Starfinder Project Based Collaboration

Since January 2011, UCCP has been working with Starfinder Foundation, a youth empowerment soccer program, to train a number of their high school students for their summer jobs as soccer coaches. Using UCCP's signature Project Based Collaboration format, Johannah Bennett and Kenny Williams-Medley have conducted workshops on diversity, public speaking, team work, leadership, critical thinking while developing a project on the student-chosen issue of Teen Pregnancy. In the course of 7 weeks, students created a variety of mini-skits in order to spark dialogues between teens and parents. The skits focused on a variety of scenarios that teens may find themselves in (being home alone with a boyfriend, not using protection and getting pregnant, going to a party where there is alcohol). The participants presented their skits to the UCCP's Youth Action Scholars. Currently, UCCP and Starfinder are continuing their partnership, develop ing a curriculum for their youth summer camp and training their youth leaders on facilitation and lesson planning.

UCCP helps youth at StarFinder develop leadership & planning

During the Spring of 2010 the UCCP worked closely with over 35 young people from the Starfinders Senior Leader Program, on UNICEF’s “Tap Project” and the “Starfinder Summer Camp.”

For 6 weeks Leaders Corps members Johannah Bennett, Gary Browne and Mosi Blaylock worked alongside the youth to develop a marketing strategy to raise money and social consciousness for UNICEF’s World Water Week. We used this as a springboard to assist the youth in further developing their public speaking, networking, event planning, leadership, and facilitation skills. As a result, the youth were able to not only educate themselves but spread awareness about the global water crisis. In the end, the youth were able to raise close to $300.00! (1$ a day will provide water to one person for 40 days and $500.00 will provide a hand pump for an entire community!)

The UCCP also partnered with Starfinder to help the youth leaders design its Summer Camp, which is an opportunity for many young people to experience their first part time jobs. To plan for it, we spent another six weeks helping to develop each student’s leadership abilities and self-confidence through various activities. Youth were given the opportunity to enhance their public speaking and communication skills, develop and implement activities, and understand the importance of effective planning, goal setting, and time management.

The UCCP was impressed by the youth's commitment and is looking forward to working with Starfinder Foundation in the future.

Project Based Collaboration with BUSTED! PA

For ten weeks from December 2008 to March 2009 the UCCP worked with three youth from BUSTED! PA to develop media literacy and production skills. In the process, the youth in the program planned, shot and edited a short Anti-Smoking PSA titled "Stop and Think" that educates youth about the causes and effects of smoking.

The youth participants from the BUSTED! program used the knowledge and skills they developed through the collaboration to organize a workshop on media production for the BUSTED! Media Conference, which took place on May 9th at Temple University. The UCCP also facilitated a workshop on "Youth, Media and Identity" at the same conference, which focused on how media misrepresents young people and what impact it has in society.

Check out this video interview by Aaron Kennedy, a UCCP Leaders Corps member that worked on the BUSTED! project, for an inside look at the collaboration:

Special thanks to Aunnalea Grove from BUSTED! for supporting the partnership. For more info on how to bring a UCCP project based collaboration to your organization, contact Catalina Gonzalez at catalina.gonzalez@temple.edu.

UCCP Receives Award from Red Cross

On September 25, 2008 The UCCP received the Red Cross’ Community Partners Award. The award was handed out at the Red Cross annual meeting and celebration of volunteers held at Drexel Hill. Catalina Gonzalez, the Assistant Director, along with the UCCP's Leaders Corp Bo, Malikka, Joi, Gary and Dominic worked with the Red Cross staff and their Youth Council on planning and implementing a Summer Camp on Disaster Preparedness.

Dwight Evans Civic Leadership Summit

For the past two years, the UCCP has been collaborating with Pennsylvania State Representative Dwight Evans' Office to support their annual Civic Leadership Summit (DECLS). This year's DECLS included teams from Martin Luther King, Imphotep and Parkway Northwest High Schools. The high school teams, with guidance and support from Temple students acting as collegiate advisors, developed public policy initiatives aimed at solving problems that affect their communities and schools. This year's summit, held May 16th and 17th at International House, showcased solutions to problems like suicide among African American youth and the need for effective recycling programs and improved environmental education.

The American Red Cross - Disaster Preparedness Summer Camp

The UCCP worked for over nine months with the American Red Cross, Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter, to develop a new youth leadership initiative. The product of this exciting project based collaboration was a week long summer camp focusing on disaster preparedness for youth ages 12 to 16. The “Save a Life Camp,” named by the Red Cross youth involved in the initiative, was not only planned by a dynamic team of young people, but was also coordinated and ran by them. The “Save a Life Camp” is a great example of how to work with youth and support their development to promote leaders within organizations.

For more information go to: >>http://redcross-philly.org/ProgramServices/YouthServices

Youth Shine at the Dwight Evans Civil Leadership Summit!

On October 27 and 28, 2006 the second annual Dwight Evans Civic Leadership Summit (DECLS) was help at the National Constitution Center. The summit, sponsored by State Representative, Dwight Evans, exists to empower youth with the knowledge and tools to become critically engaged while improving the quality of life in their communities. This year’s summit connected 11 students from five Philadelphia high schools through workshops aimed at leadership development, interaction with civic leaders, and the introduction and completion of “Project Citizen” a curriculum which provides students with opportunities to focus on the impact of state and local government policy on their neighborhoods and communities. During the summit, participants were given the chance to interact with various civic leaders as well as express themselves in a Town Hall discussion which focused on “bearing witness”. The high point of the summit came when students presented their work in teams to an audience of over 100 people, including a panel of three judges who later engaged the presenters in a questions and answer session. To read more about the Dwight Evans Summit and the impact the event had on the Philadelphia youth who attended, please visit the Newsletter Archive and download a copy of the Winter 2007 newsletter.