The session I went to this morning was called Learning to Learn: Urban Youth, Technology Literacy and Youth Development by Hopeworks N’ Camden. This session was very special. Not only did the HopeWorks Executive Director Father Jeff Putthoff speak but so did the young employees and trainees in their program. What a impressive educational oportunity! Public speaking is hard. It’s so cool they could practice. Their individual stories are inspiring and they spoke well. 
This program sounds very similar to the vision of Palante in Carrboro. I belive the Durham Literacy Center could learn from HopeWorks, too. I’ve heard several people with fledling and established teen programs in Raleigh and Durham who want to do something similar. ctcnet2005
CTCnet Saturday
9:30-10:30
Learning to Learn: Urban Youth, Technology Literacy and Youth Development
Father Jeff
Hopeworks N’ Camden
www.hopeworks.org
A youth development ORG.
Training program not a school. Don’t call the teens students. Don’t want to get into the pedagogy of the teacher has the knowledge and the teacher doesn’t.
Traditional Literacy Program too. Lots of the training programs are run like a business.
“Youth Meeting the Futureâ€
Skills Training Subjects
Training web design and geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Computer Hardware construction
Video Editing
Business skills
Youth 14-23
60% drop out rate
20% adult employment rate
5600 per capita income
Churches – Catholic and Lutheran churches
Juvenile System – some youth are in jail attend training on the HopeWorks site
Youth Recruitment – positive word of mouth from the youth
Up to 15 college credits, help teens get in college and find jobs
Partnerships
Fee For services
+Congregations
+Community Partners
+ Rotary Club
+ Businesses
“The point of HW is to engage learning. Learning to Learn.â€
Rolling Curriculum!
Self Paced
No open lab. Most web surfing is not allowed. The computers are there for work training.
Day Training Pay
Trainees are paid per completion of exams and attaining point scores. Not just for showing up.
E-Mentoring via Email.
Federal Program to help allow students to get into college WITHOUT a high school diploma or a GED.
The folks at HW haven’t had much luck with GED programs. Seems that students work to get their GED then just stop their education.
In teen programs what percentage of students who get their GED go on to college?
What percentage of students who get their GED go on to get a college degree?
“It’s important to not to tell youth what do to. But to tell youth how it is.â€
“I’m learning how to be professional.†–Trainee
GIS program is really cool. The teens are collection information in their city and turning it into readable maps.
Examples:
The number of street lights in the city of Camden.
Survey the status of housing.