After School Activities for Kearns Area Youth

The Oquirrh Parks and Recreation program will provide Theatre Training, Tennis Mentoring and an annual Teen Submit for at-risk youth. The Theatre Training will provide an opportunity for youth, ages 5-16, from low-income families to participate in the training program at 25% of the normal fee. During the course of the training youth will learn how to speak and sing in public and will practice those skills. They will learn about set design, stage presence, and role-playing. The supportive and participatory environment of the training will help the youth build self-esteem and self-confidence. The grant will allow approximately 41 youth to participate in the program that otherwise would be unable to afford the regular fees. The Tennis Mentoring will provide subsidies for equipment and lessons for youth, ages 12-18, who are willing to become mentors to their peers in teaching them basic tennis and leadership skills. The grant will fund the training of approximately 26 mentors who will then teach at least 312 other youth. The goals of the program are to: provide opportunities for youth from low-income families to participate in programs at a very reduced cost; assist youth in building self-confidence and positive self-esteem; assist youth in developing leadership skills and becoming positive role models to their peers; assist youth in becoming active and developing lifetime interests and skills that will reduce the risk of delinquency and obesity and lower the high school dropout rate. Performance measures will include the evaluation of surveys completed by youth and parents at the time of enrollment to ascertain their level of self-esteem and self confidence; number of youth participating and completing the programs; number of dropouts who participate in the Teen Summit and the evaluation of a survey completed by youth and parents after they complete the program. NCA/NCF