|
Middle School program looks far beyond 7th grade
Xochitl Fuhriman-Ebert spent several years working with a fine program that assisted Hispanic high school students. But, among the many things she learned was that high school can be too late to intervene on behalf of students susceptible to choosing drugs, gangs or dropping out.
So, she focused her attention on a program for middle-schoolers - the Academy of Young Ambassadors - founded by her father, Dr. Jay Fuhriman, a retired Boise State University professor.
After six years, Fuhriman-Ebert, the director, is still bursting with enthusiasm for the program directed at 12-year-olds from Ontario Middle School.
During the year, teachers nominate students they believe will benefit from AYA's emphasis on social skill development, teamwork, leadership, physical health, literacy, communication, trust building and other interpersonal skills. referrals also come from local juvenile authorities and community service organizations. Although many of the area's students are low-income and Hispanic, those who make referrals are really searching for a spark of leadership ability ripe for development or redirection.
Each summer, about 60 Ontario middle-school students - a cross-section that may include class leaders; A students down to C students; shy kids; and budding gang participants - attend a two-week AYA institute, where they live in a college dorm. There, almost every hour is crammed with activities designed to develop particular skills. Older AYA graduates return to mentor younger ones and help them through the intense experience.
"Kids can't control their environment," said Fuhriman-Ebert, "but they can control their choices. The institute and the entire program give kids an opportunity to rub shoulders with good role models. It helps kids stay motivated and away from distractions. In the Academy of Young Ambassadors, they learn to work together, and they begin to see the importance of education and where education can take them."
Early at the institute, staff members present an "infomercial" from which each student chooses a community-action-plan group that will tackle an issue such as domestic violence, underage drinking, juvenile crime, child abuse and neglect, or gangs.
They become, as Fuhriman-Ebert puts it, "little experts" in the CAP topic they choose.
"Choosing is a really big deal," she said. "The topics they choose tend to be topics they are dealing with themselves."
Back home, the students work on projects they began planning at the institute. This year, for instance, one group took part in a summit on child neglect; another will work with inmates from Snake River Correctional Institute to paint murals in an effort to prevent graffiti in an often-vandalized area of town.
Throughout the year, students continue to meet weekly at the AYA office in the middle school and work with their teachers as well as involving their parents and working with community organizations.
Fuhriman-Ebert, also an ESL teacher in the school, has written several grants to fund the program, which is now operating on a million-dollar federal grant. She estimates that it would cost a school about $110,000 a year to run a similar program, including staff. During the institute, AYA has five certified teachers and an assistant for each of them, five volunteer teen mentors who have graduated from AYA, and several roving teen and adult volunteers, so that there are about 22 staff members to 60 students. During the rest of the year, Fuhriman-Ebert is joined by four staff members and office staff, and, in turn, they get a lot of support from teachers and others.
"We've gotten incredible, 100 percent support from the administration and the parents and community," said Fuhriman-Ebert. "When things come up, they often call or come to us first, and we work with the student and others involved. Somehow, it seems better for everyone than having the student in the principal's office or in the legal system. It's really been amazing."
Next spring, she and her staff and many supporters of the program will watch the first flight of Academy of Young Ambassadors receive their diplomas at Ontario High School graduation.
For more information or a DVD contact:
Xochitl Fuhriman-Ebert or Suzie Douglas-Sap at Ontario Middle School,
(541) 889-5377 ext #257
|
