Mission & Expertise Mission: Youth Guidance creates and implements school-based programs that enable at-risk children to overcome obstacles, focus on their education and, ultimately, to succeed in school and in life. Youth Guidance programs serve more than 8,000 youth each year in approximately 80 schools through: Counseling and Prevention:  Becoming a Man (B.A.M.)  Working on Womanhood (W.O.W.) Youth Workforce Development Community and After-School 2
Target Population B.A.M. has served young men at 52 schools this year who: • Are actively enrolled in school • Are in grades 7-12 • Reside in high risk environments • Are economically disadvantaged, meeting at least one of the federal guidelines defining poverty • Demonstrate commitment to pursuing personal growth by attending four group sessions within the first two months of entering the program
15-16 B.A.M. student population: • 2,759 students were served by 47 B.A.M. counselors at 52 schools • 67% African American • 30% Latino • 3% White, Asian, Multiracial, or Other ethnicity • 95% eligible for free or reduced lunch Participants in the initial Crime Lab Study: • Have an average GPA of 1.7/4 (D) at program entry • Over 30% of students had been arrested at program entry • More than 50% of students were over-age for their grade
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BAM Program Model B.A.M. is a 2-year school-based program that guides young men to learn, internalize and practice social cognitive skills, make responsible decisions for their future and become positive members of their school and community.
B.A.M. Circles • Groups of 12-15 young men within a school • Meet weekly during school in the clinically safe groups for 2 years • Create positive peer groups • Counselors use check-ins, stories, roleplaying, and group missions to teach the B.A.M. curriculum
B.A.M. Counselors • Each counselor leads four groups (up to 60 total young men) within a school • Culturally competent counselors often reflect the demographic of the target population • Trained in B.A.M. curriculum as well as clinical support practices • Act as a positive male role model • Responsibilities include: ‒ Leading B.A.M circles ‒ Holding one-on-one meetings to set personal and academic goals ‒ Providing individual counseling ‒ Model behavior that represent B.A.M. values
B.A.M. Curriculum Designed, tested and codified practice engaging young men in learning, practicing, and internalizing B.A.M.’s six core values: • • • • • •
Integrity Self-determination Accountability Respect for womanhood Positive anger expression Visionary goal-setting
Develops social cognitive skills, including: self-awareness, emotional regulation, responsible decision making and social awareness that deters criminal involvement and increases school engagement
B E C O M I N G A M A N
C O R E V A L U E S
Program Impact Outcome Increase social emotional skills • Emotional regulation • Long-term internalization of BAM values that influence decision making
Increase school engagement
Reduce destructive behaviors • Violence • Criminal behavior
Measure • Pre/post Development Asset Profile
• Dropout rates • Grades • Promotion to next grade
• Arrest data relative to frequency of violence, other arrests, suspensions, etc.
Results to Date • • • • •
69% increase in social competency 66% increase in positive values 67% increase in positive identity 60% increase in commitment to learning of those with low initial scores
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18% Increase in High School Graduation Rate* 88% of B.A.M. participants passed at least 3/4 of their core classes 96% of B.A.M. participants promoted to next grade 93% of B.A.M. participants reported that they had a positive, supportive relationship with their counselor.
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50% Reduction in violent crime arrests* 35% Reduction in any type of arrest*
*New findings of 2013-2015 randomized controlled trial conducted by the University of Chicago Crime Lab (confidential). The researchers estimate the return on investment to be $30 for every $1 invested in B.A.M.
Program Fidelity Monitoring Youth Guidance has created real-time performance monitoring and evaluation dashboards, which includes: • Student-level attendance/participation records • Group-level progress through the B.A.M. curriculum • Adherence to curriculum elements • Administration of social emotional assessments • Individual counseling • Brief encounter supports and other interactions. Ongoing analysis of this data allows program leadership to better understand program mechanisms and enable coaches and supervisors to provide high impact technical assistance.
B.A.M. Counselors B.A.M. Counselor Qualifications:
• M.S.W. or Master’s in Counseling strongly preferred. • B.A. in related field required • Minimum of two years of group counseling experience • Youth engagement experience • Openness to men’s work
B.A.M. Training Academy
Core Competencies
• Curriculum training (ongoing, gradual release)
• Clinical processing
• Job shadowing
• Modeling
• Mankind Project weekend retreat
• Youth engagement
• E-Learning video modules
• Group development
• Systems change leadership
Working on Womanhood (W.O.W)
• Working on Womanhood (W.O.W.) is a school-based, year long group counseling program that works to improve the social emotional skills and behavior development for 7 th-12th grade girls exposed to traumatic stressors and or with emotion regulation difficulties. *
W.O.W. programming is provided through 30 weekly group counseling sessions that occur during the school day. Based on the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy, W.O.W. creates a safe and supportive space for girls to harness the power of peer support and influence. Students also visit with their W.O.W. counselor for individual counseling, case management, referrals, or other services.
W.O.W. activities include: • Guided Discussion • Team-building • Field trips
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2014-15 Students served
• 1,090 students have been served by 26 W.O.W. counselors • 110 W.O.W. groups operated at 33 CPS schools • 1,787 W.O.W. group sessions held
• 2014-15 W.O.W. students • 75% African American • 21% Latina • 4% White, Asian, Multiracial, or Other ethnicity • 96% free or reduced lunch
• 562 W.O.W. students have also received individual counseling
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Core Values • W.O.W. serves young women who exhibit a combination of risk factors that include emotional trauma, gang involvement, low GPA, and school suspensions or expulsions. Students are referred to W.O.W. by teachers, school administrators, parents, and clinicians or can volunteer to participate. • The W.O.W. curriculum focuses on five core values: o Self-awareness o Emotional intelligence o Healthy relationships o Visionary goal-setting o Leadership • Over one academic year, W.O.W. aims to: o Reduce absenteeism by fostering school engagement among students o Reduce behavioral infractions by modeling and instilling constructive ways to express emotion and cope with trauma o Improve students’ academic achievement by imparting
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Trauma Exposure (0-17 scale)
Results W.O.W. success is defined by outcomes within three main categories: • Social & Emotional Development • Program Engagement & Satisfaction • Academic Engagement & Achievement
W.O.W. outcomes from the 2013-2014 academic year: • 86% of participants reported that W.O.W. helped them to identify ways to improve school performance and 93% of participants reported that W.O.W. helped them believe they can graduate. • On average, on a school-by-school basis, W.O.W. students’ attendance rate was 1.6% above the school’s average attendance rate. • 93% of W.O.W. participants were promoted to the next grade.
When students apply the values of W.O.W. to their own lives, it results in healthy decision-making, resistance to peer pressure, academic success and more positive relationships with peers, teachers, and family members. During the 2014-15 academic year, W.O.W. served 1090 young women in 33 schools.
Questions & Answers To learn more, contact: Anthony Watson Director - Becoming A Man Youth Guidance 1 N LaSalle Street, Suite 900 Chicago, IL 60602 312.994.8101 or rclarkin@youth-guidance.org