At Risk Criteria:
Hope Active uses the following criteria to identify At-Risk students. In order to qualify, students must meet one of the guidelines listed:
- Students who are homeless or reside in a family living beneath the poverty level threshold.
- Students who did not perform satisfactorily academically OR on assessment tests in current school year OR did not advance to the next grade for one or more years.
- Students who are pregnant or a parent.
- Students who have been placed in alternative education, expelled, reported as a drop out, previously/currently incarcerated or have a parent who is incarcerated
- Students of limited English proficiency OR students with special needs
Background and Description of Program:
2 out every 5 students are considered “at-risk”. Hope Active, a 501c3, nonprofit organization, works to ensure at-risk youth (6th-12th grade) have access to the necessary resources to grow and thrive. Hope Active has a uniquely certified staff that forges collaborative relationship with our local school district and implements on-campus mentorship program. Hope Active has impacted over 2,800 students resulting in an increase in college & career readiness by removing educational barriers (mentorship, backpacks, school supplies, and essential needs) and introducing skilled trade opportunities, reduced unexcused absences, reduction in recidivism, improved family dynamics and overall higher student engagement and confidence.
Program Objectives & Goals:
Our objective is to ensure “at-risk” students in grades 6-12 have a stepwise ladder that removes solvable barriers and promotes students access to vital relationships that improve education and employment standards. Hope Active believes by creating a safe, positive, and inclusive environment, ALL students have what it takes to reach their full potential.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
This calendar year, our goal is to raise $250,000 to fund and expand our mentorship in our local school district.
Funding Will Allow:
- The ability to positively impact 2,500 youth in 2021 and 5,000 by 2023 w/ our services
- Expansion of mentorship services to the growing number of “at risk” youths in CCISD
- Onboard & train 75 mentors in 2021
- Fulfil the request to expand our program in two additional local high schools
- Extension of services focusing on skilled trades and college/career readiness.
- Increase the number of career experiences and resources for each student by 50%
- Improving youth’s perception of their own academic abilities and talents thru
- Improving relationships between youth and their peers
- Improving relationships between youth and the adults with whom they interact
- Reducing unexcused absences
- Improve attitudes about learning
- Increase involvement in positive extracurricular activities
Statement of Impact:
The following statement from the leader of Prevention and At-Risk Services for our local school district:
I am currently the coordinator for Clear Creek ISD’s Prevention and At-Risk Services Department. Last year, members of the department began collaborating with Raymond Steward of Hope Active. The relationship began with the organization donating back packs, car seats, diapers, clothes, and other needed items for our most at-risk students. The relationship continued to grow this summer as Hope Active conducted a district-wide school supply, health, and dental screening, and “over all” wellness program for all our students. Hope Active met with individual families to provide needed services that these families could not have received on their own. The help was so needed that people lined up around the building to receive this help. Providing these basic needs helps all our students begin the school year on equal footing with students who cannot afford needed items.
Now that the relationship has been established, Hope Active has become involved with some of our most at-risk youth through mentoring. CCISD’s mentoring program has already seen a reduction in unexcused absences with the students involved. Some of our most needy students were not receiving mentoring services since they had already experienced life altering situations that most of our mentors were not equipped to handle. Hope Active volunteers were willing to meet with these students. These adult-student relationships have changed the lives of our students and allowed them to be successful in course work, reduced absences and have healthy relationships.
We look forward to our continued partnership with Hope Active. We know we will continue to see lives changed and increased student success.
Dr Jeanne Devezin