July 2013 
Community! Youth Concepts
Working to ensure all Iowa youth have access to high-quality opportunities that prepare them
for school, work, and life.
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Bankers Trust

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Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service

Youth Service America

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Addam C. Medina Foundation 

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Chrysalis Foundation
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Iowa Dept. of Public Health

Kemin

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Upcoming Trainings

Identification and Reporting of Child Abuse for Mandatory Reporters - Sept. 9th 

 

We will be setting next year's training schedule soon! 

 

Register for Trainings on

 our Website 

Contact us

Community Youth Concepts

3826 1/2 Douglas Ave

Des Moines, IA 50310

 

info@cyconcepts.org

 

515-243-4292

 

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Greetings!

  

Hello everyone!

                Summer is in full swing and I am excited to introduce myself to you as the new Youth Program Coordinator here at CYC! I recently wrote for the newsletter as a volunteer mentor for the MAP program, sharing the excitement of being involved in a young student's life. I am so grateful that I can use this experience to help run the MAP program and coordinate volunteers  while Michelle is out on maternity leave, beginning in August. I will also be helping out with a few service learning programs throughout the year, so I am eager to meet those who are involved in making our programs so successful!

 

Kelsey Tyrrell

 

Best,

Amy, Julie, Amelia, Michelle, Kelsey, Erin & Tonya

Youth Programs

 

Urbandale KWAKers

The Urbandale KWAKers are spending their summer helping others by assisting at the community gardens. Look for them at the Urbandale National Night Out on August 6th at the Urbandale Police Station from 5-7 p.m.

For more information about the Urbandale KWAKers or to get involved,  please contact Jennifer at jdthomas03@hotmail.com. Their next meeting will be June 29th.

 

Mentors Needed!
Want and excuse to get out and enjoy all the fun stuff going on in Des Moines... and change a life in the process? Volunteering just four hours a month is all it takes to mentor a student. If any of the following describes you, a student wants you to be their mentor!
  • Female who loves sports, especially basketball or track
  • Female interested in Manga Japanese Art 
  • Male who works with horses
  • Male surgeon or career in the health field 
  • Male with a career in computers and/or technology
  • Female veterinarian
  • Male computer software engineer or plan geneticist
  • Female in pediatric nursing
  • Female photographer, artist or writer
If this sounds like you or someone you know, let us know! For more information on becoming a mentor for our MAP program, contact Michelle at michelle@cyconcepts.org or 515-243-4292.
   
Job Skills Class
July 29th, 6:00 p.m. at Community!Youth Concepts

Do you know a teen who is interested in getting a job?  Community!Youth Concepts will be hosting a Job Search Class and Free Pizza on Monday, July 29th at 6:00 p.m.  Students should come hungry and ready to learn about opportunities in their area and the best way to market their abilities.  They will learn at what age they can start working, what to put on a job application, how to get ready for an interview, and how to get their questions answered. Students, mentors, and parents are welcome.  Please RSVP to kelsey@cyconcepts.org or give us a call so we have plenty of pizza for everyone!

  
DMPS AmeriCorps Program

CYC is excited to expand their work with Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS) through the DMPS AmeriCorps Program. The DMPS AmeriCorps Program is a new collaboration between the school district, the offices of the Governor of Iowa and the Mayor of Des Moines, CYC, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa, United Way of Central Iowa, and the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines. The goal of this program is to decrease dropout rates by working with students to increase their engagement in school and improve their academic performance.

CYC's role in this collaboration is to train and provide technical assistance to support AmeriCorps members in eight DMPS International Baccalaureate schools. These AmeriCorps members will provide service-learning programming that integrates classroom learning objectives and delivers, real-world educational experiences for students. 

DMPS needs your help! Positions are available to become a DMPS AmeriCorps Program member. For a complete online application go to www.dmschools.org. Click on the careers tab on the home page to find AmeriCorps listed under "other positions". 

Training and Professional Workshops

  

September
9th  - Identification and Reporting of Child Abuse for Mandatory Reporters  1 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Participants will explore and discuss child abuse based on Iowa laws and statutes. In addition to recognizing the signs of child abuse, we will also explore filing an abuse report and what happens following that report. This course uses an Iowa Department of Public Health Approved Curriculum and meets the requirements for training as specified in the Code of Iowa 232.69.

Registration Fee:  $20.00 Register Here.

 
20th- Culturally Competent & Ethical Social Work Practice with LGBTQ Individuals  9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
This workshop provided by the University of Iowa School of Social Work at the John and Mary Pappajohn Education Center will explore the needs, barriers, and best practices in working with LGBTQ Clients based on the NASW Code of Ethics framework. Please 
email jefri-palermo@uiowa.edu or call 319-335-3750 during business hours for questions or registration materials.
Registration Fee: $65.00  (if registered by September 6, 2013)

 

Please note that if you register for CYC workshops we are counting on your attendance. If you do not cancel at least 3 business days prior to the workshop, you will be billed as all supplies and staff have been secured.

Community!Youth Concepts reserves the right to cancel any workshop (with full refund to all paid registrations) if the minimum numbers of registrations (10) have not been received 5 business days prior to the workshop.

Some workshops will have optional materials available for purchase.

  

Come Celebrate with Us!

 Please mark your calendars for September 21, 2013 from 6:00-9:00 pm for a special event celebrating the 5th anniversary of Community!Youth Concepts.  This spectacular night will occur at the original CYC offices, now the Flynn Wright Building overlooking the Sculpture Park.  The night will include remarks from Greg Forbes Siegman, regarding the power of one individual to make a difference. To find out more about Greg, visit www.gregforbes.com.   More details about the evening to come.

Community Needs, Resources and Events

 

Summer Meal Program 
Once again this year, Des Moines Public schools is sponsoring summer meal sites at many area schools, parks and churches. Free meals will be available to anyone age 18 or younger. All of the sites will serve lunch, and breakfast will also be available at some of the sites. For a list of the sites as well as the times meals will be available you can check the schedule on their website.

Jumpstart School Physicals
July 27, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. (open to East HS students at 10 a.m.)
Free physicals, dental screenings, mental health screenings and more are available at this event. Students must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. For more information, and to download forms please visit this website.

Meals from the Heartland Iowa State Fair Event
August 8, 7 a.m. - 6 p.m.

On its Opening Day, the Iowa State Fair's goal is to package 250,000 meals to help alleviate life-threatening hunger around the world. And they need your help!

The one-day meal-packaging event is held in partnership with Meals from the Heartland, the Iowa Soybean Association, the Iowa Food and Family Project and GROWMARK. The event is part of the International Association of Fairs and Expositions' "Dream Big" food drive by fairs and festivals throughout the world. Together, participants hope to collect 20 million pounds of food - enough to fill the daily food needs of nearly six million people. For more information and to register visit the event page here.



Ways to Support CYC 

 In order to reach the 1200 youth we work with every year and the 600+ individuals who receive training from us annually, we rely heavily on volunteers, donations, and sponsorships.  

 

 

  Sidewalk Chalk Flood!

Come out and join us for the 4th Annual Sidewalk Chalk Flood at Western Gateway Park on August. 17th! The Sidewalk Chalk Flood is a free event for youth, families, and community members to celebrate youth contributions to central Iowa. The event features the opportunity for participants to design sidewalk chalk art, enjoy music, participate in activities and games, and showcase youth contributions to the community through displays throughout the park. We will need a large number of volunteers in a variety of positions to help this event run smoothly and your help will be greatly appreciated! Please click here to learn more and sign up. Feel free to share it with friends and family as well. We hope to see you there!

 

 

Are you interested in a small way that you can help CYC? One of our ongoing unfunded expenses includes basics like hand soap and hand sanitizer for bathrooms. These items increase in use as programming gears into full throttle. Any donations of these items are always appreciated! 

 

 

Thank you!

Thanks to HyVee, the Windsor Heights WalMart and Kum and Go for gifts to help support programming!