You^th Are Here Buses to Re-launch on October 16, 2007 !!!

In Summer 2007, the Minneapolis Youth Coordinating Board ( YCB ) launched two circular bus routes in Minneapolis - one south (Phillips/Powderhorn) and one north (Near North/Camden) Minneapolis - to bring youth safely to and from program opportunities in those communities. The bus service was very successful, providing more than 5,000 rides to the 288 youth who registered to ride the bus (see article on back of this Update). Based on this success the YCB is resuming the buses this fall to give youth access to after-school opportunities.

On Tuesday, October 16, 2007 the north and south routes will begin operation, running Monday through Friday from 4:00 – 8:00 pm until December 21, 2007 . Each bus will run a 60 minute loop, making stops at nonprofit organizations, parks, and libraries. The bus will offer extended service on school release days (October 18, 19 and November 5 th ).

The bus is free; but registration is required. Registration forms can be obtained at the stops on the route or downloaded from the YCB website, www.ycb.org . Schedules and route information can be found on the YCB website beginning October 5th.

For more information about the bus routes, please call the YCB at 612 673-7271 or email YCB@ci.minneapolis.mn.us

 

Minneapolis Youth Congress (MYC) Begins October 25, 2007 !!!

On Thursday, October 25th at 4:30pm the members of the Minneapolis Youth Congress (MYC) will gather at the steps of the Downtown Minneapolis Public Library and walk in together to convene the inaugural session of Congress.

The Minneapolis Youth Congress (MYC) is in the last stages of its recruitment phase and is still actively seeking youth in grades 8 through 12 interested in giving voice to the issues that are at the heart of youth in the City. Interviews begin October 3 rd , but applications will be accepted until MYC reaches its full membership of 55.

The YCB gives special thanks to Kit Hadley and Maureen Hartman at the Minneapolis Public Library for their enthusiasm for the MYC and for welcoming the MYC into the building. Youth are very excited to hold MYC at the Central Library downtown and appreciate having great partners. Special thanks to Eleanor Coleman and the Minneapolis Public Schools for paving the way for YCB to get into schools to recruit youth for the MYC. And a big thank you to Marshall Wylie , Minneapolis Parks, for his guidance and involvement with the MYC Steering Committee.

 

For additional information, please contact Pam McBride at 612 673-2708 or Pam.McBride@ci.minneapolis.mn.us

 

Early Childhood Services in Homeless Shelters

A large number of young children in Minneapolis are homeless or highly mobile; 1,205 children ages 0 – 4 years were identified staying in the major homeless shelters in Minneapolis during the 12 months July 1, 2006 – June 30, 2007 , representing 28.4% of all children and youth identified as homeless.

Early Childhood Screening for preschoolers staying at shelters is now provided by Minneapolis Public School staff, but active follow up and connections to the resources to which the children are referred is missing. Because of the high mobility, families with the youngest children are often isolated from the community resources for healthy child development that are available.

With funding from the YCB , the MPS, under the guidance of Elizabeth Hinz, plans to respond to these two needs for supporting preschoolers and their families by doing the following: 1) creating an implementation plan for successful follow up to resources, and 2) identifying an appropriate parent/family education program model and integration plan to pilot within the next six months. This work will help policymakers and program staff understands and address the obstacles faced by families who live in shelters with their young children.

 

Youth Describe Summer You^th Are Here Bus as “Cool”

By all accounts, the You^th Are Here circulating buses were a great success. Despite the usual challenges that accompany the start-up of any new initiative, the buses provided more than 5,100 rides, exceeding our estimate of 4,000 by more than 20%.

Eighty-seven (87) youth – or 30% - of the 288 registered riders completed an evaluation during the last week of the bus route. Here are the highlights of the evaluations.

 

•  Word of mouth works . Thirty-three percent (33%) of the respondents reported they first heard about the bus through friends.

•  Youth take advantage of being able to get on and off the bus to experience different activities. The number of rides taken over the summer was calculated by counting the number of children who exited the bus at each stop. In other words, the same child may get on and off the bus multiple times during the 8 hour shift. On average, youth rode the bus 2-3 times during an eight-hour day.

•  Placing youth workers on the bus was a wise decision on many levels. The favorite part of the bus, as reported by the youth, was talking to and spending time with the youth workers. The youth worker also contributed greatly to youth feeling safe on the bus.

•  The bus would help youth during the school year. Eighty-six percent (86%) of respondents said they would ride the bus during the school year if it was available.