The Hopkinsville YMCA Outreach program is a collaborative effort to impact the lives of "at-risk" youth ages 6-17 years of age. Our partners include the Housing Authority of Hopkinsville, the Boy's and Girl's Club, Juvenile Justice Center, Martin Luther King Elementary and Means Avenue Baptist Church to name a few.
Outreach News
New Jobs for Life Class Starts August 17th!
"Jobs for Life" is a Free training and job support class that will help you get and keep a better job. Classes will be held at First United Methodist Church every Tuesday and Thursday from 5:00 - 7:00 pm.
Classes include: Career Objectives, Interviewing Skills, Building a Resume, Customer Satisfaction, Overcoming Fear, Vocational Plan, Conflict Resolution, Employer Expectations, Communication, Attitude, Integrity, and Understanding Value and Purpose.
If you are interested, contact Jobs For Life Director Chris Childers at the YMCA: 270-887-5382!
Orientation: August 17th at 5:00 pm at First United Methodist Church.
Girl Power is a teen mentoring program for girls ages 13-17. The YMCA collaborates with the Housing Authority of Hopkinsville and the Juvenile Justice Center. This ten week program addresses pertinent topics for our female teenage population. Our youth meet at the YMCA at a specified time. The group has 45 minutes of lecture and discussion and 30 to 45 minutes of supervised recreation and a snack. We use many community resource people to present the material to the youth, which is consistent with other Girl Power programs around the state. We introduce facilities such as the YMCA to our children and families as a refuge for constructive involvement. Through this partnership, we plan to make a vast improvement in the lives of our young girls while introducing them to resources that can make a positive impact in their lives.
Our motto for the Girl Power group is: "Learning to love yourself just the way you are, committing to change your life for the better and sharing the attitude of girl power with others!"
The Christian County Court Designated Workers' Office, the Housing Authority of Hopkinsville, and the YMCA are working as partners to enhance the lives of young men ages 13-17. Warrior Knights is a ten to twelve week program that addresses pertinent topics for our male teenage population. Our youth meet at the YMCA at a specified time. The group has 45 minutes of lecture and discussion and 30 to 45 minutes of supervised recreation and a snack. We use community resource people to present material to the youth, as well as the experiences of the group facilitator. Through this partnership, we plan to make a vast improvement in the lives of our young boys by introducing them to the resources that can make a positive influence on their lives.
Our motto for the Warrior Knights program is: "A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals." Larry Bird.
The YMCA has a long tradition of providing services to those who cannot afford them.In a partnership with the Hopkinsville Housing Authority, we provide year round opportunities for at-risk children. The Pryme Tyme after-school program provides tutoring, mentoring and homework assistance to all participants. Each child’s report card is graphed in an effort to pinpoint the areas that need improvement. The students are transported from Martin Luther King Elementary to the Boy’s and Girl’s Club to participate in the Power Hour (tutoring) and all club activities on Monday’s and Wednesday’s. The program is free to children in public housing and information can be attained at the Housing Authority of Hopkinsville at 270-887-4279.
The Outreach Summer Camp is a collaborative effort between the Housing Authority and the YMCA to reach "at-risk" youth ages 6-15 years old. Eighty participants are able to apply for the free summer camp through the YMCA Outreach Program and the Housing Authority of Hopkinsville. The YMCA works to preserve, promote, and improve the camp experience of both participants and camp counselors. We are committed to helping our campers by providing a safe, nurturing environment through:
Caring, competent adult role models
Healthy, developmentally appropriate experiences
Service to the community and the natural world
Opportunities for leadership and personal growth
Campers have been able to participate in projects of beautification that include gardening in Pennyrile Apartments, designing planters for the elderly in Hopkinsville, picking up trash in the Housing areas, and building bird houses. The Outreach Camp has been privileged to utilize the facilities at the YMCA including the Aquatic Center, basketball courts, tennis courts, and baseball and soccer fields.
Many years ago Jane Addams moved into Hull-House, located in a poor immigrant neighborhood of Chicago. In today's times, nationwide Christian Community Development Association, and other Associations and leaders, are pushing a concept called "relocation". Its premise is that the best way to attack inner-city problems in at-risk neighborhoods is to get more people of faith, hope, and courage to move to live among the poor.
The Challenge House brings this concept to Hopkinsville. The first Challenge House is located on Central Avenue across from the Boys and Girls Club. The second Challenge House is located on Bryan Street.
National Statistics on Poverty state that:
1 out of 8 Americans live in poverty, a total of 37 million
1 out of 6 children live in poverty
Local Statistics on Poverty state that:
Kentucky has a poverty rate of 15.6 percent
Christian County has a poverty rate of 14.2 percent
The Challenge House Mission: Connecting Challenge House community members to organizations and resources, and bridging the gap of economic disparities and cultural divides.
Objective: To determine the needs of the Challenge House community members and address those needs through programming, advocacy, and education.
Goal: To set up programming and events that will educate Challenge House community members and empower them to change their community.
Means Avenue S.A.Y. Yes Center is located at Means Avenue Baptist Church. Youth ages 6-17 that are enrolled in the YMCA Outreach program attend the center for tutoring, mentoring and special events. The center is a collaborative effort with the Hopkinsville Housing Authority and reaches youth in the Housing areas. All events and programs are free for participants.
The Saving America’s Youth (S.A.Y. Yes) curriculum is taught to all youth and includes educational, social and spiritual aspects on topics such as integrity, honesty, love, real leaders and community. The Outreach counselors are trained in the curriculum and help the participants learn biblical principles and how they can apply them to daily life.
If you wish to volunteer at the Center please contact Angelique Victor at (270) 887-5382
Every Christmas we participate in the Angel Tree program to provide children in our community with a better Christmas than they might otherwise have. We get the names and wishes of children in our outreach programs as well as other local programs.
Jobs For Life
“Jobs for Life” provides job training and support, enabling everyone to secure meaningful employment and experience new life in Christ.
The Hopkinsville YMCA has developed this program and we are looking for volunteers to take the classes. Mentors or group of mentors provide support for the student through the class and during employment. Once deemed job-ready, Jobs for Life students are referred to area businesses and then assisted in pursuing job openings that meet their interests and skill level.
"The best poverty program is a job, and the longest - term strategy is a movement towards an ownership society."
Robert Rector, Heritage Foundation
Training Topics Include:
- Understanding value and purpose
- Integrity
- Attitude
- Excellence
- Respect for authority
- Interviewing skills
- Career objective & vocational plan
- Conflict resolution
- Taking responsibility
- Building a resume
- Perseverance
- Employer Expectations
- Overcoming fear
- Customer satisfaction
- Communication
For more information, visit www.jobsforlife.com or call Chris Childers at (270) 887-5382.
To inspire and create opportunities for inner city youth and adults through education, mentoring and spiritual awareness.
Outreach Objective:
Touching the lives of inner city community members so that they become empowered and act as change agents to improve the quality of life for themselves and others. We are committed to promoting respect, diversity and life balance within these communities, acting as role models and advocates for the underprivileged.
Volunteers are needed for tutoring and mentoring programs. If you are interested in volunteering please contact Angelique Victorat 270-887-5382.
