Life Deeds Takes Youth Offenders on College Tour in North Carolina

Where are they now?

The college tour to North Carolina this past October has produced a few potential college graduates.  As many of you may recall, two youth that attended the excursion to Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina received deferred acceptances.  We are pleased to announce that both youth are currently enrolled in college.  Youth throughout the District must continue to have opportunities to contribute to society in meaningful ways.  Enrolling in college is one of the most productive ways that a youth can spend his/her time.

The colleges that the youth currently attend are Delaware State and the University of the District of Columbia (UDC).  Prior to the college tour to Winston-Salem, NC neither youth expressed an interest in higher education.  After a day on the campus, and ongoing reinforcement from their mentors, the youth are successfully engaged in school.  Life Deeds, one of ERCPCP’s community partners, is committed to bringing impactful and meaningful opportunities to the youth.  The youth will rise to the level of expectations that are set for them.

 What are their plans going forward?

The youth that decided to attend Delaware State was set on leaving Washington, DC.  He said that he was tired of the same mundane, daily routine.  He stated that he would like to broaden his opportunities, meet new people, and explore additional ways to enhance his life.  He has also been accepted to Winston-Salem State University and has expressed an interest in transferring there this fall. This youth was afraid to attend the Winston-Salem State University tour back in October, based on the far distance from Washington, DC.  He now has the confidence to live on campus at Delaware State and possibly at a school that is nearly 350 miles away this fall.  The mentors will continue to track the progress of each youth.  Life Deeds’ expectation is that the youth will matriculate through the college system to earn their bachelor’s degrees.  Who knows where they will go from there.

DC Youth Link (Region 1) News, Updates & Highlights!

It’s a new year and over at ERCPCP, we’ve hit the ground running!  This week, we’re highlighting our DC Youthlink Program (formerly the Region 1 Lead Entity)… here are some things we’ve been working on!

• One of our youth started college this week at Delaware State! He’s declared a major in Sociology! He finished his high school diploma while at New Beginnings and completed our Developing Young Professionals orientation in November and had an internship with the Department of Transportation. He is now living on campus and looking forward to his new classes this week!

• One of our youth got a job at Taco Bell in December! He was hired on the spot and is also working towards completing his GED with the MaiAngel program.

• This week 10 youth started the UDC High Tech Training Program! These 9 gentleman and 1 young lady will be taking courses for the next 7 weeks to become certified as network cabling specialists. They will study telecommunications technologies, computer repair and gain hands on experience in testing cables. After completion, they will be eligible for jobs with contractors that work with companies like Verizon, Comcast or Direct TV.

• DC Youth Link has partnered with Southwest CDC Collaborative and has 6 new programs starting this month to certify youth as Pest Control Technicians, Medical Billing & Coding Specialists, Certified Flaggers, Food Handlers, Microsoft Office Specialists and with Commercial Driver’s Licenses. Workforce Development has the potential to certify 60 youth in our various programs. Flagger training is all filled up and the other spots are quickly going!

• One youth has started the Sasha Bruce Youth Build program to become a barber! He’ll complete the program in June along with his high school diploma from Ballou STAY.

• The Workforce Development Developing Young Professionals orientation will take place January 17-20th! The orientation is now being run by Carla Harris of Image Works who will work with the youth on developing resumes, communication skills, completing job applications and a host of other professional development skills. On Friday the 20th youth will have the opportunity to interview with various companies, government agencies and non-profits to apply for internships, part-time jobs, certification and educational programs.

• Workforce Development will be hosting its first career fair Feb 22 at THEARC! Stay tuned for more details!

• The Department of Labor, the funding source for Workforce Development at DC Youth Link Region 1 will be visiting January 12-13th. They have a full schedule which will include meeting with staff from Youth Link Regions 1 & 2, DYRS staff and program partners like UDC and Sasha Bruce. They will also have a special focus group session with 10 Developing Young Professionals.

• Attached are photos from our December class of Developing Young Professionals and some of our October class with their internship staff at DDOT.

• There’s more to come!

For more information on ERCPCP’s DC Youthlink Program, please feel free to contact Eric Abraham, Program Manager, at eabraham@ercpcp.org.

Beautifully and Wonderfully Made… That’s Why You Shouldn’t Miss This!

More than 8 years ago, an idea was born to put on a symposium geared toward reaching, teaching and empowering young women.  After much discussion and contemplation, “Girl Talk: A Conference for Young Ladies” was born.  The very first “Girl Talk” Conference was held in March of 2004, in honor of Women’s History Month.  This event was rich with excitement as women young and old shared their experiences through yoga, workshops, makeovers and much more!

Throughout the years, the “Girl Talk” Conference has taken on a life if its own.  Over time, we have had the most amazing partners to contribute their time and talents as planners, workshop facilitators, entertainers, exhibitors and the list goes on and  on.  Conference workshops have always covered realistic and close to home issues ranging from domestic violence and homosexuality to spirituality and healthy living.  Nothing is off limits and facilitators are always the best.  Ensuring the most  enlightening experience for the participants is the goal at the core of it all.

One of the things that makes the day special each and every time, is the vision of wall to wall women of all ages, backgrounds and experiences banding together to create the experience of a lifetime for these young women! Whether serving as volunteers, mentors, keynote speakers, workshop facilitators or exhibitors, the women of “Girl Talk” are always putting their best foot forward with hopes of creating a transformational experience for these young girls.

Don’t miss your opportunity to become a part of the “think pink” movement!  After a 3 year hiatus, the “Girl Talk” Conference is returning on March 24, 2012 for “Beautifully and Wonderfully Made: Mind, Body & Soul”… the 6^th Girl Talk Conference!  For more information, visit us at http://www.ercpcp.org/girl_talk0.aspx or http://www.facebook.com/girltalkdc.

From Pain to Purpose – Learning from the South Capitol Street Tragedy

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In commemoration of the one year anniversary of the March 2010 South Capitol Street Tragedy, several community partners have planned a series of events that will continue to build a community-based movement against violence.  The overarching theme for these events is “From Pain to Purpose” with an emphasis on the community healing itself. The first event in the series was a solidarity walk and candle light vigil which took place on March 22, 2011.  Participants met in the parking lot of the Giant Food Store on Alabama Avenue, SE and marched to 1333 Alabama Avenue, SE, the location where Jordan Howe was murdered. 

Over 100 people came out to show their support.  In attendance were representatives from local government agencies, law enforcement, and clergy as well as a significant youth turnout.  Speakers and supporters included Norman Williams and Diane Howe; the parents of murder victim Jordan Howe, MPD Police Chief Cathy Lanier, US Attorney Ronald Machen, At-Large Councilmember Sekou Biddle, Representatives from Council Chairman Kwame Brown’s Office, a number of clergy led by Rev. Donald Isaac (ERCPCP), Pastor Bernice Parker (Faith Presbyterian Church), Pastor Tracy Blanchard (Freedom Fellowship Church), Rev. Kelly Wilkins (Covenant Baptist Church), Rev. LaVerne Harley (Abigail), Rev. Greg Anderson (ERCPCP), Min. Kevin Copeland (I Am My Brother’s Keeper), Trayon White (H.I.C.K.S.) and the East of the River Clergy, Police, Community Partnership Clergy Response Team. 

Many returned on Wednesday, March 30, 2011 for a prayer vigil where despite the rain, participants gathered at the corner of Brandywine and South Capitol Street (the site of several of the shootings) and subsequently walked over to Faith Presbyterian Church for a community dialogue with Mayor Vince Gray and Police Chief Cathy Lanier.  These events were the first of several planned to remember the slain and ban together in the fight against violence.  The final event in this series includes a Memorial Bike Ride & Rally to take place on Saturday, May 21, 2011 at the Sylvan Theater.    The bike rally will be hosted by the Organized Chaos Motorcycle Club. 

“Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.”                                           -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Girl Talk: A Conference for Young Ladies

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Back by popular demand, the East of the River Clergy, Police, Community Partnership is beginning the process of establishing a volunteer committee to begin planning its signature “Girl Talk” Conference.  As such, we are issuing this call to action for women and organizations everywhere; we need your participation and support!  In the past, “Girl Talk” has proven to be a positive tool for engaging young women and addressing the growing issues that they face daily.  We hope that you are as excited as we are about the impending return of our beloved “Girl Talk” Conference where women, young and old, are given a vehicle to educate, encourage and empower one another. 

What is Girl Talk?

The “Girl Talk” Conference is a gender specific conference engaging young ladies from at-risk communities.    This daylong event features workshops on issues that are relevant to young ladies, catered meals that encourage good nutrition, opportunities to engage in positive interaction with other women of various backgrounds, a keynote speaker to share a powerful and relatable story, an exhibit hall filled with resource providers to share information specific to women’s needs, entertainment, and a town hall style meeting that will allow participants to engage in good ole fashioned “girl talk!”  In addition to these items, an attempt is made to pair each willing and desiring young lady with a mentor-for-a-day who will engage them in an exciting and worthwhile one day mentoring experience with the potential to open the door to a long-standing mentoring relationship.

The “Girl Talk” Conference is rooted in love and sisterhood.  A love for our younger sisters and a desire to share with them the legacy of sisterhood that comes from establishing and maintaining lasting relationships with women young and old.  The initial vision of “Girl Talk” derived from seeing the decline of the young ladies of our community first hand and the desire to begin an educational process that could help them positively transform their beings.  “Girl Talk” has historically been held on the third Saturday in March, in honor of Women’s History Month. 

 How Can You Get Involved?

In many ways!  To make “Girl Talk” a success the following are needed:

• Monetary donations
• Product donations for gift bags
• Volunteers
• Mentors
• Workshop facilitators
• Service/resource providers (to host information tables)
• Ideas, and
• Planners to serve on the voluntary planning committee

We are currently in the initial planning stages.  To date, a hard date or location has not been set.  As additional details become available, we will share them via Facebook, Twitter, Constant Contact and the ERCPCP website at www.ercpcp.org.  If you are not yet following us, be sure to do so now.  You don’t want to miss out on this amazing experience!

For additional questions about the conference or if you find yourself led to join our planning committee, please contact D’Sheka Perkins at dperkins@ercpcp.org.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Rising Youth Coalition Vendor Expo!

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On February 24, 2011, the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) Region 1 Lead Entity hosted the first “Service Coalition Vendor Expo” at the Patricia R. Harris Educational Center in Souteast Washington, DC.  The purpose of the event was to provide an opportunity for service providers under the Rising Youth Service Coalition to showcase the great programs and services that their organizations provide to the young people who are committed to DYRS.  The target audience for this event was employees of DRYS, more specifically the Case Managers for whom the youth are connected to.  There were over twenty-five (25) vendors in attendance who offers programming which includes but is not limited to; tutoring, mentoring, Intensive Third Party Monitoring, workforce development training, and substance abuse education and treatment.  This was the first of many Vendor Expo’s that the DYRS Region 1 Lead Entity is planning to host.  It is our desire to provide quality services to the youth who are committed to DYRS.  One way to ensure that this is taking place is to provide more events such as this which creates an avenue for the vendors to get exposure as well as providing the opportunity for others to obtain a better understanding of exactly what services are being offered. 

By: Eric Chapman, Lead Entity Director

“Reflection, Celebration, and Expansion” 10th year Anniversary Tribute!

See the impact that ERCPCP has had on its fellow employees, volunteers, and the people we serve as we celebrate 10 years of service to the community.

Welcome!

East of the River, Clergy, Police, Community Partnership (ERCPCP) would like to welcome you to our blog.  Our theme for this year is “Reflection, Celebration, and Expansion.” It is our intent to showcase the powerful work that is being done in our community East of the River.  In addition to reading about the powerful transformation of individuals that are taking place; you will be kept up to date on our events for this year.  Thank you for reading!