Archive for June, 2010

In early 2009, I shared with you the history of Cleveland’s commitment to providing comprehensive sexual health education for all our students — a partnership led by the Cleveland schools and fully backed by dozens of key leaders (City, County, foundations) and most importantly student and parents themselves. 

Early evaluation results of the program showed that when students receive medically accurate, age and culturally appropriate health education, they are better prepared to make smart, healthy decisions about their futures.

Since the release of that report in 2009, the District’s comprehensive health education efforts have continued.  Last year, over 12,000 students received comprehensive health education and 130 teachers were trained to deliver the evidence-based curriculum.   

I’m pleased to once again report that our community’s responsible sexual behavior program is making a difference.  And a measurable one at that.  Our partners at the AIDS Funding Collaborative and Philliber Research Associates released a follow-up evaluation on the third year of our K-12 Responsible Sexual Behavior Initiative (2008-2009). 

Among the highlights of the 2008/2009 school year evaluation:

• Students showed statistically significant improvements in overall knowledge, attitudes, skills and behavioral intent across the three curricula included in the evaluation;
• The topic students in grades 1-3 most frequently reported they learned about was good touch/bad touch, while high school students were as likely to name abstinence as they were to name safer sex as the most important lesson learned;
• 130 CMSD physical education and health teachers successfully completed intensive training to deliver the Responsible Sexual Behavior curricula, and demonstrated high levels of knowledge and comfort delivering the programming. The evaluation identified some areas for additional training.
• Parents overwhelmingly support schools teaching comprehensive sexuality education. Among the parents whose children received the curriculum, 83 percent of those with children in grades K‐6 and 68 percent of those with children in grades 7‐12 reported having a discussion with their child about sex, or a related topic, because of what was learned in the classroom.

The Cleveland Foundation is proud to support the Cleveland schools, and our many partner institutions, in funding medically accurate, comprehensive health education for our students. 

For more information on the Responsible Sexual Behavior program and its third year evaluation, read the full evaluation report and accompanying briefs.

Additional links:

2008 Report 

2009-2010 Report

2009 -2010 Briefs

Partners

Each week we will use this space to give each of our interns a chance to reflect on their internship experiences.

Up first is Amy Freede. Amy is a graduate student at Case Western Reserve University. She has been placed at Towards Employment this summer.

Since 1976, Towards Employment has helped individuals in the community by supporting their entry or re-entry into the working world.

My work at the organization is focused on two specific job readiness programs: NETworks 2 Success and NETworks 4 Success. Both programs provide training and preparation in the areas of communication, resume and application work, interviewing skills, professionalism, and stress management.

The first of these programs, NETworks 2 Success, is two weeks in length and works with individuals transitioning off government assistance. The second program works with individuals who have been involved in the criminal justice system. At four weeks in length, NETworks 4 Success also offers legal support to help individuals overcome the obstacle that a criminal background creates to obtaining a job.

The first week of my internship has mainly been focused on gaining a better understanding of the organization, what goals they seek to accomplish, and how their workshops are conducted. I have met many of the employees, as well as several of the directors and managers, to gain a deeper understanding of how each system within Towards Employment is connected and how each part works together. My favorite part of the first week has been sitting in on the NETworks 4 Success workshop and interacting with the individuals who are participating in the class. It has been inspiring to see how invaluable this service is to individuals struggling with the barriers associated with re-entry. It has also been motivating to witness former students visit the organization with smiles on their faces because they have found jobs.

What I have found in my initial observations is that Towards Employment facilitators draw from a wide variety of resources and supplement their teaching with many activities throughout their daily sessions.

My project this summer is to organize the large pool of lessons, resources, and activities into a manageable, standardized manual making it easier for present and future facilitators to teach the classes. My goal is to create a lesson guide that will be standard enough for each facilitator to teach the same material, but also flexible enough to accommodate the unique needs of the individuals served.

I hope that the end result will lessen preparation time for facilitators, allowing them more opportunities to work on activities or projects that will further the work of Towards Employment.

I had the opportunity to listen to the Cuyahoga Arts & Culture panel review of its general operating grant program last week.  CAC brought in outside experts from across the country to review over 70 arts and culture organizations’ applications.  It was a great learning opportunity for all involved in the process. 

Here are some of the insights and challenges I heard:

• The importance of organizations being flexible or nimble in responding to its environment and making changes to its structure and programming;
• The use of social media to engage younger, different or new audiences and in selling the whole experience of what it means to be a member of that organization’s family rather than just selling a ticket to a performance;
• The need to continue to diversity leadership of organizations both in terms of the board and its staffing – how we embrace younger members of the community as well as those of different cultures and backgrounds;
• Priority must be given to meaningful engagement with the community – how the organization ensures it is reaching out, listening and working together with members of the community.
• Greater focus on accountability – both programmatically and fiscally – and the need to tell the story of both. �
   

It was great to hear that many of our arts and culture organizations are thinking about these issues or have incorporated them into their organizations.  But upon reflecting on what I heard, I also think that these insights hold true for the broader nonprofit community to ensure that the overall nonprofit sector remains healthy and vibrant.

Today, the 11th class of the Cleveland Foundation Summer Internship program starts.

These individuals went through a very competitive application and interview process - more than 250 applications were received for only 16 placements. 

The interns represent a variety of majors such as international business, human rights studies, social work, and urban planning. 

This year’s host site projects are truly reflective of the challenges and opportunities faced by the nonprofit sector.   The projects address topics such as business formation and development, land reutilization, youth development and urban agriculture.  They also build the capacity of organizations in functional areas such as finance, development, outreach, marketing, and research.

We were deliberate in connecting young talent with meaningful, game-changing projects.  This follows the program’s objectives of exposing young people to the local nonprofit and public sector and increasing organizations’ ability to conduct important short-term projects.

Please join us in extending a hearty congratulations to some of Cleveland’s best and brightest.

Cleveland Foundation Summer Internship Class of 2010

Modesto Acosta, a junior at Oberlin College, will be placed at Near West Theatre.  Modesto will be responsible for community outreach efforts with four area nonprofits.

Seerat Bhaniwal, a graduate student at Case Western Reserve University, will be placed at Metropolitan Cleveland Consortium for STEM.   Seerat will focus on providing content for the cyber communications plan which will include a new website, Facebook, e-mail blasts and Twitter.  She will also assist in the design and implementation of meetings and activities for Urban Debate, and assist with the follow-up for the governor’s statewide and regional STEM conferences.

Ann Brewka, a junior at Fordham University, will be placed at Cleveland Tenants Organization.  Ann will work directly with the shared development director in facilitating resource development and fundraising activities for three local grassroots housing advocacy organizations:  the Cleveland Tenants Organization, Environmental Health Watch and the Housing Research & Advocacy Center.

Kali Fencl, a junior at the College of Wooster, will be placed at Cleveland Public Art (CPA).  Kali will work with the organization’s project management and marketing staff to develop an art exhibition in CPA’s storefront gallery space. 

Amy Freede, a graduate student of Case Western Reserve University, will be placed at Towards Employment.  Amy will work with the training services manager to formalize its Networks 2 Success and Networks 4 Success Job Readiness Workshop instructor materials.  She will also be responsible for creating an instructor curriculum manual.

Donte Gibbs, a senior at Case Western Reserve University, will be placed at Neighborhood Leadership Institute (NLI).  Donte will be responsible for managing the NLI summer out of school time programs, which include the City of Cleveland’s tennis program as well as the Schools as Neighborhood Resources (SNR) locations.

Joseph Gruber, a junior at the University of Dayton, will be placed at Shaker Square Area Development Corporation (SHAD).  Joseph will be responsible for providing assistance with the administration and marketing of SHAD’s exterior housing repair program, a targeted one-to-one matching grant program to assist owner-occupants of distressed homes with the completion of exterior repairs to their properties.

Taryn Higgins, a graduate student of Case Western Reserve University, will be placed at Ohio State University Extension (OSUE) in Cuyahoga County.  Taryn’s primary responsibilities will be to enhance and update OSUE’s  community gardening guidebook so it is more user-friendly.  She will support the development and implementation of a hands-on summer learning program for preschool-age children, “To the Garden We Grow.”

Monica Laco, a senior at Xavier University, will be placed at Recovery Resources.  Monica will identify, develop, and maintain social media outlets for agency involvement and promotion including development and maintenance of agency blog, enhancement of YouTube channel and Facebook page, plus exploration of LinkedIn and Twitter.

Liam Martin, a junior at Taylor University, will be placed at ShoreBank Enterprise.  Liam will be responsible for reviewing existing infrastructure, estimating repair/replacement timelines, contacting vendors, obtaining quotes for work, analyzing proposals, aggregating information and assisting in the development of a long-term capital improvement plan.

Colin McCormack, a graduate student of the University of Akron, will be placed at the Cleveland Mediation Center.  Colin will be responsible for conducting an in-depth market analysis of the mediation/conflict resolution training market in Northeast Ohio.  He will also create a marketing plan for its trainings.

Sarah Narkin, a junior at John Carroll University, will be placed at Voices for Ohio’s Children.  Sarah will help coordinate logistics for policy meetings, update portions of Voices’ website, write articles for Voices’ Newsletter, attend related policy meetings and activities, and conduct general policy research.

India Pierce, a senior at Ohio University, will be placed at Union Miles Development.  India will be responsible for vacancy data collection and residential code enforcement support.  She will also work with partners to implement a phytoremediation (the use of green plants to remove pollutants from the environment or render them harmless) sunflower garden.

Nicole Velasquez, a recent graduate of Clarion University of Pennsylvania, will be placed at The City Club of Cleveland.  Nicole will assist in the overall planning of the 100th anniversary activities.  She will also work with the public relations and programs manager to plan and implement a marketing plan that will include, among other things, targeted marketing and use of social media.  She will also help to plan Forums.

Joseph Wingenfeld, a senior at Miami University, will be placed at Neighborhood Progress, Inc.  Joseph will work on the implementation, documentation, and assessment of the Re-Imagining a More Sustainable Cleveland Pilot Project, in which 58 land re-use projects will transform vacant land bank lots into greenspace, market gardens, and phytoremediation (use of green plants to remove pollutants from the environment or render them harmless) sites. 

Adam Yasinow, a senior at Washington University in St. Louis, will be placed at BioEnterprise Corporation.  Adam will be responsible for identifying and researching imaging companies and will conduct a competitive analysis of imaging assets found in other parts of the country.  He will also analyze new technologies and markets and develop a profile of assets that support the development of new imaging technologies.