1. All intellectualpropertyaccompaniedbythisdocument, includingthe title,copyright,andintellectual
propertyrights,belongexclusivelytothe C.H.A.N.G.EInitiative 2015.
The
C.H.A.N.G.E
Initiative
Program
Outline
April 16
2015
Thisdocumentwascreatedfullyandsolelyforthe purpose of outlining
the comprehensive methodologyandrationale forthe implementationof
the C.H.A.N.G.EProgram.
Methodology
& Rationale

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TableofContents
The C.H.A.N.G.E Initiative Mission Statement .....................................................................................2
Our Philosophy..................................................................................................................................3
What are some “at-risk” indicators?...................................................................................................4
What is the need? .............................................................................................................................5
Goals/ Purpose ..................................................................................................................................7
Objectives/ How we will do it ............................................................................................................8
Program Guidelines ...........................................................................................................................9
Target group …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………10
How much? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….… 11

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The C.H.A.N.G.E Initiative Mission Statement
Our goal here at the CHANGE Initiativeis to help one another achieve and
succeed through academia, and do exactly as the acronymsuggests: Creating
Healthy Actions Not Guilty Egos. We plan on doing this through offering high
quality summer programs along with continued supportin-schoolprograms. Allof
these programs willbe centered on the principle of positiveyouth leadership that
will develop each participant into a more productivestudent and community
member. The founders and members that firmly stand behind the CHANGE
Initiative all truly believe that each and every one of the youth in our communities
servea positive niche. This is why it is imperative that we are proactivein catching
these youth at a young age and challenging them to grow both socially and
academically. That is where the CHANGE Initiativeexists to inspireand prepare
these young people to meet the challenges of not only adolescence, but the
sometimes rigorous World of adulthood as well. In doing so, our programs will
work on fortifying the foundations of morals, integrity, and intellect in order to
attain an improved state of self-sufficiency making surethat each youth member
is able to further prosper as a scholar and member of society.

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Our Philosophy
“Young people are the foundation for effective development, and if engaged they will
improve many of the structural development challenges that we face today, including
enhancing the cohesiveness of families and communities, reducing health risks and
advancing livelihood opportunities. They are the bridge between effective development
policy and valuable practical action on the ground (DFID 2010: 89).” This quote pulled
directly fromthe 2010 Departmentof InternationalDevelopment (DFID) Annual
Report accurately portrays how wefeel about the roles of youth in society. If the
minds of our youth are not in the right place and the society in which the y belong
are unconcerned with this phenomenon, then how can we expect a community,
let alone a nation to flow in a pathway of prosperity? Theanswer is we can’t. If
the youth of a society are apathetic towards the academic and social standards
set forth by the governing bodies of the community, then it is an automatic
indicator as to the direction the community will head consequently. As these
youth grow older, so will their disregard. Theseyouths will then come to be
known as the burdens of society, playing little to no productiveroles in the
societies in which they wereraised. Our goal and philosophy is that we can stop
this phenomenon from happening IF together we are proactive aboutproviding
the necessary tools and interventions to inhibit this mindset/behavior.

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What are “at-risk youth” indicators?
The phrase“at-risk youth” has a very broad connotation, and your understanding
of our use of the term is imperative in partnership. In themost currentcontext,
at-risk youth can be defined as those who meet any of the following
characteristics:
 Live in poverty
 Attend a poor school(Title I)
 Embody characteristics of poor schoolperformance
 Are associated with negative peer groups
 Have poor social skills
 Use drugs themselves, or if they are around someone who does
 Are a minority
 Live in a bad neighborhood (drug violence, lack of recreation)
 Have low community supports
 Attend an economically disadvantaged school(Title I)
 Have negative role models
About two-thirds of at-risk youth will experience one or more negative life
outcomes. So, this in turn means that around one-third will overcome these
obstacles and go on to live healthy, productive lives.

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What is the need?
Research strongly indicates that, low-income, “at-risk youth” particularly those of
color who are overrepresented in poverty, havelower levels of academic
performancethan their higher-income peers. “ In recent years, there has been
substantial interest around increasing high school graduation rates, yet youth from low-
income families and communities seem to be especially vulnerable to experiencing
academic challenges and dropping out of high school (Balfanz & Legters, 2004;
Hammond, Linton, Smink, & Drew, 2007; Reardon, 2011; Tyler & Lofstrom, 2009). The
achievement gap between children from low- and high income families has been
growing for many years, and students who live in poverty remain well behind their more
affluent peers (Center on Education Policy, 2011; Reardon, 2011; Tavernise, 2012) in
grades, standardized test scores, and high school completion rates (Balfanz & Legters,
2004; Education Weekly, 2011; Guskey, 2011; Hopson & Lee, 2011; Newcomb et al.,
2002; Reardon, 2011; Stuart & Hahnel, 2011). It has been found that a $1,000 increase in
annual income can raise reading and math scores by 6% of a standard deviation (Dahl &
Lochner, 2012). Youth from low-income families are also five times more likely than
youth from high-income families to drop out of high school (Chapman, Laird, Ifll, & Kewal
Ramani, 2011). It has been suggested that to increase and sustain higher levels of
academic achievement among low-income students, social supports must be put in place
(Greene & Anyon, 2010). But unfortunately, youth from lower income families usually
have fewer opportunities for out-of-school programs, although quality programs have
the potential to increase high school success and encourage postsecondary education
(Deschenes et al., 2010; Ferguson, Bovaird, & Mueller, 2007) (Kirkner & O’Donnell,
2014).” Overall, this case study came to the conclusion that those of whomare
actively involved in sometype of a developmental program yielded significantly
higher standardized testscores and managed fewer absences than the
comparison group, throughoutan academic schoolyear. Active participants were
also found to have higher academic gradepoint averages (GPA’s) and math test
scores, as a wholeas well. All of these findings support the notion that
participation in a high quality youth development programcan positively
influence the academic performanceof low income youth. With socioeconomic
status being one of the strongestand most consistentpredictors of academic
achievement it is worth noting that 57.3% of Jefferson County public school

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students receive free lunch, and another 5.7% receive a reduced rate. This means
that roughly 63% of the student make-up is receiving free/reduced lunch, which
in turn means that 63% of families with stakeholders in the schoolsystemmiss
the IncomeEligibility Guidelines. This is a strong indicator that can be used to
quite possibly predictthe socioeconomic status of a vastmajority of students.
Moving forward with the aforementioned statistics, wemust also note that the
schooldistrict has also been placed in the 51 percentile, meaning that the district
needs improvement, but is progressing. If thestudies conducted hold true then all
of these could be possibleexplanations as to why we are suffering fromsuch low
achievement scores within the district. All of these things lead us to believe that
the C.H.A.N.G.EInitiativecan, and will, make a difference in the lives and
academic outcomes of the students. We believe that with this programin mind,
we can help to alleviate the differences in status, thus helping to promote
academic prosperity within this school system.

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Goals/ Purpose
Our goals forall youth involved in our programs will be to:
 Acquire the skills, behaviors, and attitudes that enable them to learn and grow
in self-knowledge, social interaction, and physical and emotional health.
 Understand the relationship between their individual strengths and desires
and their future goals, and have the skills to act on that understanding.
 Have the knowledge and skills needed to practice leadership and participate in
community life.
 Demonstrate the ability to make informed decisions.
 Challenge them to think positively in all situations, and act accordingly.
 Change their mindsets on society by actively noticing the positive possibilities
that life has to offer.
 Foster academic success through the implementation of healthier lifestyle
practices.
 Demonstrate respect towards peers, family, and others.
Our purposes fordoing so are as follows:
 Providing positive support
 Providing positive, adult role models
 Fostering positive interpersonal skills
 Advocating forthe wellbeing of the youth
 Promoting healthy decision-making skills
 Establishing a better environment for the youth
 Boosting ACT, SAT scores
 Augmenting academic success amongst the overrepresented minorities.
 Increasing the graduation rates amongst these youth populations
 Raising the scores received on standardized testing
 Producing better suited/ more well-informed youth that are able quickly adapt
to change.
 Addressing the growing disengagement in our community from youth.

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Objectives/How we will do it
1. Engaging the youth through motivational speaking engagements.
2. Revealing the truth about life withoutthe presenceof healthy
decision-making and the grim reality of life withoutan education.
3. Hosting a series of leadership development camps.
4. Encouraging and exposing the youth to community service
opportunities as a part of civic leadership training.
5. One-on-onementoring sessions.
6. Large group mentoring sessions.
7. Standardized testing preparation.
8. A series of group activities to promote team building.

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Program Guidelines
The C.H.A.N.G.Eprogramis a comprehensiveprogramthat is designed to enhance
student success through positiveengagement. This programwill provideeach
mentee with a positive role model who will push each one of his/her mentees to
strivefor success both inside, and out, of the classroom. Webelieve that fromthis
experience, each mentee will be better socially equipped and academically
competent to meet the demanding tasks of everyday life. The lifelong
relationships that these students will gain, fromthese special interactions, will be
invaluable to both mentors and mentees.
Also see separate C.H.A.N.G.E program components for further detail.

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Target Group
Although our programis easily able to adapt to accommodate any age group, our
particular focus is the elementary grades. Our reasoning for this is because
research has indicated that you havethe greatest possibility of affecting the
academic success of a student in their earlier years of formal education, more
specifically grades 2-5.

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How much?
This sectionof the Program ReviewModel is variable andtobe left up to the
discretionof the President(s) of the Organizationandpotential stakeholders.

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Concluding Statement
We would like to take the opportunity to express our sinceregratitude in your
consideration of our programs. As the C.H.A.N.G.EInitiativestrives to better the
lives for all inner-city “at-risk” youth, we hope that you’ll join us and be a part of
this truly unique initiative. We know that it is only through the partnerships with
likeminded people such as you that we even exist to do business. If thereis ever
anything that we could ever do, or any services that we could provideyou with,
we hope that you will not hesitate to ask. We will be more than glad to assistyou
in any ways possible. Looking toward the future, we hope that there is a strong,
mutualistic, relationship that has been formed between our organizations from
this meeting.
Respectfully,
The C.H.A.N.G.E InitiativeExecutive Board
Guyron RoscoeSpalding, Founder/ Co-President
Justin Lamont Stewart, Founder/Co-President
LaQuayia Shontia Golding, Executive Vice-President