Chatham-Savannah Youth Futures Authority
601 East 66th Street
Suite 101
Savannah, GA 31405
P.O. Box 14317, Savannah, GA 31416
Phone: 912.352.7054 ~ Fax: 912.352.7451
Edward Chisolm, Executive Director
Savannah Promise Neighborhood
UPDATE! Savannah was not selected as a Promise Neighborhood grantee for 2012; however, we will launch the Savannah Promise Neighborhood in January using the local partners and their commitments toward this initiative. You will be hearing from us!
COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
The next meeting of the SPN Oversight Planning Committee will be announced at a later date.
Emory University School Health Clinic
The requirements for this planning grant have been met. A business plan was completed and is in the stages of being reviewed before it becomes officially authorized. Check this site later for additional information.
Childhood Development Associate (CDA) Program
We are proud to announce that a CDA graduation ceremony was held on November 19 at the First Assembly Church in Garden City. Program participants are now in Phase 2 of the program which should conclude this spring.
YFA Collaborative Meeting
AUTHORITY MEMBERS --
The next collaborative meeting will be FEBRUARY 14 at 4:00 p.m. at the Lewis Cancer Research Pavilion in the 2nd Floor Training Room. Topic Area: TBD
Teen Maze Event-2012
The Teen Maze event for this year will be held March 26-29 at the National Guard Armory. Target population will be first time 8th graders. There will be four event tracks. The goal of the event is to eliminate barriers to students not graduating fom higih school, nd to expose them to career information.
Update on RFPs for St. Pius
Requests for Proposals were solicited for use of the St. Pius facility. The RFP Committee has reviewed the RFPs and will make a recommendation to the Authority Board.
Savannah Receives IBM Grant
The City of Savannah recently received an IBM KidsSmart grant that awarded YFA 30 Young Explorer Little Tikes units to be placed in SCCPSS Pre-K and lower grades classrooms and across selected community centers and child care facilities. YFA was pleased to partner with the SCCPSS on this. This is great news for our early learners and complements our Savannah Promise Neighborhood work. THANK YOU City of Savannah and IBM!
About Us
The Chatham-Savannah Youth Futures Authority (YFA) is a state legislated authority serving as the collaborative for addressing issues relevant to children, youth and families in Chatham County, Georgia. The collaborative is comprised of representatives from city, county and state government, the local board of education, more than 20 health and human service providers with a focus on children, youth and families, the United Way of the Coastal Empire, faith community, area businesses and neighborhoods. YFA is also the collaborative body and fiscal agent representing Chatham County in the Georgia Family Connection Partnership, which is a statewide initiative that promotes the use of collaborative development and family engagement to effect positive impacts on the condition of children and families across Georgia's counties.
The YFA has been in the business of collaborating and advocating on behalf of children, youth, and families since its inception in 1988. Part of the work involves engaging various sectors of the community in problem identification and strategies to address priority issues and concerns, and reporting to the community on key indicators that assist the collaborative in charting the course for change. Other work consists of maintaining the collaborative and its related committees, developing and monitoring plans of actions, and providing assistance as required on key initiatives and strategies that help in the achievement of the vision.
Priority Areas:
Child Health (Teen Pregnancy): Supports and services that target females would help reduce the considerably higher teen pregnancy and teen birth rates, which in turn, would reduce the overall rates for Chatham County.
Ensuring Educational Success: Students need to acquire the academic skills necessary to advance to the next grade level, perform to expectations, and graduate from high school. Completion of high school is critical in ensuring that they have increased opportunities to become stable and self-sufficient adults.
Juvenile Delinquency Prevention: There is a need to reduce the overall number of delinquent offenses committed by juveniles in our community, as well as reduce the number of youth committed to the state.
Early Childhood Development: Data indicates that there is a call for an initiative that will focus on early childhood health, school readiness, and family functioning. The concept for this need was derived from joint efforts of YFA collaborative members and stakeholders committed to improving the lives of our most precious resource—our children.