Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2008, $447,174)
The Milton S. Eisenhower Foundation seeks to replicate the Youth Safe Haven-Police Ministation (YSH) program model in multiple locations. The YSH model integrates the American after school Youth Safe Haven concept with the Japanese police 'koban' Ministation concept. Civilian mentors and local police officers trained as mentors provide social support, education and discipline to at risk youth, aged 6-12, after school. This 'multiple solutions' program is designed to create multiple positive outcomes among at-risk children, youth, and families within the targeted community.
In the program, an after-school Safe Haven operated and led by civilians in residential complexes, community centers, public housing, other low income settings or a public school is combined with a police Ministation. The Youth Safe Haven-Police Ministation share the same space. Eisenhower Foundation Youth Safe Haven-Police Ministations are most active from about 3:30 p.m. to about 8:00 pm or 9:00 pm weekdays, when kids are most likely to get into trouble.
The Youth Safe Haven-Police Ministations also are designed as magnets to attract other opportunities for citizens at or near the same locations, like job training and job placement for high school drop outs, GED preparation and remedial education for parents.
The primary approach for monitoring and evaluating youth development is creating a relational database that includes: Grades by class for each quarter of participation; School attendance, tardiness and behavior problems; Program participation including participation in special activities; Family characteristics, including known legal and psychological factors that may affect school performance. To assure participants benefit from the program, archival data is collected with the assistance of the schools the students attend. Standard report card data is obtained from a confidential group of students from similar neighborhoods. These data provide a context for evaluating the school performance of program participants. In addition, the performance and adherence of the program to the model is monitored by recording the contact hours offered and daily attendance. Case studies of selected youth are undertaken.
NCA/NCF