Res 2019-079/approving the recommendation of the San Marcos Commission on Children and Youth to allocate $63,750 in 2018-2019 Fiscal Year funding for 21 youth programs that contribute to implementation of the Youth Master Plan

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Amount Requested: $4,000 Commission on Children and Youth Recommendation: $1,360 Community Action, Inc. YouthFest!-YouthFest! will be held in April during child abuse prevention and awareness month. Approximately 30 vendors representi ng various youth servi ng organizations and health care providers will host booths with activities for children. Local performerswill showcase the irtalentsand otherchiId-friendlyactivities, including a trackless train, bounce house, and face painterwill be available forfree to all families in attendance. A fami ly who atten ds YouthFest! will take away information about local resources that can supporttheir health and development. Activities provided at the event will focus on improving children's physical development and social emotional skills. How they will measure program success: For this second year of YouthFest! we will measure success based on attendance numbers and vendorfeedback. In subsequent years we hope to expand ouroutcome measures in col laboration with partnerage ncies. Priority Areas that this program will fulfill: We are seekingto directly influence Goal 2: All children are physically and mentally healthy with the YouthFest! event. All vendors will be required to provide a children's activity attheir booth, additional ly we have other activities that encourage gross and fine motor play. The performances are an opportunity for children to work on theirsocia l -emotional skills both as participants and audience members. Goals for the program: The goals of Texas Home Visiting -Hays County are to: • Improve maternal and newborn health. • Reduce the rate of child injuries and child maltreatment. • Improve school readiness and academicachievement. • Reduce domestic violence and crime. • Improve family self-sufficiency. • Increase coordination and referrals for community resources as well as supports forfamilies. How will they know they met these goals: These are goals that will take much longe rthan one year, or one -round of fundingto address. YouthFest! will be focused on the second stated goal of Texas Home Vi siting -Hays County, reducing the rate of child injuries and child maltreatment. We know from research that certain 'protective factors' are linked toa lower incidence of child abuse and neglect. The protective factors we plan to directly impact at YouthFe st! include concrete supports for parents in need (vendors) and social connections (free, daylong, weekend event with group performances). Number of clients served yearly: 160families Number of direct clients served ONLY in San Marcos:79families Amount Requested: $2,000 Commission on Children and Youth Recommendation: $2,000 Girls Empowerment Network Girl Connect— GEN bel ievesgirls are powerful and our Girl Connect program (formerly known as clubGEN and 180) helps them bel ieveittoo. Girlsare at risk of not reachi ng thei r potential, especial ly if adolescence affects them too adversely. When girls learn and practice skills with GEN, theirself-efficacy increases. When they increase their self -efficacy they strengthen their internal belief in their power. When they feel powerful, they can be unstoppable. Girl Connect is a school-based program consisting of seIf-efficacy buildinggroups forgirlsin grades 6-12that meets weekly for 10-20weeks on partner school campuses. GEN staff work closely with the counselor on the campus to customize a group formatthat will meet the unique needs of the girls at each specific campus. Often school staff identify girls who are "high risk" and most in need of support services that they refer di rectly into the program. Girls who are targeted are referred forthi ngs like disciplinary issues, exhibiting outbursts in class, fighting, self -harm, anxiety, involvement with the juvenile justice syste m, f requent truancy, etc. GEN staff has been worki ng with San Marcos CI SD staff for a number of years now to offer programs to girls primarily at DeZavala Elementary and Miller Middle and this request would sustain those groups, as a trusted resource forgirls.