Powerhouse Youth Project Summary
At a time when many people feel overwhelmed by the problems and challenges facing children and adolescents, communities across North America are discovering new energy in working together toward a positive vision for young people.
Instead of focusing only on reducing risks and intervening in problems, these communities are rallying to rebuild the foundation that all young people need - a foundation that has crumbled for far too many young people in our society. Powerhouse focuses on the "needs" of students.
Uniting a community of partners to nurture the positive development of youth is much like playing in a jazz ensemble. Each musician must know the tune and listen to the other ensemble members; all players must improvise together - sometimes taking the lead and sometimes blending into the background.
To create a community-wide commitment to youth, all the "players" need to be an ensemble - working toward a common vision of what is needed to promote the healthy development of young people. Powerhouse is that fulfillment mechanism to direct students to the solution(s) for their needs.
The Powerhouse Youth Project exists to serve the student population between the ages of 6 and 18. It is our desire to educate the student population and enable them to reject illegal drugs and alcohol. The school assembly program serves at the catalyst between existing organizations, government agencies, faith-based initiatives, and civic groups to prevent risky behavior by our students. This synergy between existing groups provides a wonderful opportunity for success. Risky behavior can include the use of tobacco, alcohol, drugs, truency, bullying, and other destructive behavior patterns. Powerhouse knows the common denominator to SUCCESS in life and it is the power of CHOICE. The most valuable asset that anyone can own, is their CHOICE. It provides the power for direction in life and Powerhouse encourages children and students to take back their choice and build a healthy future.
The assembly program has been designed with insights gained through target audience research, behavioral science, and the studies provided by the ONDCP. (Office of National Drug Control Policy). The assembly message is honest, relevant, original, and impacting.
It is our goal to prevent risky behaviors and to encourage the student population to ebrace their future. Because we are interested in long-term results, Powerhouse tracks our effectiveness through web site surveys of students exposed to our message, and pre/post interviews of students attending our program. These survey results are reviewed to understand our programs strengths and weaknesses, and therefore adjustments can be made to our program to enhance our long-term strategies.
Currently Powerhouse partners with the following organizations:
