Hope Summer Program is underway!

The HOPE Summer Program provides summer academic support for teens in the Ypsilanti area while giving them the opportunity to learn from each other and to broaden their horizons as learners. On Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the group meets for two hours to work on critical reading, writing, and math. They analyze news articles, craft responses and other writing assignments, and bolster their core academic subjects while supplementing them with activities, like poetry writing, designed to help them enjoy using critical and creative thinking. On Thursdays, students and instructors take field trips, often to local schools, colleges and universities, to learn about the diversity of educational opportunities available in the area.

As an incentive to stick with the program and as a way to make it financially accessible, teens are compensated for their attendance after agreeing to attend for the full month of the program. This commitment is part of what ensures teens leave the program having taken full advantage of the support it offers them. Knowledge is power, and the HOPE Summer Program gives teens access to knowledge they need to navigate school successfully and make empowered decisions about their own educational paths.

Please consider making a donation to support the HOPE Summer Program. Go to the donate page at www.dedicatedtomakeachange.com to make a Paypal donation and help teens grow as whole learners this summer.

In the coming days, we're looking forward to posting bios from the teens and the instructors, as well as featured work produced during the program. Follow us here to stay updated!

We're Moving

Dedicated to Make a Change is moving to a new blog. The address is changebringshope.com.This blog will still be available for you to read, but I will no longer be updating it. Please subscribe to the new blog to get all our updates.

Prevent and Prevail has funding!

Last Monday Max, Gail, and I made presentation to Robby, the diversity committee co-chair for the Zingerman's community of businesses to ask for money to fund Prevent and Prevail. To make a long story short: Zingerman's is giving Dedicated to Make a Change $3000.

Prevent and Prevail  is a group for youth ages 11-19 to discuss topics including HIV, other STDs, sex, relationships, and drugs in a positive and healthy atmosphere. We will be running the program for two sessions during the 2013-2014 school year. Each session will consist of three discussions, each 2 hours long. Everyone involved will be paid, including the participants. Participants will be paid 5 dollars an evening as motivation for youth to come to the meeting with idea being that youth might come for the money, but will also walk away with the knowledge to protect themselves and their partners. There will also be paid facilitator positions for older teens who want to lead the discussions. Follow this blog and the Dedicated to Make a Change Facebook page to stay up to date on everything Prevent and Prevail.

Receiving the funding for Prevent and Prevail is a big step for Dedicated to Make a Change. Thank you Zingerman's!