MYDC

The Misunderstood Youth Development Center, Corporation (MYDC) is a Youth Prevention and Intervention – 501c3 non-profit organization founded in 2005 by Terryl Ebony De Mendonca.

They say it takes a village to raise a child.  The Misunderstood Youth Development Center strives to be the village that our community so desperately seeks.

MYDC’s mission is to create various individual, peer and family oriented programs that will allow self-expression while Helping to Understand, Develop and Stimulate the Minds of our Youth.

MYDC organizationally has two (2) divisions, Empowering Youth Program (EYP) and Fresh Start.

MYDC’S EMPOWERING YOUTH PROGRAM

EYP serves youths ages 5-18 years old.

EYP provides an outlet for personal and social development as a prevention mechanism to deter unproductive decision making processes, unlawful acts and increased incarceration among many others.  MYDC’s purpose is to increase self awareness/self-esteem, high school graduation rates, leadership qualities, community involvement, etc.  Our purpose is achieved through four components of mentorship, community outreach, social development and life skills where we address issues such as: parent-child conflict, peer pressure, self-esteem, depression, anger management, alcohol & substance abuse, domestic violence, teen pregnancy, sex and sex abuse, community involvement, education, independence and leadership.

• MENTORSHIP – every participant will be paired with a mentor that will empower them personally, academically, emotionally and spiritually on a regular basis.  All mentees and mentors will come together on a monthly basis for leadership and personal enhancement workshops.

• COMMUNITY OUTREACH – members will create a council that seeks to increase awareness of their concerns and suggest possible solutions.  The youth council will organize and coordinate monthly public meetings where youth, parents, businesses, community, educational and political leaders will be encouraged to attend to engage in open dialogue on matters of concern to our youth in their community – heavy community and parental involvement will result.

• SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT - members will engage in peer discussions about every day trials and tribulations such as: parent-child conflict, peer pressure, self-esteem, depression, anger management, alcohol & substance abuse, domestic violence, teen pregnancy, sex and sex abuse, community involvement, education, independence, leadership and many more. They will be allowed to express themselves freely, however respectfully without judgment from others.  Members will be exposed to various role play workshops and team activities allowing them to “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes” – increasing their awareness in what their peers are going through and learn how to handle various social challenges in positive and productive ways.

Based on the outcome of these programs, the need for individual or family counseling surface and those needs will be addressed accordingly based on the individual participant.

MYDC’S FRESH START PROGRAM

The Misunderstood Youth Development Center has teamed up with Community Partnership Referrals & Resources (CPRR) to put forth its “Fresh Start Program”, an alternative to incarceration (ATI) and a new beginnings intervention/prevention program designed to provide increased self-awareness, accountability, leadership and community involvement – individually and in a team setting. Fresh Start provides an outlet for personal and social development through four core components of Social Development, Life Skills, Assessments/Individual Counseling, and Community Service as they transition back into mainstream society.

Fresh Start allows its participants to engage in peer discussions about every day trials and tribulations such as: parent-child conflict, peer pressure, self-esteem, depression, anger management, alcohol & substance abuse, domestic violence, gangs and gang violence, teen pregnancy, sex and sex abuse, community involvement, education, independence, leadership and much more.  They express themselves freely, however respectfully without judgment from others.  Members will be exposed to various role play workshops and team activities allowing them to “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes”.   This increases their awareness in what their peers are going through and learn how to handle various social challenges in positive and productive ways.

• LIFE SKILLS: We currently have (2) life skill coaches, both of which have college degrees and are actually reformed gang members.  We felt we needed to choose life skill coaches that these gang youth offenders could not only relate to but also look up to.  At the inception of the program, we felt these reformed gang members could reach these youth like no one else could.  We were right!

So far, we have been successful despite our limited resources given our “Life Skills” model.  In a classroom setting, the participants engage in open discussion based on the participants challenges and concerns on a day to day basis.  The life skills coach creates an environment where the participants are encouraged to critically think about solutions to these day to day challenges.  We take the approach that no answer is incorrect, but rather a source for further discussion.

• ASSESSMENTS: MYDC provides assessments to some students that require further assistance.  Unfortunately, not all of these youth offenders stay on a straight path.  These are still troubled youth and they may get re-arrested, miss their curfew or fail to comply with other aspects of their sentence and/or the rules of Project Redirect, resulting in the need for further evaluation.  Therefore a comprehensive questionnaire is administered by a MYDC general evaluator.  In order to administer the questionnaire the general evaluator must also travel to the aforementioned locations.

These questionnaires are essential in helping to reform these youth because depending on what they reveal to us determines if they need additional assistance that MYDC cannot provide.  In that case, with the assistance of CPRR, we are able to refer them to outside vendors such as: Samaritan Village, Faith Missions, or Daytop, etc.

The fact that MYDC refers some of these youth to outside vendors does not mean that we cease contact with the participant.  We request and receive progress reports from the various institutions.

• INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING: After an assessment is completed, it may also be determined that the participant is in need of one on one counseling sessions.  These are hourly one on one sessions where the youth is able to express himself and discuss issues in a more intimate and  confidential setting.  We have found some participants open up to additional issues in a more private setting opposed to the peer group environment of the life skills sessions.  Incorporating the one on one with life skills sessions allows the participants to open up more freely getting to the route of many of their issues.

MYDC places emphasis on programming that is geared to individual, group and family interaction. MYDC is not just an after school program where students come for homework assistance.  It’s programs are much more personal.  MYDC gets involved and become apart of the lives of our youth.  The program is a commitment from MYDC – to the children – and their parents.  Everyone gets Involved!   Every program we implement allows us to get to know each child as they become leaders in junior high, high school, college, the work world and start to develop their own family/social life.

We expect high standards from our participants and ask that they strive for a minimum average at the B or 3 level, maintain behavioral standards that are conducive to leadership and positive outcomes at home, school, and throughout the community.  Students are routinely evaluated and given feedback for their participation.

Based on the outcome of these programs, the need for individual or family counseling may surface and those needs will be addressed accordingly based on the individual participant.

They say it takes a village to raise a child. The Misunderstood Youth Development Center strives to be the village that our community so desperately seeks.