Dimondale Adolescent Care Facility Enrichment Program: Fiscal Year 2013-2014
The Dimondale Enrichment Program is a Prevention and Early Intervention Program funded by the Department of Mental Health. The program provides outreach programs, educational workshops and activities to at-risk youth, underserved, and underrepresented youth. The program is designed with the mission to reduce risk factors such as depression and increase protective factors such as enhanced relationships with family and peers.
We recognized that each participant will have different needs as they grow to their potential. Here at Dimondale we offer various classes that provide youth with the opportunity for acceleration, leadership, and development. The goal is to improve behavioral functioning, decrease the risk of behavioral problems and improve self- confidence, social competence, peer relationships, and/or relationships at home.
2 Hour Workshops (10 Sessions)
Anger Management and Trigger Identification
10 sessions that will identify sources of rage (i.e., abuse, loss, neglect, sexual exploitation, abandonment issues). This class will help reduce anger, aggression, and/ or depression in the youth while increasing coping skills and resiliency.
Goal: To explore different alternatives in expressing anger or rage by discussing the different outcomes of being passive, passive-aggressive, assertive and aggressive. Understanding yourself and how to react to different situations with different people will help avoid a potentially violent outburst.
Objective: To demonstrate a variety of calming techniques that will blow off steam and enable the youth to handle their emotions properly. Assisting the youth in recognizing and understanding their anger will help them identify their own stressors and anger signals.
Anti-Violence Counseling
10 sessions that will focus on reducing risk factors such as impulsive/compulsive behaviors and aggressive behaviors by increasing social competency skills. This workshop will teach participants how to direct negative energy into something positive.
Goal: To prevent injuries and violence amongst ourselves and others. Participants will learn several alternatives on solving problems without resorting to violence and will apply their knowledge to their social work practice with colleagues and peers.
Objective: To understand issues relating to violence and its impact on conflict resolution. Participants will be able to identify positive ways to avoid violence by distinguishing different responses to conflict, and the positive outcome of each response.
Cross Cultural Dialog
This 10 session workshop explores how race, culture, ethnicity and gender impact how we view ourselves and others. Discussions will include: cultural identity development, experiences that shape identity, self perception and the perceptions of others.
Goal: To heighten the youth’s awareness of their own culture while gaining the knowledge, insight, and experience of other cultures. This will enhance the understanding of cultural and cross cultural similarities throughout the world.
Objective: To help the youth develop a better understanding and appreciation of other cultures. Helping students become more sensitive and appreciative for the values, customs and realities of groups of people that may, in some way be different. This experience will help the students gain more respect for cultural and cross cultural similarities and differences.
Family Therapy
10 sessions utilizing the Functional Family Intervention model emphasizing resilience. This workshop is found to be most effective because of the adaptation to fit the needs and socioeconomic characteristics of the families.
Goal: To promote new understanding among family members as well as skills to handle both current and future problems within the family. The goal of the workshop is to strive toward an increase of family bonds, empathy and the appreciation for one another.
Objective: To improve the ability of solving individual and family problems by recognizing how a family functions; identifying issues and conflicts in and outside the home (transfer of energy); working together to resolve challenges; developing new approaches to old issues; setting and reaching individual and family goals.
Life Skills
This 10 session course is designed to improve self- expression; learning how to control and direct one’s behavior; and achieving personal and social skills i.e. positive communication, resisting drugs, alcohol, and gangs.
Goal: To provide the youth with the basic knowledge and skills they need to increase self-responsibility and to reach their full potential. This will include but will not be limited to: the ability to cope with positive and adverse situations; ability to develop critical thinking and decision making skills; the ability to gain functional skills for employment and choosing a career (Independent living); ability to work with others and sustain positive relationships; and the ability to respect diverse backgrounds of others.
Objective: To help the youth in the process of moving from a less mature to a more mature way of thinking, feeling, and acting. The youth will learn to think critically which will inspire them to stay in school and develop a lifetime enthusiasm for learning.
Parenting
10 sessions that cover styles of parenting; How to use positive and non-violent discipline skills; exercising the power of encouragement; building cooperation; teaching responsibility; and stimulating independence.
Goal: To promote positive parenting and family management skills.Setting limits and boundaries will assist parents and non-parents in understanding the benefits ofpositive parenting. This will require parents and children to spend quality time with one another to develop a healthy relationship.
Objectives: Identifying and applying safe and healthy practices in the home which will include: nutrition, first aid, exercise, stress management, and risk management. Understanding and exploring the role of being a good parent will strengthen family communication and relationship skills.
1 Hour Workshops (6 Sessions each)
Academic Counseling
This workshop was created to provide the youth with the information and knowledge that is needed to make educated decisions about the future. Our teachers will assist the youth in completing homework assignments, evaluating previous coursework done during class, as well as clarifying their educational values and goals.
Goal: To promote a challenging and supportive educational environment that will advance the youth intellectually and culturally by providing assistance with school assignments, educational, and career goals that will improve their academic performance.
Objective: To change our youth’s frequently negative association with school as a result of past failures; Identify and facilitate relationships between academic and personal goals that will reduce the high school dropout rate through the establishment of one-on-one and/or group mentoring; assist them in communicating effectively in a respectful and caring matter.
Case Management
To help families address issues such as transpiration, housing, substance abuse, family relationships, and cultural barriers.
Goal: To increase long-term career and educational goals.
Objective:To increase family bonds between youth and their parents; assist in possible long- term employment.
Mentoring
This six-week workshop empowers youth to become leaders by combining the benefits of one-on-one and/or group mentoring in reducing the juvenile delinquency and gang participation. It will also address behavior management, improving coping skills and promote healthy peer relationships.
Goals: To provide opportunities for youth to become role models and bring messages of hope to other youths throughout the community.
Objective: To establish a trusting relationship with accountability and responsibility by improving social competence and peer relationships.
Peer Group
This workshop is designed to assist participants and their families with identifying goals and taking specific steps to achieve them- steps such as building social support networks, managing internal and external stress.
Goal: To support participants in coming together for mutual support and to create a positive bond; examine bully behavior; empathy training; and social skills.
Objective: To assist students in developing peer communication skills, to improve self-esteem, to facilitate accepting responsibility, and to provide an environment for students supporting one another.
Self Defense
This workshop teaches the youth how to trust their instincts and use protective factors if ever they are in a potentially harmful situation. They will learn to think critically within and across academic disciplines.
Goal: To promote self-confidence, assertiveness, goal orientation, calmness and concentration. They will learn to work cooperatively with authority and their peers in a shared process of problem solving.
Objective: To develop an awareness of self that will provide a foundation for responsible behavior. Participants will be able to demonstrate the ability to respond to attacks by identifying the diverse values that shape decision making in their public, professional and private life.
Substance Abuse
This workshop addresses the problems of substance abuse, including the latest about prevention and awareness. This workshop will identify activities that will lessen the possibility or impact of substance abuse, and/or alcohol and drug use.
Goal: To educate and prevent youth from turning to lives of delinquency, drugs and substance abuse.
Objective: To address the dangers of tobacco, prescription and “street” drugs used by youth; Support and encourage parents to participate in encouraging the youth to live a positive and healthy lifestyle by being drug and alcohol free.
Dimondale’s Enrichment Program offers both fun and education for youths of all ages. The program is aligned to provide a safe and nurturing environment where participants can be heard as individuals and as part of a collective. We promise to maintain a safe environment for all participants where they will feel comfortable to be seen as they are. The goal is to not only educate our participants but to learn from them as well.