Dream Again Program | The Dream Again Cent

the dream again program

THE VISION

To offer a solid platform in our Transitional Housing that highlights developing positive life perspectives and healthy relationships supportive of building self-esteem. Our service offerings will influence change from self-injurious behaviors, both direct and in-direct, to self-love, self-appreciation, and self-preservation.

NEED STATEMENT

The Minority community grapples with multiple disparities: the school-to-prison pipeline, high unemployment, disenfranchisement, mass incarceration, and homelessness to name a few. These issues not only touch the lives of minorities at large, but there are significantly high and continually increasing numbers among youth and young adults. Multiple studies and research findings support that where strong, healthy, and stable environments are present the young person thrives, and the community can flourish.

According to research data, regarding adolescents to young adults in the USA Anxiety Disorders affect 25.1% of children between 13 and 18 years old. As an underlining result of Anxiety, Suicide is a major concern of our organization. Among 10-14-year old’s it is the 3rd leading cause of death and increases to 2nd leading cause among 15-34-year old’s.

Statistics posted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration states that there were 45,000 youth ages 12 -17 in the Juvenile Detention Center, or incarcerated with some kind of mental health disorder, and of youth ages 12 +up 51,795 were addicted to illicit drugs. The survey also stated that in 2017, 1,345 youth ages 12-17 were suffering from emotional problems, behavior problems and in special school program.

STRATEGIC PLANNING

On a monthly basis our Community Board Members and core team meet to establish successful strategies to meet our program objectives, identify gaps for new implementations, and collectively discuss guiding methodologies for strong program services.

BEST PRACTICES

Utilize research-informed, experience-driven, and result-based data and methodologies for creating and sustaining solid program participation that advances impactful individuals.

The program

THE DREAM AGAIN FOUNDATION SOLUTION

The need for Dream Again Foundation is supported by experts who agree that structured recreational activities such as mentoring programs, sports, arts, etc. where young people have access to positive role models are the most effective solutions. Thru our well-defined systems of inclusion, education, encouragement, and mentorship, Dream Again Foundation is an integral component needed to counter these and many more statistical factors that continue to plague our communities.

The Dream Again Foundation will provide regular services to identify and stabilize youth suffering in this area because research also shows that untreated children with anxiety disorders are at higher risk to perform poorly in school, miss out on important social experiences, and engage in substance abuse.

Dream Again Foundation, Inc. will be a rapid response service provider for early intervention and prevention services through mentoring, tutoring, recreational and educational services to circumvent more youth being lost to academic failure, truancy, teen pregnancy, juvenile delinquency, SIB (Self Injurious Behavior), chronic homelessness, depression and/or becoming victims of trafficking/prostitution.

Our organization will be an prevention, intervention, and transformation resource for young people and their families by changing their perspective on the adversity in their lives and communities surrounding them to envision positive changes they are capable of making individually and collectively through community activities, goal setting, experiencing diverse cultures and environments.

Dream Again Foundation is needed and serves as a viable solution worth supporting.

Dream Again Foundation will serve as a safe and nurturing space for growth, healing, and development. As a product of Dream Again Foundation we will deliver community leaders, mentors, change agents and creative thinkers who in turn will continue to help break family and generational cycles from years of turmoil suffered upon black family homes.

Our model is designed to be an ongoing solution through mentorship, teachings, presentations, workshops, development, healing and wholeness, trauma-based response, civic leadership, giving a proper platform to the voice of youth in crisis in the community, highlighting positive role models and inspiring others to do likewise.

There are other organizations that specifically target youth and young adults in the State North Carolina which each serve to support. However, there is still a tremendous gap in the amount of service provision which means more demand than supply being currently available. Dream Again Foundation’s goal is to close the gap through continuous program evaluation, evolving structured systems, diligent work, collaboration, and funding for effective operations.

mentorship

Our 6-12-month Group Mentoring Program theme is “Vision”. It is designed to build self advocacy skills, confidence, teach the importance of collaboration, tools for transforming negative learned behaviors, strong interviewing techniques and other applicable life skills. Our desire is to serve up to 100 youth and young adults who are “in harms way” by partnering them with adult volunteers as mentors. All volunteers are screened, trained, and vetted towards the best interest of the youth we serve. These volunteers are support partners for our youth, committed to invoke positive life change benchmarks (emotional healing, mental wellness, physical strength, spiritual wholeness, safe housing, and personal sustainability).

team building

The most robust data on recreational activity for youth and its benefits is generated through an annual survey conducted by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), a Project Play partner that provides custom data to the Aspen Institute. Their research findings support Dream Again Foundation’s program component that focuses on Recreation, Team Building, and Physical Activity being linked to stimulate the brain.

In this component of our program participants will participate in leisure-time recreational activities (i.e. team sports, cultural field trips, movie nights, etc.) all of which will connect with group discussions about their experience, take-aways, interest, and benefits.

Some of the physical benefits of this program module include obesity reduction, build, and maintain healthy body and mental balance, preventing or delaying development of high blood pressure. Additional educational benefits are improved cognitive skills, grades, and standardized test scores, and increasing motivational drive to succeed. The psychosocial benefits show a correlation between regular exercise and mental health. A 2019 study found that children who reported no exercise were twice as likely to have mental health problems.

self-actualization & concepts

Youth having the ability to connect with their own emotions, values, strengths, and challenges have a strong influence on what they do. Dream Again Foundation is geared to help develop social and

emotional learning that nurtures self-awareness. This program component begins by helping our youth articulate their strengths, interests, difficulties and thereby motivate them to develop skills needed to succeed. Participants will be guided through a process of 3-stages of exploration towards positive change:

* STAGE 1- ARTICULATION

* STAGE 2- CONCEPTUALIZATION

* STAGE 3- VISUALIZATION

art education &

expression

As a positive Youth Development, this program component encourages self-expression through Art education to help foster innovative thinking. This component will include sharing of courageous stories (I.e. Daniel in the Lion’s Den), visiting cultural museum and art galleries. Each young person will have the opportunity to express their personal interpretation and correlation to their own life.

Youth will be able to explore new experiences which will expose their minds to new and wonderful possibilities. This will help teach that they can “actually have an impact on the world through the visual arts”.

Participants will be encouraged to capture the rawness of their community with photography, poetry, spoken word, drawings, etc. and with assistance of Creative Arts Instructor(s) they will be able to display the changes they envision for their environment towards creating a new reality, in which their “dreams” become attainable goals.