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Contact Us: |
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Heart City Child Advocacy Center Phone: 402-376-8027 Fax: 402-376-8027 E-mail: projects@minnechaduza.org |
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The North Central Nebraska Child Abuse Prevention Project (NCNCAPP), in conjunction with the Minnechaduza Foundation aggregated community survey information from multiple sources to define a direction for child abuse prevention initiatives in this region of the State. All surveys identified substance abuse prevention in adolescents as a pressing priority in Cherry County. Alcohol and tobacco use by adolescents in Cherry County, and the increasing risk of methamphetamine use by this age group have compelled the NCNCAPP to design a comprehensive after-school program, covering K-12 age groups, available to all school-age children in Cherry County, formatted in a developmentally and culturally appropriate manner in elementary, middle, and high-school-age strata. The program engages collaborative support from the City of Valentine to provides space for this project. Preventive education content will be delivered in each venue, while youth will participate in the design and format of the venue in the two older age groups. The project will reach 40 elementary, 100 middle-school, and 200 high-school participants from throughout the county and across socio-economic groups, in year 1, through after-school venues activating in the Fall of 2005 at the onset of the school year. After-school programs will serve participants 5 (elementary), and 6 (middle-high-school age) days per week using a team of 3 paid youth workers in physical space provided by the City of Valentine. These services are non-duplicative and leverage interest and collaboration with Sandhills Interact and the Valentine Youth Planning Commission to access existing volunteer spirit, youth leadership, and grant funds available only to these programs. This intervention plan is integrated into the larger community vision of assuring a safe and nurturing environment for children, in part through the provision of Circle of Parents parent support groups, and through training for health professionals, LB1184 team members, and community leaders regarding child maltreatment and domestic violence. The intervention plan in Cherry County is expected to divert youth toward constructive activities and away from substance abuse, while serving as a template for Brown, Rock, and Keya Paha counties, where community planning will be facilitated by this grant, the over-arching vision of the NCNCAPP Executive Team, and the implementation activities in neighboring Cherry County. In addition, the Minnechaduza Foundation has joined the Nebraska Community Learning Center Network to integrate academic enhancement strategies into this after-school venue. After-school programs are virtually ubiquitous in larger cities but are difficult to fund in rural communities. Please consider how you can support this important substance abuse prevention/academic enhancement initiative |
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After School Programs |
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What it is: Adult-supervised/assisted settings, conducted after the school day, designed to provide a recreational and learning environment. |