Austin Voices For Education And Youth

TO IMPROVE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

YOUTH & PARENT LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS: YOUTH LEADERSHIP IS DONE THROUGH SEVERAL PROGRAMS INCLUDING THE AMBASSADORS PROGRAM AT EASTSIDE HS AND THE JUST KEEP LIVIN' AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM AT NORTHEAST AND AKINS. YOUTH LEADERS HAVE ENGAGED ON A VARIETY OF ISSUES IN PUBLIC MEETINGS AND HAVE HOSTED SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE FORUMS. AUSTIN VOICES ALSO SPONSORS YOUTH LEADERSHIP EVENTS, SUCH AS THE RECENT YOUTH EQUITY SUMMIT AT DOBIE MIDDLE SCHOOL. PARENT AND COMMUNITY LEADERS ARE ALSO TRAINED A COMMUNITY BLOCK LEADER AND PROMOTORA PROGRAM, WHICH OFFERS TIME EACH WEEK TO ENGAGE VIRTUALLY IN TRAINING AND NETWORKING SESSIONS. OVER 100 PARENTS TOOK PART IN THE CBL AND PROMOTORA PROGRAM IN 2021. IN 2021-2022, AUSTIN VOICES RECEIVED A $1 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT TO TRAIN COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS.

OTHER PROGRAMS INCLUDE: COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS, COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, AND SAVE TEXAS SCHOOLS.

VERTICAL TEAMS: AVEY HAS BEEN WORKING TO TRANSFORM SCHOOLS IN THE ST. JOHN AREA OF AUSTIN SINCE 2007, INCLUDING REAGAN (NOW NORTHEAST) EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL, WEBB MIDDLE SCHOOL, DOBIE MIDDLE SCHOOL, BARRINGTON, T. A. BROWN, HART AND PICKLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. THROUGH A GRANT WITH THE TEA IN 2018, AVEY ALSO BEGAN WORKIN WITH THE REMAINING NORTHEAST VERTICAL TEAM CAMPUSES (GRAHAM, WALNUT CREEK, WEBB PRIMARY AND WINN), FOCUSING ON EXPANDING FAMILY SUPPORTS AND BASIC NEEDS FOR FAMILIES. AVEY BELIEVES IN STRONG COMMUNITY-BASED SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT, NOT COOKIE-CUTTER REFORMS THAT ARE BROUGHT IN FROM THE OUTSIDE. IN SPRING OF 2011, AUSTIN VOICES BEGAN WORKING WITH EASTSIDE MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL TO FACILITATE COMMUNITY AND PARENT ENGAGEMENT, AS WELL AS STRATEGIC PLANNING. IN 2013, THAT WORK EXPANDED TO THE WHOLE VERTICAL TEAM OF SCHOOLS: EASTSIDE MEMORIAL HS, MARTIN MS, ALLISON ES, BROOKE ES, GOVALLE ES, METZ ES, ORTEGA ES, AND ZAVALA ES. IN THE WINTER OF 2013, AUSTIN VOICES FACILITATED THE COMMUNITY MEETINGS THAT LED TO THE SELECTION OF TALENT DEVELOPMENT SECONDARY/JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY TO WORK WITH EASTSIDE MEMORIAL AS AN ACADEMIC PARTNER OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS. WHILE AVEY IS NO LONGER FORMALLY FUNDED BY AISD TO SUPPORT THE EASTSIDE VERTICAL TEAM, WE STILL STAY INVOLVED THROUGH SUPPORTING EVENTS LIKE HARVEST FEST AND STEAM FEST, DIRECTING THE FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER AT MARTIN MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND ADVOCATING FOR INDIVIDUAL CAMPUSES AS OPPORTUNITIES ARISE.IN SUMMER 2015, AUSTIN VOICES WAS AWARDED ONE OF 11 FEDERAL FULL-SERVICE COMMUNITY SCHOOL 5-YEAR, $2.5 MILLION, GRANTS TO SUPPORT FOUR SCHOOLS IN THE LANIER HIGH SCHOOL FEEDER PATTERN: NAVARRO HIGH SCHOOL, BURTNET MIDDLE SCHOOL, COOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL , AND WOOLDRIGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. THE GOAL OF THE GRANT IS TO STRENGTHEN FAMILIES, INCREASE ACADEMIC SUCCESS FOR STUDENTS, AND BUILD COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FOR THE NAVARRO VERTICAL TEAM (NVT). BEGINNING IN 2016, AUSTIN VOICES ALSO BEGAN HOSTING STATEWIDE TRAINING CONFERENCES, CALLED COMMUNITY SCHOOL SUMMITS, WHICH HAVE DRAWN OVER 100 TRAINEES EACH SUMMER. IN SPRING, 2018, AVEY WROTE A TEA COMMINITY PARTNERSHIP GRANT FOR AISD TO SUPPORT THE NORTHEAST VERTICAL TEAM, AND SERVED AS CO-LEADER AND CONSULTANT ON THE GRANT.

FAMILY RESOURCE CENTERS: THE FIRST FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER WAS FOUNDED IN 2007 TO PROVIDE A SCHOOL-BASED CENTER TO OFFER PROFESSIONAL WRAPAROUND SERVICES TO FAMILIES IN CRISIS. CURRENTLY, AVEY HAS SIC FAMILY RESOURCE CENTERS (BURNET, DOBIE, MARTIN, MENDEZ AND WEB MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND NAVARRO HIGH SCHOOL) AND SUPPORTS TWO OTHERS (NORTHEAST AND LBJ HIGH SCHOOLS). THE FRCS ARE A "ONE-STOP SHOP" FOR FAMILIES FACING THE CHALLENGES OF POVERTY, OFFERING THE EMPLOYMENT, HOUSING, HEALTH, COUNSELING, AND BASIC NEEDS ASSISTANCE, WITH THE GOAL OF FAMILY STABILITY AND SUCCESS. EACH FRC HAS A LICENSED BILINGUAL SOCIAL WORKER, AND MOST OF THE FRC HAVE A FULL-TIME DIRECTOR. AVEY'S FRCS HAVE, OVER THE PAST FIFTEEN YEARS HELPED CAMPUSES IMPROVE ATTENDANCE AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE BY HELPING STUDENTS FOCUS ON NEEDS AT SCHOOL RATHER THAN AT HOME. AVEY ALSO OPERATES AN ADULT ACADEMY ACCROSS ITS COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, OFFERING BOTH IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL CLASSES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MORE THAN A DOZEN AGENCIES. PARENTS ARE ABLE TO TAKE CLASSES, BOTH DURING THE DAY AND IN THE EVENING, TO IMPROVE THEIR SKILLS FOR EMPLOYMENT AND PARENTING. "THE RIGHT QUESTION PROJECT" IS A SIGANTURE OF AVEY'S PARENT LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS THAT HELPS PARENTS SUPPORT, MONITOR, AND ADVOCATE FOR THEIR CHILD(REN) IN SCHOOL. DURING THE COVID-10 PANDEMIC, AUSTIN VOICES FRCS EXPANDED THEIR SERVICES TO INCLUDE DRIVE-THROUGH FOOD PANTRIES. OVER THE PAST YEAR, OVER 10,000 UNDUPLICATED FAMILIES HAVE RECEIVED FRC WRAPAROUND SERVICES, INCLUDING HOUSING, UTILITY ASSISTANCE, FOOD, HEALTHCARE ACCESS, EMPLOYMENT SERVICES AND MORE.