverture Elementary School to Range Park. After the parade, all of the participants had the opportunity to hear from Haitian music artists and professionals who stressed the importance of education and pursuing dreams. After each event, the students completed a survey, created by the Miami Youth Council, to determine if the events were successful in exposing the students to the different cultures and communities that make-up the City of Miami. The surveys have shown that the showcase events were a great success since 98% of the participants demonstrated a new appreciation of the different cultures and 100% stated that they have gained new knowledge about each of the communities.
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