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Maryland: State Strengthening Project Overview State: MarylandProject Title: Building Strong Communities in Maryland Location of Community Projects: Baltimore City, Charles County Web Site Address: None
Description: Overview A community leader empowerment program is operating in two communities in Maryland in which a significant number of families live in poverty. In addition, the Maryland program strengthens state capacity toward working with low income children, youth and families by addressing diversity, collaboration, cooperation, evaluation and staff development. The project centers on the goals of strengthening communities through community collaboration, community needs and assets assessment, citizen empowerment, youth development, and system/program development. Following leadership training, youth and adult leaders will establish support networks, resources and systems that will strengthen and support the community. In the two communities - Pleasant View Gardens neighborhood in Baltimore City and the Samuel A. Mudd school community in Charles County (near Waldorf, MD), Family and Consumer Sciences educators and 4H Youth Educators work as a team to introduce and support the project. A site Project Coordinator in each location handles the primary responsibilities for project implementation. Each project began its partnership with one primary collaborator, and later local advisory councils are in place to add support and guidance to the empowerment project, and serve and mentors to the trained volunteers to help facilitate their community development efforts and individually support the empowerment process. State support is provided by a portion of time from state specialists in Family & Consumer Sciences and in 4H, from a project coordinator hired specifically for the project, and by a technology specialist who provides direct computer support and technical training to the project. In Charles County, with support from the assistant superintendent of schools and the principal and vice principal, the Samuel A. Mudd School has been the home base of State Strengthening project activities. The People Helping People project originated in Connecticut is being conducted with mothers of children who attend the school. The first series of classes for PEP began this summer, and participants are now engaged in community leadership activities to strengthen family support for children's activities in the school setting. In 1998 and part of 1999, the community site in Baltimore City was a leaderless community, often subject to the whim of outside bureaucracies. The implementation of a leadership development training program, modeled after the Master Teacher in Family Life program from Massachusetts, lead to the creation of "People Helping People [PHP]." During this year, PHP struggled to be the voice of the community. However, long-standing conflicts between individuals and a lack of support from the city Housing authority, which provides management and oversight for the community, weakened the structure of the PHP. This also contributed to diminishing participation from neighborhood residents in leadership training. As a result, the difficult decision to terminate the Baltimore City site as part of the Building Strong Communities in Maryland project was made. We are encouraged by the work that has begun with volunteers who are interested in providing leadership for youth programs in Pleasant View Gardens. We will continue to fund these activities through the end of year 4 (March 31, 2002) to provide support for the 4-H programs that begin in the next six months. These clubs can be sustained by integrating them into the ongoing Baltimore City 4-H program. This fall, the state strengthening project coordinator has conducted a series of meetings with the community leaders and providers of social services in the Langley Park and Takoma Park Communities in Prince George's and Montgomery Counties. The discussions have focused on working with the predominantly Hispanic community of nearly 30,000 people which represents the fastest growing Hispanic community in the Washington Metropolitan area. With the assistance of Cheryl Czuba, University of Connecticut State Strengthening Project, the state coordinator secured Spanish translations of the People Empowering People Program. Support for a Spanish only state strengthening site has received an enthusiastic welcome. The extension staff in Prince George's County is interested in being a partner in the project and the Montgomery County extension office will be contacted for participation. A ten-week PEP training will be initiated in January 2002. Classes will be conducted by the state coordinator who is fluent in Spanish. The Langley/Takoma project site will collaborate with thte Langley Catholic Community Center and the Washington Interfaith Ecumenical Group for promoting community development. The project also has received support from the director of community programs at the Clear Spring Elementary School, a Judy Center in Takoma Park and a leading community activist. Connectivity The connectivity initiative purchased and installed computers at the PVG project site and in Charles county. Training on Internet use and resources through CYFERnet has been conducted with project staff through the project year. Ongoing effort was made to connect 13 computers located at the PVG site to the Internet. A computer lab that is located in the Samuel A. Mudd School provides computer access for the participants of the PEP program. Outcomes Focus Community national outcomes are the primary focus of Maryland's state strengthening project. Systems development and citizen development indicators of the Community outcome are the eventual focus of the evaluations. Secondary outcome areas to be affected throughout the project are Parent/Family and Youth. Indicators related to effective parenting and strong families and youth development will be measured to demonstrate eventual program effectiveness. Collaboration Maryland Extension is collaborating with the University of Maryland Department of Family Studies, Institute for Governmental Services and CYFERnet. Individual projects receive support from state and local agencies. These relationships support Maryland's project through evaluation and technical assistance, provision of relevant research and literature, and training materials and staff. In the two project sites, and the YAR project site (also in Baltimore City), local collaborators support the project through the provision of facilities and space, staff time, and participant identification. Added agencies for support are anticipated with the final project year, as are expanded opportunities for project support from collaborators. FY 2001 Accomplishments: FY 2001 Accomplishments in supporting and sustaining community-based projects for children, youth, and families at-risk. 1. Use of CYFERnet Four individuals connected to the State Strengthening Project are also involved with CYFERNet. One of the project co-directors is a member of the CYFERNet Child Editorial Board, and the management team for the Extension Cares initiative. The other project co-director is a member of the Extension Cares "Out of School Time for Teens" sub-committee. Maryland's state 4-H program leader is a participant in the core team of the National Network for Health. A 4-H educator in Baltimore City who supports the State Strengthening Project is a member of the Youth Editorial Board. Each of these individuals is well acquainted with the resources of CYFERnet and routinely shares that information with community-based projects. The CYFERnet site is linked from the Maryland State Strengthening Project web site, making access easy for the community sites. Our newly designed web site will take CYFERnet's core components and personalize them for our client base. The CYFERNet site is also linked from the website of the Charles County project collaborator, the Judy Hoyer Center at the Samuel A. Mudd Elementary School. The CYFERnet TechNews is regularly forwarded to the community state strengthening sites and selected articles from that publication are also included in the electronic communications to 4-H and Family Consumer Science Educators throughout the state. One educator participated in the teleconference that described the African American Inventors Curriculum and we set up two community sites and one statewide site for the James Garbarino "A Safer Community for Children and Youth" satellite conference. 2. Evaluation Assistance The State Strengthening Project evaluation team is always available and present at state project meetings to address questions and offer suggestions on ways to understand how project efforts are making a difference. Meetings between site staff and the evaluation team have sought to clarify evaluation methods that are useful at capturing program aspects and participant interests to yield valuable information about project effectiveness. At the same time, these discussions have sought to determine methods that are also not threatening to community members who may have had negative experiences after sharing information with strangers, and consequently distrust the use of their personal information. Discussions with site staff have also centered on the extent and format of gathering background information on participants who have minimal literacy or disabilities that limit writing or speech. Dr. Susan Walker, Extension Specialist, Family Life, became the evaluation coordinator for the state strengthening project. Her knowledge of the project, intended outcomes, and evaluation methods has led to increased support for the evaluation component of the project this year. We have also brought on a graduate assistant from the Family Studies department. She has responsibilities to both sites, and offers consistent evaluation team presence to state level meetings. 3. Technology Training and Technical Assistance The primary goal of the technology component of the Building Strong Communities project was to upgrade the project website. Again, we experienced a transition in the technology position. The graduate student hired to work with the state project coordinator and with each community site was not able to successfully complete his responsibilities. The project has relied on the support of an MCE Regional Information Technology Specialist for technical assistance, troubleshooting and supporting the community sites.
4. Local Sustainability of Community Projects A decision to bring closure to the project in Baltimore City at the end of year 4 will limit our ability to sustain the efforts of the project (for more detail, see Project Description. Some of the state strengthening work in Baltimore City will hopefully be sustained by the City Extension Office as they work with volunteer leaders from the state strengthening project to develop 4-H clubs for youth in Pleasant View Gardens and increase participation of PVG youth in the original Youth at Risk Project, 4-H Adventures in Science. It became clear this fall that the original partners in the Baltimore City, the Housing Authority of Baltimore City and, to a lesser extent, the Boys and Girls Club could not provide an avenue for project sustainability. The state project coordinator will continue to encourage graduates of the original Master Teacher in Family Life training to maintain their identity as "People Helping People" and continue their participation on the Southeast Community Organization/Southeast Development Inc. (SECO/SCI) advisory board. In Charles County, the partnerships with the Judy Hoyer Center (see community description) and the Samuel A. Mudd School (see community description) are strong and should result in project sustainability beyond the funding cycle. Because there are "Judy Centers" throughout the state, this collaboration between extension and the center can serve as a model for other sites. The People Empowering People (PEP) program provides opportunities to integrate the participants into local community-based organizations. The state project coordinator continues to support the community project director in her efforts to make PEP an ongoing training for parents in the school community. The Charles County Cooperative Extension faculty and staff are fully engaged in providing additional programs to the community, including 4-H clubs and nutrition education for youth and adults. One of the first graduates of the PEP program is working to engage her housing community in strategies that will make a difference there and it is possible that this community will become an active collaborator in project expansion. The early success of the PEP program in Charles County has been recognized by extension educators and other professionals in other Maryland counties. The state project coordinator will provide support for the expansion of the Building Strong Communities program to new communities in the state: At the invitation of the Maryland State Fatherhood Family Network in Oxford, Maryland, the state coordinator and the Charles county site director introduced elements of the PEP program to directors of public, private, and ecclesiastical organizations who conduct family and parenting skills training on the Eastern Shore. This group most likely will adopt the PEP program as a model for training and empowering community leaders and has made connections with the Talbot County Extension staff for technical support. Strong interest in the PEP program has been expressed by community leaders and social service providers in Prince George's and Montgomery Counties as a way to empower natural adult and youth leaders in the Hispanic communities they serve. With the assistance of Cheryl Czuba, state strengthening project director at the University of Connecticut, the state project coordinator has secured Spanish translations of the PEP program. 5. Integration Into Base Extension Programs This past year, work with children, youth and families at risk continued to be integrated into base extension programs. Adults and youth involved in the community sites have expanded participation into base programs that focus on volunteer development and 4-H youth development. In Baltimore City, community-based volunteers participated in Maryland Cooperative Extension (MCE) volunteer training in preparation for their roles in the summer youth program and to give leadership to the organization of community-based 4-H clubs. They also received parts of the Adolescent Growth and Development training. Community youth were provided transportation so they could participate in the 4-H Adventure in Science program this fall. PVG youth exhibited at the Baltimore City 4-H Expo in the summer. In Charles County, 4-H adult and teen leaders worked with PEP volunteers to organize a 4-H club for children at the Samuel A. Mudd Elementary School. Several children were provided scholarships to attend the 4-H day and overnight camp programs in the county this summer. Outcomes: State-wide capacity: This year several activities served to increase state Extension faculty in their capacity to work with children, youth and families at risk. The State Strenghtening project sponsored and suppored faculty in training opportunities and conferences that were directed toward CYFAR principles. One statewide inservice training was focused on conducting community based needs assessments. Two model programs were featured: Charettes, and the People Empowering People program from Connecticut. The inservice included 4H, Family and Consumer Sciences and Agriculture & Natural Resources faculty and members of the community. The training thus fostered internal and external collaborations for Extension faculty. Evaluation of the training resulted in 90% of the participants reporting increased knowledge of needs assessment practices, and 85% reporting planned use of at least one of the methods in community programs. The theme of our Extension annual conference this year was on diversity. One of our State Strenghtening staff was on the planning committee for the all-staff conference, and several of our grant-supported staff attended. Diversity issues included appreciating differences, awareness of personal behaviors and attitudes, and developing programs to enhance cultural understanding. Maryland participated with two other states in writing a proposal for a diversity grant provided by CYFERnet. The project was to develop a training manual on developing programs with a diversity emphasis. Maryland and other states would have been model sites for the diversity modules. Further collaborations were fostered between Extension and the academic departments, and Extension and community partners. Extension-sponsored conferences in Cleveland (the Urban Cities conference) and in South Carolina (Stronger Families conference) were opportunities to invite our community partners to join us in training and networking on common issues. Outcomes for Children, Youth, Parent/Families, Communities: The outcomes of our projeccts to enhance the well-being of children, youth, families and communities can be best appreciated through the direct efforts of our community projects. + Citizen empowerment continued to be enhanced in Baltimore City. As a result of participating in leadership training, individual acitons taken by participants include a) following up on promised action for the community by the management company, b) work with resident girls with Morgan State University, c) president of resident asssociation working with social worker to assess resident needs, and d) personal decrease in public alcohol consumption. +Youth who participated in a summer money choices program reported learning how to save money, keep track of money, list money needs, establish goals for their money and knowing what a bank does. +Resources have been developed to assist community members: outreach to senior citizens, financial resources for grandparents raising grandchildren located and communicated, and 4H club in the neighborhood. + A summer youth program that involves members of the adult community as leaders and volunteers has become a consistent feature in the Pleasant View neighborhood. In Charles county, adults who participated in the PEP program reported enhanced communication skills, knoweldge of community resources, enhanced confidence in individual ability to make a difference in the community, and development of positive outlook for the community. + A 4H club has been developed for the children in the site school, which will also serve as an afterschool program for children. +Children of the leadership training participants entered projects in the annual county fair. As a result, the children gained knowledge and skills to design and build craft projects, and developed a sense of pride from completing projects. + Parents who participated in the PEP program cited improved relationships with family and/or children, enhanced communication and listening skills, learning alternative methods of disciplining, interacting with chilren and reconizing reasons for misbehaviors. | |||||||||||||||
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Send Comments or Questions to: swright@csrees.usda.gov |
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