|
Our Mission, Vision, Goals & Objectives
WELCOME TO GREATER WATERVILLE COMMUNITIES FOR CHILDREN & YOUTH!
(GWC4CY)
OUR MISSION: To measurably improve the lives of children in the Greater Waterville Area by fostering community collaboration.
OUR VISION: Children and youth in the greater Waterville communities are safe and nurtured, healthy, respected, and ready to enter school and succeed. Our youth are free of substance abuse and violence, succeed in higher education and are prepared to enter the workforce and inspired to give back to their communities.
GWC4CY GOALS:
1. To serve as many children as possible in the Greater Waterville Area through grant funded programming that impacts the following areas with measurable outcomes:
- Increase number of caring adults/mentors involved in the lives of area youth.
- Increase positive family communication in the lives of area youth.
- Increase positive peer relations between area youth reducing bullying and peer violence.
- Reduce tobacco, alcohol & substance abuse among area youth.
- Reduce truancy/dropout rates and improve suspension policies within area school systems.
- Raise aspirations among area children and teens.
- Improve school performance/academic success for area children and youth.
- Increase self-esteem and decision-making among area youth.
- Increase the opportunity for area to youth to engage in quality cultural arts programs.
- Increase the opportunity for area youth to engage in community service activities.
2. To assist in neighborhood asset-building and development in underserved neighborhoods.
- Provide youth aged 5-12 that reside in the South End with the opportunity to develop a sense of awareness and belonging to their community through programs offered in their neighborhood.
- Assist South End Neighborhood Association in meeting development goals and needs.
With the monumental success of the Colby Cares About Kids mentoring program with Colby College here in Waterville, GWC4CY is looking to expand upon this idea. Namely, we are using this mentoring initiative to spark an interest in caring community adults who wish to mentor an area child, either one-on-one, or in a small group. Through the 21st Century Grant, the goal is to identify students in the Waterville public school system that are in need of after school mentoring to focus specifically around homework and academic issues. These students will be tracked to monitor their success and progress in the program.
GWC4CY OBJECTIVES :
To continue to provide area youth and children with all five promises, using community mentors, and sites of promise such as churches, the Alfond Youth Center, and schools, to provide framework for the other promises.
OUR WISHLIST:
The GWC4CY Coalition has identified several areas of focus to ensure that all five promises are being provided. This includes conducting needs assessments; gathering input from youth, parents, and teachers about what is working/not working in our community; increasing the number of safe places in the community for kids to go; improving the transportation system available to kids; and increasing physical activity and improving nutrition in our children.
|