Youth Leadership Development Center

A center for after school programs, summer camps, inter-cultural exchange and engaging youth in community service and development. We create support structures for youth, whose parents are incarcerated and those who are out of school. Inculcating in our youth core life surviving skills such as initiative, hard work, vision, self-discipline, goal setting, career planning and other relevant activities necessary for the total development of each child into a successful young adult who can make a difference in society.

PERSONNEL

Under the able leadership of a program coordinator, a team of college student volunteers are recruited to help elementary and high school students with homework and tutoring in Math, Science, Reading and preparation for SAT and ACT exams. The program coordinators also invite speakers from other volunteer organizations such as AmeriCorps, VISTA, America Reads and Boys/Girls Scout.

Activities

After School Programs

We serve children and youth from ages 4 – 12 years old. Our activities encompass a broad range of focus areas, including academic support, mentoring, youth development, arts, sports and recreation. The activities in which children and youth engage while outside of school hours are critical to their development, highlighting the need for quality afterschool programs in all communities. We rely on data to make informed decision about the demand for afterschool programs. It is estimated over 10 million children and youth participate in afterschool programs annually in the US and we are proud to be part of the solution.

Summer Camps

Children participate in a full-day program of exciting activities designed to awaken a sense of wonder and encourage exploration of new frontiers of learning. Each week, we organize theme-inspired classes, including daily physical activity of sports and games, group and individual projects in science and art, and surprise activities that engages children to be critical thinkers and problem solvers. Additional activities include scavenger hunts, puzzles and team challenges, experiments and optional water play.

Campers can look forward to making special memories on the playground, on off-campus field trips, and during all-camp celebrations on Camp Spirit Days. Morning meetings, coupled with plenty of recess, snack, and group activity time, help create strong bonds between campers, often forming friendships that span across summers and beyond.

Inter-Cultural Educational Exchange 

We organize it once a year. The primary source of this contact, is with a specific main host family with whom the student live during the exchange period. This volunteer host family is perhaps the most essential, feature of the exchange and the main vehicle for improving inter-cultural group relations. We ensure student-host family contacts are positive in nature. Student-host family selection and matching, therefore, is emphasized as priority responsibilities for our exchange programs.

Exchange typically results in personal changes that can be characterized as significant, demonstrable, positive, and enduring. The exchange is an undertaking of favorable, useful, and long-lasting consequence in the estimation of most returnees. A multitude of specific cognitive, attitudinal, and behavioral effects are claimed by the large majority of respondents. The practical applicability of exchange learnings, both in one’s own activities and in influencing others in positive ways, is also claimed by the majority of our students.

Internship Placement

Structure – High school interns are placed in a professional environment for 4 – 6 weeks where they develop their skills and assess their capabilities while on-the-job and working with adults. Interns participate in an actual work setting in order to determine the suitability of an occupation and the amount of preparation required for a particular career. The internship assists students in making career choices, in building employment skills, and making the transition to the professional realm.

Screening & Selection – Potential interns will have participated in the Youth Leadership Development program.  Students participate in workshops that cover everything from resume writing and preparing for job interviews to recognizing personal leadership qualities and capitalizing on those qualities to be successful.  Interns are selected by T.E.F.I. program staff, after an application process with interviews conducted by professionals from the internship sites as well as volunteers from business, government, and other private companies.