Wyman Teen Leadership Program
Our Teen
Leadership Program engages teens from economically
disadvantaged circumstances year-round for five years
beginning in eighth grade. The program is guided by a
progressive leadership theme, and teens gain the
experiences, skills and values needed to prepare to act as
contributing students, family members, employees and
citizens.
Program
Goals
The goals of the Teen Leadership Program are to help youth
be productive in school and work; to connect to community
and family; and to be able to navigate successfully in
diverse environments. Specific program objectives include:
(1) Form and maintain positive relationships with other
youth and adults; (2) Make a positive contribution to
community; (3) Respect human diversity and be capable of
working and living in a diverse community; (4) Graduate from
high school and pursue higher education or employment; (5)
Develop leadership skills in the areas of self-awareness,
community, group effectiveness, organization,
decision-making, and problem-solving.
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Real Teens |
Eligible youth express interest in the program;
maintain grade-level school performance; have a
record of positive behavior; have reliable adult
support; are able to fully participate in an active,
outdoor program; reside in the St. Louis metro area;
and have an annual household income of no more than
$10,000 per member. |
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Real Life |
Wyman
inspires and enables teens to develop the confidence
and skills they need to achieve a lifetime of
success. Our program is:
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Long-term:
Engages youth for five years – from eighth grade
through high school
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Comprehensive:
Attends to youth’s cognitive, emotional, moral,
physical, and social development
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Future-focused:
Helps youth develop the positive skills, values and
knowledge they’ll need to create and lead us toward
a vision for our community in the future
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Engaging:
Draws together many influences on a young person’s
life and involves them in their development,
including their family, school, corporate and
individual supporters, legislators and other
community-based organizations
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Successful:
Achieves results by putting into practice the
leading national research and best-practice
standards for preparing young people today for
success
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Real Results |
The
outcomes achieved by teens participating in the
Wyman Teen Leadership Program show outstanding
results. Among teens graduating from our leadership
program in June 2006:
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100%
graduated from high school. In comparison, a study
conducted by the Center for Law and Public Policy in
2005 showed that youth living in low-income cities
across the country have an average high school
graduation rate of 47%.
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73%
were accepted to their college of choice.
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Teens
maintained an average 3.18 GPA.
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100%
completed at least 120 hours of community service
over the five years.
Also, 88% of Teen Leadership Program teens report
receiving “optimal” levels of guidance from adults
in those programs. The Wyman Teen Leadership Program
is maintaining a 50% retention rate over the five
years of the program. |
Current
Participant Statistics
Number of teens served in 2006: 279
Number of teens anticipated for 2007: 300
Youth involved in the Wyman Teen Leadership Program
demonstrate positive school performance. Out of 227 grade
reports collected:
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211
met or exceeded minimum GPA
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97
(43%) have a GPA of 3.5 or above
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69
(30%) have a GPA between 3.0 to 3.4
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45
(20%) have a GPA between 2.5 and 2.94
Youth
experience a sense of belonging and connection with the
community.
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122
campers are reporting community service hours, for a total
of 4,847 hours logged in 2006, averaging 40 hours per camper
per year.
Community
Partners
The
Wyman Teen Leadership Program invites specific school
districts and agencies with which we have established a
partnership to nominate high-performing, high-potential 7th
graders. Partners are invited to nominate a total of about
275 youth in the metropolitan area each year. See a listing
of our current
partners.
Program Progression
Each year of the Teen Leadership Program builds upon the
last as it helps teens develop the skills they need to
become a leader and succeed in life. To learn more,
read a detailed description of the
program
progression.
Frequently Asked
Questions (coming soon)
Contact:
Joe Miller, 636-549-1233
joem@wymancenter.org.
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