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Called the Five Keys for Kids, the partners and members of Youth Alliance have chosen to focus their work on five key areas – crisis prevention, early childhood education, substance use prevention, youth asset development and youth mentoring.
Key Outcomes
Crisis Prevention
Buchanan County data shows a decrease in child abuse of more than 62 percent across seven years (2004 to 2010). During 2011, more than 260 home visits were completed in partnership with area agencies across Andrew, Buchanan and DeKalb Counties.
Substance Use Prevention
Alongside the St. Joseph Police Department, 43 Responsible Beverage Server training courses were offered in 2011 and a total of 384 alcohol inspections. During the most recent 12-month period, the compliance check failure rate had declined from previous figures of more than 50 percent to around 10 percent.
Youth Employment
As part of the Northwest Missouri Mentoring Partnership, Youth Alliance is helping teens and young adults ages 14-21 who are at risk of dropping out of high school by providing a Worksite Mentoring Program. Two job fairs were held and 50 sophomore referrals were generated, along with nine new business mentoring partners.
Early Childhood Education
The Youth Alliance Educare program served 144 child development centers and 94 early childhood teachers through 624 on-site visits in 2011.
Youth Asset Development
Through the YAC Attack summer program, 37 youth volunteers (ages 11-17) gave 2,601 hours of structured community service! In 2011, 17 YAC volunteers earned the Presidential Volunteer Service Award!