During those hours, the local organization oversees an array of
programs at or away from schools in offering a comprehensive slate
of activities with everything from assisting students on their
homework to helping young parents in preventing another teenage
pregnancy.
During those hours, the local organization oversees an array of programs at or away from schools in offering a comprehensive slate of activities with everything from assisting students on their homework to helping young parents in preventing another teenage pregnancy.
Though the programs vary widely, there is a consistent message from the staff at the Hollister Youth Alliance. There is a clear goal.
“Our goal is to build the community by investing in our youth,” said Diane Ortiz, the organization’s executive director who has been with the Hollister Youth Alliance since its inception in 1995.
Ortiz and 15 other staff members at the youth alliance sat down recently to talk about the programs they offer, why the activities are so important toward improving the community, and how they connect with a population of often disadvantaged children who sometimes just need a little guidance to put them on the right path.
As Ortiz and others emphasized, the approach is meant to keep local kids headed in a responsible direction in all stages of their development, and that is shown by the wide variety of programs.
They include afterschool gatherings such as the Collaborative After School Academy (CASA) de Milagros. It is for students in first through eighth grades. Katrina Valdez, a coordinator for the program at R.O. Hardin, which serves more than 100 kids daily, said there is a three-part component: homework assistance, recreation and an hour of enrichment in such areas as arts and visual arts, “all different sorts of media.” She listed off some of the activities from the prior day, such as having the students make self-portraits on mirrors.
“Something a little bit like disguised learning to support the day school,” she said, “some of the activities they do, but a little more hands on, a lot of the stuff that education used to be able to do during school.
“So we have an opportunity to align that with the school standards. The kids, they love it.”
Focus on intervention
Much of the focus for the youth alliance – and it has become a bigger one through the years – is intervention.
One of the programs aimed at that side of things is Joven Noble, which means “Noble Youth.” It is a partnership – among many the youth alliance has formed – with the San Benito County Probation Department. Students get referred into Joven Noble and experience 18 sessions that involve social and personal development. Its organizers also seek out community projects for the participants, such as a recent day spent at Salvation Army, and the program revolves around four primary values that are stressed continually – trust, respect, dignity and love.
That program caters to the parents, too. They are invited to a Parent Appreciation Night in mid-April where the kids will barbecue and serve dinner, along with other activities, said Eliana Palacios, a case manager with the program.
It is what fellow case manager Benjamin Alamillo called a “wholistic model” of working with the youths and also their families. Without the parents’ support, he said, “It’s like a chair with two legs.”
Victoria Valadez, the afterschool program manager, said the organization is balanced in a way to bring “everything full circle.” She noted how if children are having problems, perhaps due to their home environments, they can tap into the case managers for help. She also said the organization has worked well with the schools and teachers toward getting kids on track.
The programs, she said, are “gently scaffolded” so the participants are learning skills along the way.
“We really value the community we serve and we try to take care of our families as best as we know how,” Valadez said. “I feel we do that in a large way.”
Aside from its many programs (see the full list with explanations at www.hollisteryouthalliance.org), the youth alliance’s varying services also now include a therapist, Margo Avendano Cloutier, who works as a case manager for CASA and non-CASA students.
One of her objectives has been to spread the use of a mental health screening tool that can help recognize problems. It is a two-page checklist with a third page requesting parents’ permission for a referral. It was devised because there are “a lot of people who fall through the cracks,” often without insurance, she said.
“They don’t know where to go and what to do,” she said.
Getting the word out
To get the word out regarding the youth alliance’s services, the organization attends events such as health fairs and it tries to advertise in free locations when possible, said Jesus Rivera, another case manager.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but on Fourth Street,” said Rivera, prompting laughter from his peers, “we have a sign on Fourth Street. We try to use all the free advertising spots available.”
A lot of the time, it is the organization’s emphasis on partnerships that lead to referrals. Two of its partners involved in helping to staff the summer camp program are the Hollister School District and Community Services Workforce & Development.
“They stuck it out so they could work for CASA or the Hollister Youth Alliance,” said Valadez, the afterschool program manager, “because that summer experience was about a very intense training for them on how to work with kids, how to be leaders, how to work cooperatively, how to lead out and be sensitive to kids but in a very inclusive manner, so they even received some training on how to include all children from whatever diverse background they come from.”
Alliance was launched to address rise in juvenile crime
In 1995, a small group of concerned citizens formed the Hollister Youth Alliance at a time when juvenile crime had been on a steep incline, said Diane Ortiz, executive director at the organization.
“There were some concerned community members that felt there were segments of the population that were not having access to services,” Ortiz said. “There was a real rise in juvenile crime and gangs in the area, and so it was kind of a response to help support our kids and families, especially those that were underserved and disadvantaged.”
The youth alliance started as an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization to provide services in low-income areas, “because there was a high concentration of youth and sometimes unsupervised youth,” Ortiz said.
They were there as a “safety net and a support system” for those residents, she said.
Another one of the pioneers who remains with the organization, Dolores Villalon, noted how former County Librarian Jo Wahdan in helping to found the organization hired her on a temporary basis to find someone to run it permanently.
As far as the changes over the years go, she summed it up by noting all the people in the room at the time – 15 other staff members working with the youth alliance.
“It’s changed from that lady over there and myself,” she said, referring to Ortiz, “to all of these people.”
Villalon has stayed with the organization since its beginning and runs the afterschool programs “off site” at Rancho Park. She has remained because she “enjoys being with kids” and it has been “a lot of fun,” she said.
Over the years, the services have expanded greatly, and the youth alliance hit its biggest stride in 2006, when it partnered with the Hollister School District to obtain afterschool education and safety funding through the state. It brings in close to $600,000 annually for afterschool programs, though not all of the money goes to the youth alliance, Ortiz noted.
“But it is definitely with the goal of being able to provide a lot of afterschool programs,” she said. The youth alliance now serves about 400 children on a daily basis, she said.
If you have an interest in volunteering:
The Hollister Youth Alliance gratefully acknowledges the participation of concerned parents and community leaders in continuing the programs and services available for free to our children of San Benito County. It is because of these volunteers that Hollister Youth Alliance is able to positively affect the youth and families of our community. HYA provides other programs designed to support and strengthen youth, families, and the community. Other programs include Educational Outreach workshops and events as well as the Teen Leadership Development Program. If you would like to find out how you can have an impact as a volunteer, please call our office at (831) 636.2853.
Source: HYA Web site
