Youth Development Program

KESC youth development program is a unique program designed to prepare youth for productive adulthood by providing opportunities and support to help them gain competencies and knowledge needed to meet the increasing challenges they will face as they mature. Our youth development programs consider youth as resources to be developed to become healthy, happy and productive adults and aims to increase youths’ exposure to external assets, opportunities and supports. Our approach is characterized by caring in a non-threatening environment for building six facets of character and confidence in youth that will build competence in academic, social and vocational arenas,  and providing opportunities for connection with external supports such as internships. This course will teach the youth the principle of walking the walk and not just talking the talk and the ability to build ones inner quality that will cause one to do what is right. Courses offered in this cluster include:

• Character Development,
• Leadership building skills,
• Developing a Purpose driven life,
• Handling Peer pressure and healthy Relationships,
• Introduction to professional  careers
• Peer Mentoring and youth community advocate

YDP activitiesl address  all Henderson and Milstein components  of wellness and resiliency for high performance through program activities that incorporate  high expectation with sympathy, meaningful purpose-driven student engagement, connectivity and bonding with participants to build strength and stronger community, skills for life including academic survival  and positive social skills, consistent boundaries and unconditional support. Activities will teach the youth the principles of building ones inner quality and “walking the walk” and not just “talking the talk..” After school or summer classes are designed around this principle to prepare youth for productive adulthood by providing opportunities to help them gain competencies and knowledge needed to meet the increasing academic and social challenges they face as they mature. Other parts of YDP include:

• Cultural Diversity and Social Skills Development as part of KESC Youth Development Programs (YDP). Activities include   leadership skills building, personal accountability, and respect for self, others and work/school place.
• Students and parent are taught how to develop personal goals and how to monitor progress in accomplishing those goals.
• Academic reward point system and paid summer internship are awarded for sustained good behavior, and students that meet the academic and personal goal for the academic year.  
• In summer programs, student participate in weekly activity on  building one’s inner quality and “acceptable social skills for maximum self and community impact  for productive adulthood Create reward system for good behavior through the one-one interaction,
• KESC creates success through informal hands-on experience  that student can take on to regular classroom

CAREER PATH DISCOVERY (CPD)

To most students, deciding on what they want to be when they grow up could be very frustrating. The result is that majority of college freshmen change majors after a year or two before deciding on what they really want to become after they graduate. Consequently, people find themselves returning to college for a second degree to prepare them for their new found “me”. These situations that waste time, money and causes frustrations and missed opportunities can be minimized if students are exposed to programs that could help them begin to plan and explore career options. The purpose of   KESC Career Path Discovery (CPD) program is to invest in the lives of our children who are getting ready to go to college and/or enter the work force. This program will provide the child the opportunity to discover what he or she is talented in, interested in, and has affection for before entering college. Whether the career path is engineering, medicine, legal professionals, or any other profession, KESC will collaborate with local industries and institutions to engage talented students in one or two summer internships in their “most likely” or potential career path, and let them discover or explore their potentials early in high school rather than later. This is a preventive measure for career decision hassle to avoid the frustrations students, and parents face in the process and even employers to avoid employing the wrong party for the job.

How it works

1. KESC solicits nominations for 15-20 possible talented pre-11th and pre-12th grade students.
2. Student must fill out short a form indicating three possible career paths plus (optional) your academic goals for high achievement in Fall.
3. KESC matches the student with  one  local industry in the field closely related to the student’s  career of choice
4. Students completes the  two-weeks of Career  Path  Discovery  classes: Time Management and Career Awareness , Character Development ,Diversity Education
5. Complete Career  Discovery Initiative classes  with a satisfactory final grade of 90% or better
6.  Students with satisfactory score of 90% or better are placed in the 4 week internship with the local industry.
7. A student who did not meet the minimum standard of acceptable character education after the first attempt will not be placed in the Career Path Discovery internship.

How much does this Cost?  The total cost of a five-week program is $3,250 per student covering:                                                 

1. 1 week Career Path Discovery Classes (30 hours): $750
2. 4-week Career Path Discovery Internship placement with a local organization (30 hours per week): $750-1000            depending of grade level                    
3. Fees, Materials and Administrative cost: $1500                      

KESC commitment is to offer this program at a minimum cost to the parents through funds from local industrial sponsors. Maximum cost to a parent is 50% ($1625) of the total cost depending on the level of sponsors’ contributions.

Getting-A-Head for Academic Excellence: To sustain the students’ level of academic performance for competitive colleges, students electing the optional Get-A-Head AEA during the fall term or  students who need to make up a course to get a higher grade in the Fall, will receive the following benefits to support those goals:

1. Free Registration  and 50% discount for Academic  Assessment
2. 10% discounts on  Continuous Tutoring support in the Fall if needed
3. 20% discounts on SAT Prep
4. 10% Academic Enrichment acceleration (AEA) class to set the student ahead in the fall.
5. Special AEA session will run two weeks in August before classes begin in Fall

Eligibility criteria

1. Be in the top 10% of their current 10th or 11th grade class.
2. Complete one-week Career Path Discovery  initiative class (Time Management and Career Awareness, Character Development, and Diversity Education) with a score of 90% or above
3. Select possible career of choice and be  matched with one local industrial sponsor in a field closely related to the chosen career path

Benefits to the students

1. $750-1000 stipend, depending on grade level,
2. Improved confidence in career path
3. One Free College awareness seminar for students and parents
4. Psychological counseling support to guide the student career path during the five weeks
5. 10-50% discounts  Getting-A-Head for Academic Excellence in 2007-08

Benefits to the Sponsors

1. Top student internship for 30 hours per week for four weeks in the sponsors facility
2. Positive investment in community students to provide pathway for solid foundation for 21st century careers
3. Students are designated as the Company Intern Fellows
4. Opportunity to build lasting relationship with top students in the community.

KESC is working with the school districts to allow students who will enroll and successfully complete KESC AEA program in a specific course to use such a class to test out or make up  for the course in the Fall or make up poor grade in the previous semester.

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