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Minutes 03-05-08 MINUTES OF THE YOUTH VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROJECT MEETING HELD ON MARCH 5, 2008, AT 5:30 P.M., CAROLYN SIMS CENTER, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA PRESENT: Jose Rodriguez, Chair Stacey Robinson, Youth Violence Prevention Program Coordinator Buck Buchanan, Boynton Chamber of Commerce Lt. Kelly Harris, Boynton Beach Police Department Kathleen Perry, Boynton Beach Community High School Vinola Rada, Non-Voting Board Member ABSENT: Jim Kidd, South Tech Academy Nate Nichols, Children's Services Council, Palm Beach County Beverly Johnson, Executive Director, YMCA Erin McCloskey/Robin Johnson, Palm Beach Community College Laura Elena Santos, LaPalma News Robert Taylor, CFO Bethesda Memorial Hospital Elivio Serrano, Vice President Programs, United Way of Palm Beach County I. Welcome and Opening Comments - Jose Rodriguez, Chairman Chair Rodriguez welcomed the members to the board's first meeting at the Carolyn Sims Center. II. Roll Call The Recording Secretary called the roll and determined a quorum was present. III. Introduction of Guests No guests attended the meeting. IV. Approval and/or Additions to the Agenda Chair Rodriguez requested adding under VIII. New Business, a discussion relating to a reorganization of the board's Charter and the manner in which the board operated, as well as the possibility of combining the Steering Committee and the Executive Committee. Meeting Minutes Youth Violence Prevention Project Boynton Beach, Florida March 5, 2008 Motion Ms. Perry moved approval of the agenda as amended. Ms. Robinson seconded the motion that passed unanimously. V. Approval and/or Additions to the Minutes of the February 6, 2008 Minutes There were no minutes for February 6, 2008 as the meeting consisted of a tour of the new facility. VI. Chairman IS Comments Chair Rodriguez noted the opening ceremony for the new facility. VII. Old Business A. Teen Coordinator Ms. Robinson noted there had been a glitch in hiring the Teen Coordinator as the result of a City policy in place. She believed this could be resolved and would have a definitive answer on March 6, 2008. The individual selected was the only candidate that met all the qualifications. The position was full-time, with flexible evening hours. Ms. Robinson would contact Ms. Perry with regard to a baCkup plan if the situation could not be resolved. VIII. New Business With regard to the budget, Ms. Robinson noted $65,494.60 remained of the $130,000 encumbered from Awards and Grants to be disseminated to service providers. This indicated some of the service providers had submitted their invoices for their staffing. Invoices were to have been submitted by the tenth day of the month. The contract required that if the receipts were not submitted by the tenth day of the month, the funding could be utilized for other sources. Ms. Robinson articulated she had contacted the three providers that had not submitted their invoices and they were aware of the policy set forth in the contract. Approximately $3,200 remained in Payment to Non- affiliated Organizations. The sum of $800 was utilized from Building Renovations for the purchase of locks for the doors, leaving roughly $4,000 which could be used towards building renovations or, if there were no building renovations, the funds could be moved. Additionally, $8,245 was available from Employee Benefits and Salaries. Ms. Robinson had intended to address the entire budget at the next meeting and make recommendations as to where to move the funds. 2 Meeting Minutes Youth Violence Prevention Project Boynton Beach, Florida March 5, 2008 A. Funding request from Boynton Beach Cheerleaders Chair Rodriguez noted in order to determine criteria, an evaluation was generally made with regard to providers approaching the board for funding. Ms. Robinson indicated the cheerleaders would be attending the Nationals, and the funding would constitute a one- time grant. Ms. Robinson had received approximately 40 letters from the girls providing an explanation as to why they sought board sponsorship. Chair Rodriguez expressed concern that a precedent would be set, as attending the Nationals was a privilege, and it was important the board stay within their established guidelines. The cheerleaders should be scrutinized in the same manner as other organizations which approached the board for funding. Ms. Robinson noted the sponsorship of the cheerleaders would be similar to the board's past sponsorship of a basketball team of 40 youths. Chair Rodriguez noted such sponsorship differed in that the activities occurred at the center, keeping the youths off the street and exposing them to other programs. It was noted the Recreation and Parks Department was making the request on behalf of its program for cheerleaders who were unable to meet their financial responsibilities. Chair Rodriguez did not believe this was appropriate, as it was not the responsibility of Recreation and Parks to fundraise for individuals. As the board believed a more concrete proposal was needed, which contained benchmarks and measureables, Ms. Robinson suggested tabling the item until the next meeting. It should also be determined who approached the board for funding. Additionally, information should be obtained to determine the precise use of the funds, the school(s) attended by the students and whether the students were located in the target area. It was requested that funding for non-affiliated providers be discussed at the next meeting as well. Motion Mr. Buchanan moved to table the item. Lt. Harris seconded the motion that passed unanimously. B. Update on Youth Empowerment Center and Program Providers Ms. Robinson circulated items to be published, including a calendar of events, a newsletter and spring break information. The program had serviced 250 youths within a week's time, and the Department of Juvenile Justice has been referring youths to the program for community service hours. Ms. Robinson noted some of the issues at the center included the need for additional staffing and police presence. Lt. Harris advised that special detail was not built into the program. Therefore, police officers working the zone would stop by the center. Chair 3 Meeting Minutes Youth Violence Prevention Project Boynton Beach, Florida March 5, 2008 Rodriguez noted the CRA board funded additional CRA policing which would cover the center. In order to obtain greater police presence, Lt. Harris was suggesting police volunteer their time during the spring break program. This would present an opportunity for the police to build relationships with the youths. The spring break program would be limited to 25 youths, aged 12-18. Ms. Robinson would be calling on service providers to chaperone the event. A barbecue would be held for the parents and youths the Saturday following spring break, and providers would be present as well. The board addressed consideration of a program focusing on self esteem for youths, especially young ladies. Ms. Robinson indicated a modeling and charm program could be put together, but a more comprehensive program would require funding. The board suggested this might be a topic for the Steering Committee to research. At the present time, a life skills program was held on Tuesdays and Thursdays through R.M. Lee and Mad Dads and was well attended. Mad Dads also sponsored teen pregnancy prevention and male responsibility programs. It was suggested students attend programs at the center in lieu of school detention, and honor students could accrue community hours by tutoring youths at the center during the week. This would be further discussed at the next meeting. The Steering Committee had discussed creating a volunteer program, reaching out to Executive Committee members, Bethesda Hospital, the YMCA and other organizations. Ms. Robinson noted the computers would be delivered to the center as soon as the locks were placed on the doors. Ms. Robinson noted she was under the auspices of the Recreation and Parks Department and if there were issues with the youths, the youths would be forced to leave the building and the building would be closed. Chair Rodriguez recommended Ms. Robinson meet with the person in charge of the building to discuss alternatives. Security issues in the building were discussed, as security measures were not provided for in the budget. It was suggested monies that had not been allocated be utilized to purchase cameras or other security items so that the facility would not have to be closed. Chair Rodriguez noted the City contracted with the County to obtain funding for this program and agreed to provide in-kind contributions. He asked Ms. Robinson to look into this to determine the City's commitments in order to obtain the funding. The importance of providing a safe facility was discussed. Ms. Robinson believed Recreation and Parks should bear as much financial responsibility to secure the facility as did the program. If the program continued to absorb the costs, there would be fewer available funds to run programs. The program was already paying $800 for deadbolt locks on four doors in order to secure the computers. Ms. Robinson believed both the program and Recreation and Parks Department should be responsible for their proportionate 4 Meeting Minutes Youth Violence Prevention Project Boynton Beach, Florida March 5, 2008 share of the costs. Chair ROdriguez suggested Ms. Robinson follow up on this item with Recreation and Parks. C. Update on Steering Committee and Teen Council Ms. Rada advised she attended the recent meeting of the Steering Committee, which was attended by five members. The volunteer and tutoring programs were discussed. Volunteers were sought for the 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. time slot weekdays and Saturdays. Ms. Rada requested Ms. Perry's assistance in soliciting the students from the International Baccalaureat (IB) and Honors Math programs to volunteer their time. Ms. Perry noted she would proVide the necessary information to the students. Ms. Rada also planned to approach Santaluces High School and PBCC in search of volunteers and would contact the School of Education at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) to determine whether they could support the future teachers program. For spring break (the week of April 7-11, 2007) Ms. Rada and her director at South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) were exploring the idea of taking the students on an outing to DuPuis Preserves, which provided miles of hiking trails and numerous recreational activities. A date of April 9, 2007 ("Wild Wednesday'') was considered for this event. Ms. Robinson would explore possibilities for transporting the students from the center to SFWMD and to DuPuis. Ms. Robinson noted the following people had consistently attended the Steering Committee meetings over the last three months: Steve Miller and two women from the Department of Juvenile Justice, Dwayne Cyr, Ms. Rada, Lt. Harris, Sgt. Suzanne Gitto and Joyce Fisher, of Workforce Alliance. Neither Anne Watts, of the Library, nor Sherry Johnson, of Community Caring Center, could attend. D. Discussion on reorganization the board's charter, and whether to combine the Executive and Steering Committees Chair Rodriguez discussed the original structure of the program. The Executive Committee's primary responsibility was for the distribution and accountability of dollars. The Steering Committee's primary responsibility was to make recommendations to the Executive Committee for programs to fund and/or to point out gaps in programs. He did not believe the program was working as originally intended. Ms. Perry noted a procedure followed by the School Board wherein the School Board would meet as a board and reconvene as the entity requiring governance. The board believed it made sense to combine the Steering Committee and Executive Committee. Chair Rodriguez had no objection to combining the committees but wondered whether that would resolve the issue of who determined the gaps and the providers needed to fill the gaps. Ms. Robinson suggested the Teen Council could proVide the information. With the opening of the facility, Ms. Robinson had begun to develop a relationship with the 5 Meeting Minutes Youth Violence Prevention Project Boynton Beach, Florida March 5, 2008 youths. It was anticipated the Teen Coordinator would connect with the youths, but it would take time to develop a committed group to provide an effective leadership team. Ms. Robinson believed as the Teen Council progressed, the original structure of the board would function as intended. In order to organize and promote the Teen Council, flyers and applications were sent out. Additionally, Ms. Robinson advertised through the service providers to identify youths who would be interested in joining the Teen Council. The intent was to empower the youths and create a teen government. Ms. Robinson had invited six youths to attend a four-day National Crime Prevention Council Youth Conference in Miami at the end of March 2008. It was her intent to launch the Teen Council during this period. The six youths had indicated their interest in attending the conference and were consistent attendees of the program. Ms. Robinson will provide Chair Rodriguez with information pertaining to the conference. Chair Rodriguez suggested that, once the Teen Council was underway, the board would further discuss combining the Executive and Steering Committees. The board concurred. IX. Member Comments The members were pleased to be in the new facility and commended Ms. Robinson and Lt. Harris for their fine work. Chair Rodriguez also thanked Ms. Robinson and Lt. Harris for their hard work and efforts and looked forward to future triumphs, and to working with the youths through the volunteer program. X. Guest Comments None. Adjournment Motion Mr. Buchanan moved to adjourn. Ms. Perry seconded the motion that passed unanimously. The meeting property adjourned at 7:00 p.m. ~Qf~ Stephanie D. Kahn Recording Secretary 032608 6