10 Things Every Young Man Should Know

10 Things Every Young Man Should Know

Do you know a young man who could benefit from learning beneficial skills to make him a more well-rounded individual?

If so, “10 Things Every Young Man Should Know” is the perfect program. This 12-week program for young men ages 14-18 is strategically designed teach them basic life skills as they transition from adolescence into adulthood.

The program will be held on consecutive Tuesdays from September 2, 2014 - November 18, 2014 at Oakcrest Community Center, from 6:30 pm-9 pm.

The cost is $50 for Residents and $60 for Non-Residents.

Topics in the 12-Week Session

9/2	Introductory Session
9/9	How To Maintain A Car
9/16	How To Prepare For The Workforce
9/23	How To Stay Healthy
9/30	How To Make A Difference
10/7	How To Maintain A Positive Identity
10/14	How To Have Healthy Relationships
10/21	How To Interact With Law Enforcement
10/28	How To Handle Finances
11/4	How To Cook A Meal
11/11	How To Be A Leader
11/18	Closing Session

*Attending all 12 sessions is not mandatory, but is strongly encouraged. Don't miss out on these educational and empowering sessions.

Participation Criteria

All participants must have a M-NCPPC Youth ID. Create your FREE Youth ID at any local M-NCPPC Community Center or online at the PG Parks site.

Register for this program with SMARTlink#: 1555217.
Registration begins Aug 11, 2014.

Read the attached commitment letter, then print it out, once you've successfully registered for the program.

Additional Information

Need more information or seeking financial assistance?

Please contact Natalie Smart at 301-446-3400, or Natalie.Smart@pgparks.com.

Keeping Teens Safe, while driving - In Reach Partners for Free Driver's Education

Motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death for US teens. In Reach would like to help change this statistic. We are excited to announce our new online free driver's education program for teens, and others, preparing to learn how to drive. Visit our dedicated site for access to Maryland permit practice tests and more information on the Maryland licensing process. 

Join In Reach in helping our teens and others prepare to take and pass their MD state written driving exam. We have partnered with driving-tests.org to bring residents in Maryland one site where they can practice and get answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.

DID YOU KNOW?
- There are 26.6 Million Teens in the US;
- Automobile accidents are the #1 cause of death for US teens;
- 95% of teens use the internet; 75% have broadband at home;
- 40% of all teens fail their permit exam on the first try; and,
- Lack of preparation and failure to study is the #1 reason cited for exam failure.

Maryland ranked seventh best in safer places for teens to drive according to a study by WalletHub. Let's do our best to stay in the Top 10 and move closer to the top spot by keeping our teens safe while driving especially during the summer months when they drive more and are supervised less.

Congratulations to our very own Sagen Kidane!

We are so very proud of our very own, Sagen Kidane, for being selected at the Prince George's County Public Schools' Scholar of the Week, March 10-14.

Sagen is an excellent student and amazing young lady. An active member of the Youth Ambassadors @ Parkdale High School since her sophomore year, she also was a participant in In Reach's Quantum Project during middle school. We are so excited for Sagen and look forward to supporting her through the next chapter of her life as her high school years soon come to a close and she prepares to head off to college in the fall.

Read the full PGCPS write-up.

A Day Off from School - The Perfect Time to Learn Something New!

@ Ski Liberty in Pennsylvania
 

We always encourage our students to try something new - they just may like it. Ten brave Youth Ambassadors did just that on their very first ski trip on their day off from school.They were awesome and here are the pictures to prove it!!!

Reflections of High School Youth Ambassador - The Fears & Excitement of Graduating High School

Finishing high school and getting ready for college is definitely one of the most exciting parts about the transition from teenager to adult, but it's also one of the most nerve-wracking. It's scary to think that all of those years of grade school will eventually trickle down into just a few moments of opening college application results and walking across a stage in a cap and gown.

There are various inevitable fears and excitements that come along with graduating high school. We students understand that once the school year ends, our lives will never be the same. Naturally, it may sometimes be hard for parents or mentors to understand what's going through our heads as we prepare to say goodbye to the comfort of high school. With this in mind, I conducted a survey amongst my peers, asking them what their fears and excitements about graduating high school and moving on to college are.

Although no two of my peers had the exact same response, our fears and excitements seem to generally be the same. As much as we are excited to experience new things – make new friends, visit new places, and be grown up and independent – we are also scared to leave the comfort and familiarity of home and the everyday rituals of attending high school. We are afraid that all of our hard work will not be enough to get us into our dream schools, or that we might not like it when we get there.

In about a year or so, I will be the first in my immediate family to attend college. At first, although I was thrilled to be on the path to achieving something that no one in my family has achieved before, I felt alone in the whole ordeal, and was intimidated by the high school to college transitional process that awaits me. Thankfully, the Youth Ambassadors Program, which understands this situation very well and is aware that there are many students out there who are in that same situation, has been here to provide me with the guidance that I need to walk down a path that is unfamiliar to both my family and me.

Through my experience as a Youth Ambassador, I have come to believe that some of the best ways to make the transition from high school to college less frightening and more exciting for students is for parents, teachers, counselors, and/or mentors to work together to offer advice to students about graduation and college. Hearing about the experiences of others can be comforting. Answer any questions that students may have, since learning about something and being more familiar with it can help make it seem less intimidating, and provide college tours for students to various campuses so they can decide what they like and don't like, thus preventing the fear of uncertainty. And, if you are a parent that has not attended college, remember that senioritis (the bug that causes high school seniors to lose interest in high school) will definitely be in the air and your son or daughter is counting on you to prevent them from giving up or losing sight of their goals.

All in all, it is important to remember that although it can be stressful, graduating high school is a very exciting journey, and a perfect memory-making time for both students and their loved ones.

 

Djellza Ramadani 

Reflections of a High School Youth Ambassador - Introductory Post

In Reach is so pleased to present the first of many posts capturing the thoughts of one of our most beloved students and summer intern, Djellza Ramadani (affectionately known as DJ), whom we have watched grow into a wonderful young lady since seventh grade. It is our hope that, if you work with students, you will continue to be inspired by her posts and, if you don't, that you will be encouraged to become a mentor, collaborate with a local program to participate as a speaker, for example, or make a financial contribution to one of the many committed community-based organizations like In Reach that work with students every day to prepare them for college, work and life. Enjoy!
~
Excited that it's almost over yet sad to see it ending. This is the emotional roller-coaster that many high school seniors will go through as their high school experience comes to an end. I am Djellza Ramadani: a proud Youth Ambassador and, you guessed it, a newly promoted senior in high school. I remember first claiming and rooting for my graduating class, "the class of 2014," back during my freshman year. At the time, my graduating year was no more than a number to me, and, like many of my classmates, I did not expect time to ever pass by as quickly as it has. Now, I realize that the year 2014 is right around the corner, and I've got to be ready for it.

Thankfully, my experience as a High School Youth Ambassador has provided me with a college-ready mindset. I can honestly say that I am emotionally prepared to conquer my final year of high school and also successfully plan out a path toward achieving a secondary education. To get the most out of my high school classes, as well as to challenge myself, I enrolled in the International Baccalaureate Program at my school (Parkdale High). The incredible abundance of assignments and pressure to excel in them encouraged me to make my schoolwork my ultimate priority, which is fortunate since colleges take academics into great consideration when admitting students. However, this was not enough for me; I wanted to do more and experience more. Although my commitment to my academics made it difficult for me to participate in many extra curricular activities, I knew that the Youth Ambassadors program would be worth it, since it would enable me to broaden my horizons, learn things I can not learn in my school textbooks, and ultimately become a more well-rounded person.

Participating in the Youth Ambassadors program also gave me a sense of self-satisfaction since, as a Youth Ambassador, I was given the opportunity to not only help others through community service, which was very important to me, but also to get to know myself better. I was able to realize where my strengths lie as well as develop new skills in areas that interest me. Because of everything that I have accomplished as a Youth Ambassador, I can confidently claim that I want to pursue a career in public relations/journalism in the future. I would like to be the voice of one of the non-profit organizations that I was introduced to in the program, such as UNICEF, for example. I realize that the future is truly in the hands of my peers and me, and we've got to make it as great as we can.

I know that I have a long way to go before I can have my dream career. However, I can now better understand the steps I have to take to get there. Coming to this understanding was a journey of its own, and my next journey will be taking my final steps as a high school student. It would be my pleasure to share this experience with you. The world around us continues to change, but one thing remains the same: everything must be done one step at a time.