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Santa Clarita Valley Youth Project
Newsletter |
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August 2013
|  SCV Youth Project's mission is to provide a safe, nurturing environment where teens and families are strengthened, empowered and equipped with the tools they need to live successful and fulfilling lives.
We change lives of youth, parents, and families. We are easily accessible to all through:
- Crisis Intervention - Peer Mentoring
- Parent Support - Group Counseling |
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Hello Supporters! 
We hope you all had a wonderful summer and have eased back into the school year without too many hiccups!
For us, the summer was spent recruiting and training incoming staff, revamping presentations and outreach campaigns, updating or creating new curriculum and increasing our knowledge through collaborative training seminars. It's been busy, gearing up for the 2013/2014. We are so excited to meet our students and get to work!
Most of you know, for 13 years the Youth Project has been providing FREE counseling, outreach/education, crisis intervention and support groups to the teens and their families of the Santa Clarita valley. We have been honored to work with so many people in need of support.
It has always been a priority of our agency to be as well rounded as possible in all areas of service, so we continue to educate ourselves on all issues including domestic violence and dating abuse, sexual identity, suicide awareness/prevention and most recently, two of our staff became certified in Mental Health First Aid. As a result, we are in a unique position to serve more severe cases, as well as focus on the prevention component of mental, emotional and behavioral health.
We had so much success with a few of our newer groups from last year (Parents with Illness- support for teens who have a parent with a long term or terminal illness, Pregnant/Teen Moms and our Study Skills group, for teens struggling with grades, studying, motivation, etc.) that we have been asked to continue those, along with Girls Issues, Males Issues, Family Issues, Conflict Resolution, Teenage Grief, and many others. In addition, we will be adding a support group to focus on the LGBTQ population at a number of our campuses. Starting in September, we will facilitating roughly 20 support groups all across the Santa Clarita Valley.
As always, education and outreach is a big part of what we do. We have a calendar full of Teen 411, Classroom Presentations and Lunchtime Madness; our students will be educated on healthy relationships, communication, coping, goals/motivation, social skills, discussions around drug/alcohol abuse, cutting, and Internet safety. We will be adding another campus to the very popular Game of Life event to include Canyon and Golden Valley High Schools. This collaborative event, combines numerous youth focused organizations, to help teach kids how to help themselves in times of crisis. For more information.
We also developed an elementary school program that we are hoping to pilot in the 2013/2014 school year. Our interactive and fun (age appropriate) activities will focus on how to make good choices, healthy communication, safety, healthy eating/exercise, etc.
It has been a goal of mine to lay the foundation for the work we do, as early as possible. As a parent of a 5th grader, I recognize how impressionable our kids are at such a young age ... early intervention is key to help teach our kids to be good communicators and to reduce the urge to make risky/poor decisions.
The Board of Directors and staff are constantly looking for ways to broaden our reach; if you have an idea, a business, a specialty...let us know! We are always willing to discuss NEW concepts, and nothing is off limits. Our goal is to provide families with information that will help bridge the communication gap with their teenagers and to educate ourselves on issues that our youth are facing daily.
Get involved, be empowered, make a difference!
All Best,
Kim Goldman, Executive Director
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| We give MUCH THANKS TO: |
We are actively looking for a Lunchtime Madness sponsor! LTM is one of our most requested outreach programs; it is designed to help kids meet and make new friends on their campus. If they are new to a school or having trouble "fitting in", this informal pizza party is a wonderful tool for fostering friendship.
By becoming the LTM sponsor, you are saving the Youth Project hundreds of dollars & making hundreds of kids VERY happy! Just ask us how you can support.
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Thank You to those that have already joined the Say Yes to Youth Campaign. We are so thankful for all of your generosity and your commitment to the kids in our valley. Don't know what Say Yes to Youth is ...
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Thank You to Kaiser Permanente for your recent Grant Award for our Peer Mentoring and Education Program. We appreciate your continued support of our programs and dedication to youth
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What we wish for
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Become a fan online! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date on what we are doing & how you can help!
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Youth Project Praise
"Thank You for giving me a place to feel less alone." - 15 y/o, Golden Valley HS
"You've helped us so much; I don't quite know how to thank you.
There is peace again in our home" - Parent, Hart High School
"I wish I had a program like this when I was younger; it could have made things smoother for me"
- Billy Gardell, star of Mike of Molly
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Have ideas for fundraisers? Want to become part of our Board of Directors? Interested in sponsoring one of our programs?
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Join SPREEBIRD DEALS, and the SCV Youth Project will receive $1 per sign up plus, 5% to 10% of our proceeds from each purchase made by YOU!! Just don't forget to chose the SCV Youth Project as the benefactor.
HEARTFELT THANK YOU TO:
Jennifer Gerard of
LOUISE CASTALDO & HER TEAM FOR HOSTING THE VIP BAR FOR OUR COMEDY EVENT
HILLARY BROADWATER & THE CREATIVE TEAM AT
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| Back To School Tips! | 
It's that time again! Summer is coming to an end and preparations for the school year have already begun. This time of year can be very exhilarating (and nerve wracking) for teens as they venture off into new schools, new classes and new opportunities. It can also be very exciting (and nerve wracking) for parents as they watch their children grow and mature into young adults and wonder, "where did all the time go?"
It also proves to be a time for adjustment as parents juggle work, school, childcare and after school activities, while our kids are juggling new classes, new rules, new friends, a new school and new decisions. As we welcome the "newness" and adjust to the challenges ahead, here are a few tips we can all use to make the transition go a little smoother. Click here to continue reading
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FUNdraising Events
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Thank You to the INCREDIBLE comic geniuses of the 2nd Annual Comics For The Cause event: star of TBS's
Sullivan and Son
, Roy Wood, Jr. (pictured left),
our gracious emcee, Jeff Sutphen, Host of
How to Leave a Game Show on ABC (center),
Mike and Molly,
Billy Gardell (right), and
Last Comic Standing's
, Ralph Harris (not pictured)
. This fun filled event, held at the Performing Arts Center on August 6, brought together about 400 fans for a night of laughs and charity. Great show, can't wait for next year!
Click here for more pictures
Photo Courtesy of John Diego Photography
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The 7th Annual Hold 'Em Not Hassle 'Em Poker Tournament is coming in Fall of 2013. Stay tuned for the date & make sure to reserve your spot to the best poker event in town |
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The Youth Project is active on the following campuses:
Arroyo Seco Junior High La Mesa Junior High Rio Norte Junior High
Placerita Junior High Rancho Pico Junior High Sierra Vista Junior High
Castaic Middle School
Bowman High School Canyon High School Golden Valley High School
Hart High School Saugus High School West Ranch High School
Valencia High School
Each school is participating in one or more of our FREE programs. Call us for more information if you would like to request services.
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Thank you for your ongoing support, Kim Goldman, Executive Director
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