| Resource
Materials Used in Program
IRCO’s Asian Family Center is currently developing a
curriculum for API youth who have been identified as at risk
of joining gangs.
The program uses office and school space, office supplies
and equipment, a van to transport youth to program activities,
and varied resources to enable youth program participation
and success (e.g. books and calculators, tickets to cultural
events, bus passes).
Groups Served by Program
The YGPS program serves Asian and Pacific Islander youth up
to the age of 25 in Multnomah County, Oregon, who are at risk
of involvement in gang activity and violence. In the program’s
first year of operation (2006-07), 100 youth clients and their
families will be served.
Funding
Funding is provided by the Multnomah
County Department of School and Community Partnerships
and the City
of Portland.
Staffing and Required Staff
Training
Program services are provided by two full-time and one half-time
Asian Family Center staff case managers. Both are bilingual
API persons with extensive experience in youth gang prevention/
intervention and other youth and family programming. The program
is managed by IRCO’s Youth Services Unit Manager, a
bilingual API person with more than 25 years experience managing
culturally-specific programming. Like all staff, the case
managers providing services under this program are selected
in great part on the basis of their abilities to function
in a context of cultural difference, communicate effectively
across cultural boundaries and recognize and manage the implications
that culture and language have for service delivery. These
abilities are particularly important given the wide variety
of API youth served by this program, which is reflective of
the diversity of the API community in Multnomah County.
Program Evaluation
The YGPS program seeks to achieve the outcomes listed below.
Evaluation will be overseen by IRCO’s Youth Services
Unit Manager.
- Mental health: 100% of youth who exhibit mental health
problems will be referred for mental health assessment;
- School retention: 75% of youth will improve school attendance
and 65% of youth will have no suspension or expulsion;
- Alcohol and drug use: 100% of youth who exhibit signs
of alcohol and drug use will be referred for alcohol and
drug assessment and will show reduction in alcohol and drug
use;
- Employment: 60% of 16-18 year-old youth will participate
in employment services and will maintain at least 90 days
of employment and 80% of 11-15 year-old youth will complete
life skills and/or pre-employment training;
- Criminal behavior: 85% of youth will not generate a new
referral to the juvenile justice system and for those youth
currently held in the juvenile justice system, 80% will
not commit a new offense within six months of discharge;
- Pro-social skill-building: 100% of youth will demonstrate
increased pro-social behavior;
- Connection to a caring adult: 90% of youth will be able
to identify a caring adult who assists them in their development,
and
- Family support: 90% of youth parents/caretakers will demonstrate
improved communication strategies to reduce risky behavior
in the youth they care for.
Program Outcomes
This program is in its first year of operation; therefore,
the outcomes are not yet available.
Additional Information
IRCO’s YGPS program is part of the Youth Gang Prevention
Services Network of Multnomah County, which is funded by the
county’s Department
of School and Community Partnerships. The network includes
five community-based agencies that each work with specific
populations. The directors of the five agencies meet every
other month, and the line staff meet monthly, to share ideas
and resources which maximize existing services, to avoid the
duplication of services, and to address gang activity across
ethnic lines.
Program Contacts
Colleen Kim, Youth Gang Prevention Services Case Manager
Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization
Asian Family Center
4424 N.E. Glisan Street
Portland, Oregon 97213
coleenk@irco.org
503-235-9396 ext. 137
http://www.irco.org/services/youth/ygps.htm
Program Dates
This program began July 1, 2006 and is still operating as
of May 2007. |
