Providing Opportunities for Work, Education and Recreation (POWER-UP) for Disconnected and At-Risk Youth

The OJJDP FY 09 Earmarks Programs further the Department's mission by providing grants, cooperative agreements, and other assistance authorized by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended, to organizations identified in the Explanatory Statement Regarding H.R. 1105 (Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009), 155 Cong. Rec. H1653 (daily ed. Feb. 23, 2009) (statement by Rep. Obey, Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations of the House).

Hudson Guild's program, POWER-UP will serve the at-risk and disconnected teen population living in Chelsea's two public housing developments, Elliott-Chelsea Houses and Robert Fulton Houses. The program will be designed to place youth on the path to economic self-sufficiency and keep them out of the criminal justice system, including the achievement of short-term and intermediate goals that lead to youth's long term success, including (1) earning a high school diploma or completing the GED, (2) enrolling in post-secondary school, and (3) securing full-time, satisfying and sustaining employment. Youth will work toward these goals through a combination of academic, employment and social supports, gaining specialized knowledge and experience that will improve the likelihood of re-connection. Youth will meet regularly with social workers to track progress on short-term goals that will indicate their likelihood of long-term program success.

NCA/NCF