60 graduates! 52,500 volunteer hours served!

$140,000 in scholarships and AmeriCorps education awards!

How Victor Rewrote His Life…

Victor has only been at American YouthWorks a short time, but has accomplished more in his four months here than he would have in a year at a conventional high school.  You see, Victor had attended six high schools and faced challenges in his life that caused him to fall behind in his classes and, at age 17, he dropped out.

During his time out of school, Victor installed roofs andworked in the oil fields.  His dad told Victor that he should finish high school and his supervisor at work encouraged him to take advantage of the opportunity to build a better life.  At first, Victor didn’t listen.  Then something clicked in him and he decided to enroll with us.  He just didn’t feel right without a diploma and he wanted something better for himself.  Victor knew that other schools wouldn’t take him, he said, “American YouthWorks was my last chance.”

Thanks to his motivation and our self paced courses, he was able to quickly get back on track and make up his credits.   He will walk across the stage this June.  Now he feels hopeful. Victor says, “Anybody can do it if they put their mind to it.  Anyone can come back from a fall.”

About our Keynote Speaker, Vince Young

Victor’s sentiment fits right in with the theme of this year’s graduation, “Rewriting Your Life.”  We’re thrilled to announce NFL and college football star Vince Young will share his perspective on the importance of education and challenge the students to continue their upward momentum after high school.  He is someone our students can look up to, but not just for his success on the field.  His accomplishments are all the more incredible in light of his start in life. He grew up in a rough-n-tumble neighborhood, just like many of our students, of Hiram Clarke (in Houston, Texas), where he was chiefly raised by his beloved grandmother and mother (Vince wears the number 10 as a respectful nod to his mom’s birthday, June 10).  Also, like every single student at American YouthWorks, Vince is actively involved in giving back to the community.  Specifically, he focuses on developing the future generation of leaders through the Vince Young Foundation.  The Foundation focuses on helping students “Rock Their Future” by providing scholarships, mentorships, and leadership camps and programs.

You’re Invited!

It’s been a great school year!  On June 15, 60 students will walk across the stage, graduating from high school with job skills and money for college.  Members of the public are invited to share in the success of our students at Graduation Day.  June 15, at 11:00 AM at the Lady Bird Johnson Auditorium, 2313 Red River St., Austin, TX 78705.

Austin, TX, May 24, 2013 – American YouthWorks’ Texas Conservation Corps sent its Emergency Response Team to Oklahoma to provide relief to communities affected by the EF-5 tornado.  The crews will support the FEMA Volunteer and Donations recovery efforts and work with State Emergency Management and Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster.  Texas Conservation Corps participants will support Multi Agency Resource Centers (MARCs) in four counties.  According to FEMA, MARCs are a “one stop shop” which makes it easy for those who are affected by disaster to get help for a variety of needs.  MARCs will also collect donations and register volunteers.

The Emergency Response Teams, which are funded through a three year AmeriCorps*Texas grant from OneStar Foundation, officially launched at the beginning of 2013. OneStar Foundation is the Governor-designated National Service Commission for Texas that administers the AmeriCorps*State grant program and connects partners and resources to build a stronger nonprofit sector in Texas. AmeriCorps is a nation-wide network of volunteers who commit to a term of service where they address community challenges.  Nationally, many AmeriCorps groups have aided in disaster response.

Texas Conservation Corps has been involved in disaster response since 2005, providing relief to communities in Louisiana, Missouri and Texas following hurricanes, tornadoes, wild fires and the recent fertilizer plant explosion.  For example, following the West, Texas plant explosion, the team helped homeowners affected by the explosion to get assistance to rebuild.  After Hurricane Sandy, participants mobilized over 2,000 volunteers who repaired homes, aided displaced residents in meeting their basic needs, restored the shoreline and provided medical services.  Additionally, the crews have been working to restore Bastrop State Park since the Central Texas Wildfires of 2011.

A homeowner in New York said this about the Texas Conservation Corps, “They have helped so many people in the area.  There is no way we could have done all this work on our house without this wonderful group.  Their attitude and enthusiasm is something I have never seen before.  We are blessed.”

###

About American Youth Works

AYW is a 501(c)(3) organization based in Austin, Texas that integrates at-risk youth and AmeriCorps members to provide education, service and jobs training. AYW operates a public charter high school, a GED program and green jobs and service corps programs.  AYW also offers on-site life services to help students overcome obstacles to their education, including a parent and child development center, academic coaching and counseling.  For more than thirty years, AYW has assisted thousands of local, at-risk youth and adult graduates from around the country in transforming their lives and gaining job skills through community service, education and a commitment to preserving the natural environment.

Contact: Rachel Matvy, rmatvy@americanyouthworks.org, WK: 512-744-1904, CELL: 865-540-1334

Whether your goal is to be more active, protect the environment, reduce traffic congestion or save money on gas, our students in the Bike Corps program are here to help you in your morning bike commute!  They are hosting a satellite station from 7:00-9:30 AM on May 17.  Bike to Work Day is a National event sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists (League) as a way to encourage biking.

At our Station, we’ll have beverages and goody bags.  So come on by – 1901 E. Ben White Blvd., Austin, TX 78741.   Look for our Station in the west end of our parking lot.

Don’t pass us on your way to work?  Click here to find a list of Morning Stations and Afternoon Stations.  Find out more about bicycle commuting on the League website.

Let me first tell you how American YouthWorks is different from the average school.  Our public charter high school embraces one of the hardest populations of young people to work with: those who have already dropped out or who are at risk of dropping out of school.

All of our students come to us with significant challenges: pregnancy, special education needs, homelessness or poverty.  As a result, they may have already dropped out, or are several years behind their peers.  In fact, the average student at American YouthWorks is already 18 years old when they enroll with us, and has only completed half of his/her credits.  Our students have a lot to overcome in order to graduate and build a secure life for themselves.  As a result, they are more likely to drop out, to have spotty attendance and to graduate late.

We operate under that same standards as all other schools.  However, regulations fail to take into account the growth of individual students, no matter how tremendous.  Also, they don’t recognize the difficulties that are specific to providing education for at-risk youth.

You may remember the story of Stephanie, a teen parent who came to us behind on her credits.  She did not have anyone to take care of her son and could not afford child care, therefore, she stopped going to school. Stephanie chose American YouthWorks because we offer free child care to our students.  Now she’s on track to graduate this June; and she’ll be the first in her family with a high school diploma!  Like most of our students, Stephanie wants to overcome her challenges so that she can finish school and build a better life.  In order to graduate, she needed help from a school that understood her needs as a teen mom.  However, stories like Stephanie’s are not reflected in the rankings. In fact, because it will take her more than four years to finish, our school will be penalized, even though she was already behind when she came to American YouthWorks.

Because of these regulatory challenges, very few charter schools specifically cater to these groups of students.  But there’s good news ahead for those that do.  Legislation that passed in the Senate and is headed for a vote in the House, would create labels for “Dropout Recovery/Prevention” schools that aim to work with at-risk student groups. This legislation will not exempt schools from important standards and regulations that help protect students and public money.  Rather, it is a step toward acknowledging the challenges of schools that seek out marginalized students.

Keep your fingers crossed!  This change will encourage more schools to accept and work with at-risk students like Stephanie.  This is a win, not just for drop-out recovery schools, but also for the students who need opportunities to get their lives on track!

We love this!

Stormy skies await Americorps workers

Yesterday, on the South Steps of the Texas Capitol, The Texas Conservation Corps (TxCC) at American YouthWorks (AYW) announced that it will operate emergency response teams that will be on call to provide relief following disaster situations.

The teams will focus on Texas, but will also take action to help in other states. In fact, one of the teams is currently aiding citizens of New Jersey following Superstorm Sandy. When not involved in disaster relief efforts, the teams will implement disaster mitigation projects and improve park and preserve lands across Texas.

We’d like to thank the One Star Foundation for making this possible through an AmeriCorps grant!  The funds will be used to train AmeriCorps members to perform aid that provides immediate stability to communities affected by disaster.  These activities include hazard debris removal, shelter management, minor home repairs and volunteer and donations management.

If you are wondering, who The Texas Conservation Corps is, it’s our 17 year old program which was formerly known as Environmental Corps or E-Corps.   The program provides the opportunity for young people to solve real community issues through impactful conservation and disaster relief projects in Texas and adjacent states.

Representative Tim Kleinschmidt spoke to our members about the importance of service and praised TxCC for the positive impact it had in his district, which includes Bastrop, following the Central Texas wildfires. Brent Leisure, State Parks Director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department emphasized the importance of developing the future conservation workforce and the impact that programs like the TxCC have made in preserving our natural places. An alumnus from the program, Amanda Martinez, told her own heartwarming story of volunteerism through the TxCC after serving in both the Central Texas wildfires and the EF-5 tornado in Joplin, MO.

IBC Bank and American YouthWorks are Raising One Million Nickels for At-Risk Youth 

Donate Today!

This year IBC Bank and AYW are raising One Million Nickels to provide education, service opportunities and job skills training to youth. Members of the public can donate at any IBC Bank and branches will compete to raise the most funds.  For thirty one years AYW has focused on drop out recovery and workforce preparedness and has also taught youth about the importance of giving back to their community by involving them in service projects such as litter clean ups, trail building and home repair for low income Austinites.  Donations will help cover costs of critical programs for AYW youth such as educational instruction for mothers and their babies, free school lunches, tools for job training sites, leadership development programming and opportunities for community volunteer days.

The kick-off event is February 26, 10AM at IBC Bank, 2817 E. Cesar Chavez, Austin, TX 78702

You can help too!   Save your nickels and bring them to any IBC Bank location.  You can also send a check to American YouthWorks or donate online.  

American YouthWorks, 1901 E. Ben White Blvd., Austin, TX 78741

What a day!  Over 100 people from American YouthWorks, Keep Austin Beautiful, The Montopolis Greenbelt Association, The Cemetery Association, Westwood High School Honor Society and community volunteers all pitched in at three sites in East Austin to “MAKE IT A DAY ON, NOT A DAY OFF.”

If you would like to learn how you can be involved in future events, sign up for our email list!

For 15 years, American YouthWorks has been hosting projects on Martin Luther King Day of Service in order to share the spirit of Dr. King’s vision with the young people who attend our school and job training programs.  Dr. King said ‘everybody can be great, because everybody can serve,’ and this credo is a central component of our mission.

The groups removed trash and cleared brush at the sites, both of which have a history of illegal dumping.

“A day on, not a day off” is part of a nationwide effort in thousands of communities across all 50 states.