UYA Rising Stars/Young Leaders in Government Summer Work Program Components

Academics
The academic portion of the summer program will focus on strengthening and enhancing math and literacy skills. The planned curriculum is designed to tie in all other program components while assuring that the students receive academic instruction that relates to the goals and needs of each individual student. Each student will receive one hour of math instruction and one hour of language arts instruction, 3-4 times a week. Readings will be selected for their relevance to the program and their relevance to the students’ lives. Students will receive pre, mid and post assessments to determine academic progress. Parents will receive a mid-summer progress report.

Philadelphia Connection
Every Friday, the students will have the opportunity to visit a local museum or attraction that relates to the readings of that particular week. For instance, one week we may read an article about Al Capone, another article about the City’s current prison system, have a speaker come in from “Books Through Bars” to speak about their role in the community, and then take a field trip to Eastern State Penitentiary to learn about some of the history surrounding Philadelphia’s prison systems.

Community Leadership Forums
Throughout the summer we will have various community leaders come in to speak to the students about the work they do for the community. These speakers will include notable professors as well as local politicians and representatives from non-profit groups. The forums will be held at the recreation center and will give the students the opportunity to ask questions and hear examples of success stories in their own community.

Serving the Community
The students will participate in at least 2-3 community service projects over the summer.These service hours may include cooking for local organizations, visiting needy families to deliver food, collecting canned foods, book collections and various other community service oriented tasks chosen to fit the needs of the surrounding neighborhood.

Mighty Writing Skills
This year, we have partnered with Mighty Wrighters, Inc. located at 15th & Christian Streets to achieve our goal of helping the students look at issues in their own community. Through their participation in the writing workshop, "Write Change", which meets twice during the week, the students also learn the additional skill of writing effectively on community issues. In addition, this blog will serve as an outlet for opinions, reactions, and updates in which the students will be the main contributors.

Understanding and Participating in Local and State Government - Young Leaders in Government
For the second year, students will learn how local and state government operates and develop ways to become responsible and compentant participants. Sponsored by Pennsylvania State Representative Kenyatta Johnson, the Young Leaders in Government Program emphasizes the importance of providing youth with opportunities for civic engagement around issues which directly impact them and thier communities. This year, students will support the work of Representative Johnson's Peace Not Guns Pennsylvania Legislative Caucus, a bipartisan, bicameral caucus of legislators seeking to develop and implement responsible and progressive legislation andsocial policy to curb gun violence throughout the Commonwealth. The students, will assist in informing policy initiatives designed to strategically decrease the availability and use of illegal firearms, decrease violence stemming from the use of illegal firearms, as well as create public awareness initiatives and promote responsible gun ownership.