Youth Empowerment Services (YES)
YES is a unique after-school program for at-risk youth experiencing academic and/or attendance issues at Brooklyn Park Middle, Lindale Middle and Meade Middle School, particularly those impacted by incarceration. The YES program provides support to address current academic needs, but also works with the youth to develop goals for personal achievement in the future and then helps them develop their own plans to build a path towards success where they achieve those goals.
For more information on the YES program, contact:
Euphemia Griffin at niecyg2@gmail.com
Light of the World Family Ministries
Behavioral and Emotional Support and Training (BEST) 2.0
Operated by AACC’s TEACH Institute & Parenting Center, BEST 2.0 is an early childhood initiative that provides behavioral intervention and parent support for families with children from birth to age five in the Brooklyn Park community. The program is designed to address behavioral challenges in young children, equipping families with the tools and skills needed for children to enter kindergarten ready to learn and to support their continued success in school. Services include both in-person and virtual sessions with a parent educator, as well as group-based community sessions offered in partnership with organizations such as the Judy Center and the Anne Arundel County Public Library.
In addition, BEST 2.0 collaborates with the Anne Arundel County Public Schools Teen Parent Education Program, offered onsite at the West County and Annapolis Family Support Centers. This component focuses on strengthening parent-child interactions, promoting development-centered parenting, and supporting overall family well-being.
For more information on the BEST program, contact:
Carole Parker at csparker2@aacc.edu
Anne Arundel Community College, TEACH Institute & Parenting Center
Black Wall Street Mentoring Program
Black Wall Street Mentoring Program provides youth who are between the ages of 11 and 24 with one-on-one mentoring with academic support and life-skills development, focusing on the workforce development and GED attainment for youth. The goal is to help youth achieve academically, develop skills for self-sufficiency, reduce risk for gang involvement all while addressing trauma and the “pair of ACES.” The BWS curriculum was developed based on the Search Institute's 40 Developmental Assets for Youth.
For more information on Black Wall Street, contact:
Rita Washington at ritawashington.ncdc@gmail.com
Penzola Kisic at kisic.penzola@gmail.com
Newtowne 20 Community Development Corporation
Hood 2 Good
Hood 2 Good is a successful, grassroots out-of-school-time program for at-risk youth in low-income, public, and subsidized housing in Annapolis. Participants are primarily African American and Latinx. The program uses art as a mechanism for youth to process trauma and challenging emotions, explore topics and issues of interest with subject matter experts, develop skills for coping and mindfulness, develop artistic and technical skills that can support college and/or career readiness
For more information on Hood 2 Good contact:
Kenneth Starkes at kenneth_starkes@community-transitions.com
Community Transitions, Inc.