Champions for Change: Working with Vulnerable Communities

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Champions for ChangeWorking with Vulnerable
Communities

• 2008 ACTE

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Champions for Change

• Champions for Change is a SkillsUSA initiative
  funded by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg
  Foundation, encompassing two key initiative areas
  to build our American work force
• SkillsUSA Work Force Ready System
• Six pilot sites in vulnerable communities
• www.championsforchange.org

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Project Requirements

• Implementation of a fully-operating SkillsUSA
  chapter serving students (16-24 years old)
• Enroll students as part of Total Participation
  Plan or Campus Affiliation Plan
• Implement the SkillsUSA Program of Work
• Conduct regular student-led meetings
• Enroll member in Professional Development Program
  (PDP) or Career Skills Education Program (CSEP)
• Attend regional, state and national SkillsUSA
  conferences as available

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Project Requirements

• Establish an advisory committee of business,
  industry, and labor interests
• Arrange for job shadowing, internships and part
  time employment opportunities
• Communicate project activities in community
• Meet national grant program requirements for
  communication on-line system testing, reporting
  and evaluation

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Proposal Requirements

• Economic distress information (describe the
  neighborhoods geographic location, and
  population including income households, age, six,
  ethnicity/race)
• Target population (describe the population served
  including income households, age, sex
  ethnicity/race)

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Proposal Requirements

• Organizational staff contract services of a
  local site manager with SkillsUSA Experience to
  mentor teachers or counselors
• Project Budget
• Letter endorsement of State CTE Education, State
  SkillsUSA director, organizations Executive
  Director, community organizations and/or leaders

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Our Pilot Sites

• June 2007
• Blackburn Alternative Education Program Omaha,
  NE
• Austin Polytechnical Academy Chicago, IL
• May 2008
• ASTRACOR Alexandria, VA
• Detroit Academy of Arts Sciences Detroit, MI
• Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District
  Palmer, AK
• Miami Job Corps Miami, FL

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Austin Polytechnical Academy Chicago, Illinois

• New school with all 9th graders in 2007-08
• 132 SkillsUSA student members and 6 professional
  members in 2007-08
• Chapter Officers elected and Advisors identified
• PDP training in February 2008
• 9th grade students enrolled in PDP online program
  and completed Level 1
• Every student attended two field trips in the
  manufacturing industry and will participate in
  Job Shadowing this year
• Manufacturing Symposium planned for October and
  students/advisors plan to attend IL Fall
  Leadership in November

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ASTRACOR Alexandria, Virginia

• Asociación de Trabajadores de Construcción
  Residencial 1.2 mil miembros
• Residential Construction Workers Association
  1,200 members
• All student members have a common vocational
  interest
• Program completers will enter the workforce with
  two recognizable credentials
• Interpersonal club relationships will carry over
  into business community relationships

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Miami Job Corps Center Miami, Florida

• Technical Training
• Accounting
• Health Occupations
• Carpentry
• Culinary Arts
• Facilities Maintenance
• Computer Repair Technician
• Landscaping
• Office Technologies
• Painting

• Academic Training
• 4 accredited HS Programs SIATech Charter School,
  Penn Foster, New Summit and GED classes
• ACT College Prep
• Tutoring
• Applied Academics
• Ready For Work Employability Training

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Miami Job Corps SkillsUSA Planned Projects

• Entrepreneurial Opportunities in Culinary Arts
  and Computer Repair
• Assistance with Postsecondary options
• Shadowing Business Leaders
• Service Learning
• Use of Career Skills Education Program (CSEP)
• Prepare students for a global economy
• Participation in state, regional and national
  competitions

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Detroit Academy of Arts Sciences Detroit,
Michigan

• Charter School in Detroit, Michigan
• 800 Students in Grades 9-12
• 100 At Risk Population
• 100 Acceptance to College/University
• Career Pathways Curriculum

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Blackburn Alternative Education Omaha, Nebraska

• All students at Blackburn are SkillsUSA members
• Advisors attended 2007 WLTI and students and
  advisors attended NE Fall Leadership and Mid
  America Conference
• Chapter Officers elected and Advisors identified
• All instructors received PDP training in November
  2007
• Success with State Officer elected and state
  winner in Customer Service

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Matanuska-Susitna Borough Palmer, Alaska

• 50 miles north of Anchorage
• Major cities are Palmer, Wasilla, Houston
  Talkeetna
• 24,681 square miles, larger than the entire state
  of West Virginia
• Growth requires a new school every year second
  largest school district in the state

• Three outlying schools
• Susitna Valley, 7-12
• Houston, 9-12
• Glacier view, K-12
• 120 miles between Glacier View School and
  SuValley HS

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Matanuska-Susitna Borough Schools
Glacier View School
Houston High School
Susitna Valley Jr./Sr. High School
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Matanuska-Susitna Borough Components

• Virtual Community through Tech Mat-Su, the
  distance delivery site
• Leadership
• Mentorship
• Coordination
• Chapter and advisor in each school
• Local Site Manager mentored by SkillsUSA State
  Director

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Questions / Discussion / Recommendations
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Thank you!

• www.workforcereadysystem.org

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Progress since June

• A team of national staff, state directors and
  mentors have met with all new sites and helped to
  develop structure and set membership goals.
• During visits to ASTRACOR, Miami Job Corps and
  Alaska, a National Officer or former National
  Officer met with students to help with membership
  kick off.
• Webinar/conference calls dates have been set
  (every other month, beginning in November) to
  help with communication and share progress.