Youth are interviewed and hired to work during after-school hours throughout the year. This program requires the youth’s participation in bi-weekly, youth development workshops. Youth are placed within churches, daycares and schools to tutor and mentor young children.

Mount Vernon Youth Bureau Directory 2010-2012

Private Sector

Westchester – Putnam Workforce Investment Board (WIB) Private Sector Summer Employment Program – The Mount Vernon Youth Bureau extends Youth Employment Programs to youth ages 18-24 and include a customer friendly work readiness curriculum, interviews and placement. This program is a collaboration between the Mount Vernon Youth Bureau, the Westchester County Business Council and the New York State Department of Labor.

Summer TANF Program

Funding from the Westchester/ Putnam Local Workforce Investment Board and the Westchester County Department of Social Services allows youth, ages 14-18, to participate in paid work experiences throughout the summer. The Bureau focuses on green job initiatives, which allow participants to work within the Departments of Management Services, Public Works, Planning and Water Supply.

Counselors-in-Training (CIT)

The Mount Vernon Youth Bureau created the C.I.T. Program for youth ages 13-14. C.I.T’s are employed at the Mount Vernon Youth Bureau Safe Haven Summer Camp for six weeks. During the six weeks, C.I.T.s gain valuable insights to what it takes to become a responsible youth counselors.

Through partnership with the Westchester Community College Foundation, the Westchester Community College Mount Vernon Extension Center and the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, Inc., high school students are equipped with the knowledge, skills and abilities that are needed to develop a small business. This unique program introduced youth, ages 15-17, to the basic principles of planning and managing a business, while exposing them to the college environment. Youth participate in business competitions, educational field trips and motivational seminars. Participants have the opportunity to travel to various companies to meet with Company Executives.

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Youth, ages 14-21, to receive comprehensive basic job readiness and occupational skills training. Participants are provided with employment opportunities and community service projects throughout the summer. Some of the program participants reside at the Youth Shelter of Westchester, Inc., which is an alternative to incarceration program located within the city. This program has been financially supported by the Westchester County Board of legislators.

The Career Center serves students at Mount Vernon High School. Youth are provided with the opportunity to receive information on Job Fairs and community/volunteer services and referrals including the Westchester County Rye Playland Job Fair. College and career workshops are offered through the Career Center. This program has been financially supported through the New York State Department of Health as a result of the Comprehensive Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (CAPP) Program.

The WIA Westchester Workforce Development Academy for Youth (WWDAY) Programs provides High School Juniors and Seniors from the Mount Vernon City School District with a comprehensive program that enables youth to transition into adulthood and gain economic self  sufficiency through:

• Academic Support
• College/Career Exploration
• Mentoring
• Leadership Opportunities

By focusing on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) projects and curriculum we provide   innovative opportunities that broaden the horizons of our youth.
10 WIA Elements

1. Summer Employment
2. Comprehensive Guidance Counseling
3. Adult Mentoring
4. Tutoring, Study Skills Training, & Drop-out Prevention
5. Alternative Secondary School Services
6. Paid & Unpaid work experiences
7. Occupational Skills Training
8. Leadership Development Opportunities
9. Support Services
10. Follow-up Services

This program is generously funded through a grant from the Westchester/Putnam Local Workforce Investment Board and the Westchester County Department of Social Services. This program is made possible through a collaborative effort through the City of Mount Vernon Youth Bureau and the Mount Vernon City School District.

For 16 years, the Safe Haven Program has provided children with positive youth development programming during after-school hours. The Safe Haven Program is a drop-in after-school program that offers academic and social support. The Future Society Association and mentors interact with the students through fun and exciting obstacle course games.

The Safe Haven Summer Camp was developed to provide a fun and safe recreation environment for students’ ages 6-12, during summer vacation, at a nominal fee. This program is made possible through the Westchester County Board of Legislators funding.

During the months of July and August, campers attend the Safe Haven Summer Camp where they are able to attend exciting field trips such as: Lake Compounce; Splish Splash; Mountain Creek; Great Escape; Regal Cinema at New Roc City;

Local senior residents volunteer to promote literacy and academic improvements in various elementary schools. Both the youth and seniors are also members of the Intergenerational Community Choir, which features the well known “rapping grannies.” The choir rehearses weekly with a music director to provide elementary students at Trapaghen Elementary School with music lesions and stage performance.

(Students Taking Responsibility and Ownership Now and Graduating)

The program is a collaboration between the Mount Vernon Youth Bureau, Mount Vernon City School District, the Guidance Center Inc. and WestHab Inc. This program is designed to provide structured educational assistance, creative enrichment opportunities and youth development activities to Mount Vernon High School students.

The NYS Department of Education, through the 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant has funded this program to provide comprehensive services within the largest high school in the City of Mount Vernon, Mount Vernon High School.

Credit Recovery is one of the greatest strengths of this program.

• Eleventh and twelfth grade students are provided the opportunity to recover credits in core subjects. The recovered credits also count towards promotion and graduation.
• Occupational skills training is offered through various academies such as the Nursing, Film, Cook and Automotive Academies.

V.I.C.T.O.R.Y (Volunteers Inspiring Change Through Opportunities Reaching Youth) was established to provide a venue for Mount Vernon’s youth to make a difference in the world by helping others. Volunteers have provided services in locations such as the Wartburg, Sacred Heart Soup Kitchen, and the Armory.

The Mount Vernon Youth Bureau in partnership with the Mount Vernon City School District and the Mount Vernon Police Department provide participants with a myriad of meaningful activities that were designed to reduce “girl fights” disrespectful language and confrontational behaviors towards each other and school personnel. The GEM Program features weekly workshops and field trips that are deisgned to empower young girls and promote academic excellence and social behavior.

GEM Career Academy was created in 2011 to provide a summer experience for girls who are too young to work and too mature for summer camp. The GEM Career Academy will allow 12 girls to learn a new career each day, particulalrly within the areas of Science, technology, Engineering and Math. Participants will attend weekly fun field trips and be paid a modest stipend.

The City of Mount Vernon Youth Bureau Step Up! program addresses the needs of the city’s most at- risk African American and Hispanic male youth, ages 13 to 19 through mentoring, youth leadership, job readiness training and public speaking skills. The youth involved in this program are placed in after-school employment as an alternative to unsupervised time. In addition, youth are taken on educational field trips and other fun and cultural outings.

This program is generously funded by the Westchester County Board of Legislators and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and is made possible through a collaborative effort through the City of Mount Vernon, the City of Mount Vernon Youth Bureau, the Mount Vernon Police Department, and the Mount Vernon City School District .

The Mayor’s Youth Empowerment Council- (Y.E.C.) was established in 2008 to provide a platform for Mount Vernon’s youth to participate in city government and the community. The council is comprised of middle and high school students, ages of 12 to 18, who act as ‘Young Ambassadors’.

The council provides an opportunity for these young people to have their voices heard and become involved in the planning and implementation of projects that enhance the city. The YEC has partnered with various community organizations, which include, Parent Teacher Student Associations, My Sister’s Place, and Neighborhoods That Cares coalition.

Applicants are selected to receive financial assistance for college. This initiative, which was formerly known as the Thomas E. Sharpe Assistance Program provides reimbursement to educational institutions for students who have successfully met all eligibility requirements and are enrolled in college full time.

The Mount Vernon Youth Board is currently comprised of 25 members, thirteen of which are youth who attend public and private schools. The members are Mount Vernon residents and are appointed by the Mayor. Board members volunteer their time to support the Mount Vernon Youth Bureau through advocacy and communications regarding the needs of the city’s youth.

The Board is advisory in that they meet once a month with the Executive Director to share their expertise in dealing with youth, personnel management and project development.

The Mount Vernon Communities that Cares (MVCTC) utilizes the Communities that Cares model which is a research based operating system that brings together all segments of a community in a coalition that works to promote positive youth development. MVCTC helps young people bond to a healthy individuals, institutions and communities so they are more likely to develop healthy behaviors.

MVCTC was established as a coalition in 2000 and are focused on the following risk factors:

• Low neighborhood attachment
• Poor academic performance
• Family conflict
• Gang involvement

The coalition includes many sectors of the community such the police department, schools, social services, parents, government, and faith-based community. We support summer activities, school based programs community education activities, parents forums and more. We have identified needs and brought resources into our community through resource fairs, school assemblies and town hall meetings.

Meetings are held every 3rd Tuesday of each month at the Mount Vernon Public Library.

The events, activities and work done by this coalition are made possible because of the support of the Mount Vernon Youth Bureau and the of City of Mount Vernon. This program is generously funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration through a Drug Free Community grant.

The Comprehensive Adolescent Pregnancy Program is a Community Based Initiative that integrates both Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Services (APPS) and Community Based Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (CBAPP) into a signal comprehensive community based adolescent sexual health initiative.

The purpose of the CAPP Community-Based initiative is to develop and expand primary prevention programs aimed at decreasing the incidence of adolescent pregnancy through the establishment of a comprehensive and coordinated approach to reduce the risk of initial and repeat pregnancies, STDs and HIV/AIDS rates among New York State adolescents. Further, the initiative will more effectively address issues associated with adolescent parenting and the racial, ethnic, and geographic disparities that are related to adolescent sexual health outcomes.

The specific goals of the CAPP community-based initiative and local CAPP projects are to:

1. Promote healthy sexual behaviors and reduce the practice of risky sexual behaviors among adolescents, using Evidence Based Curriculums;
2. Ensure access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare and family planning services for adolescents;
3. Expand opportunities and provide support and alternatives to sexual activity for adolescents, including pregnant and parenting teens, in order to promote an optimal transition through adolescent developmental milestones into a healthy young adulthood;
4. Advance a comprehensive and sustainable local community effort to improve the community environment for adolescents through the development of a coordinated community plan.