Youth Voices and Choices
The Community Mediation Center (CMC) and Covenant Counseling and Consultation Services (CCCS) propose a project called YOUTH VOICES and CHOICES (YVC) to expand the number of out-of-school programs utilizing trauma-informed programming for social-emotional development of at-risk students in middle and high school. It will provide staff training to implement, practice, and use conflict resolution tools, increase public awareness about ACEs, and increase students’ social-emotional intelligence and resilience in out-of-school settings. YVC will address the negative trauma responses of inner-city Knoxville youth and help change the way they and others see them – not as troublemakers but as troubled children. The YVC will incorporate the evidence-based Youth Impact Curriculum of You Have the Power, Inc. at after-school agencies providing youth services. The YVC expects to positively impact the community through improved behaviors and responses of youth, safer home environments, and better relationships between youth and service providers. The assessment tools include pre and post-measurements of knowledge about ACEs, application of social and learning skills that help youth find their voices, and use of conflict resolution skills to help students make better choices.