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“Working Together
for a Better Community”
“Working Together for a
Better Community” SOL project is designed to enhance the capacity of
the Village of Lincoln Heights, a community of 4,805 residents of
African American heritage. The project is assisting communities in
sustaining their asset-based capacity through education, leadership, and
technology training opportunities.
Extension staff, volunteers, local government officials, social service
agencies, schools, and youth centered programs are collaborating to
promote educational programs in life skills development. Within the
Village of Lincoln Heights, community-based sites are located at the
Lincoln Heights Municipal Building, Smith Flowers Family Resource
Center/Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses, and Granny’s Love.
Program Outcomes:
- A six-week
computer training internship was designed for 16 youth, aged 12-18
years’ old participating in the
summer Job Training Partnership Act (JPTA). As a result, the SOL
project expanded the youth audience usage of the computer lab by
50%; 25% expressed an interest to further demonstrate skills
acquired to mentor elementary aged children.
- Forty-five
senior citizens participated in the “Senior-on-Line” weekly
computer training classes. Participants
learned how to create e-mail addresses, conduct web searches, and
connect with on-line services endemic to the matured population on
topics related to health, medical, nutrition, senior fraud,
entertainment, travel, and genealogy. As a result, 75% completed the
training and requested additional training in the near future.
- One hundred
seventy-three Lincoln Heights residents participated in an ongoing
24 week job preparedness training
program. As a result, 87% completed the program, 51% acquired
employment, and 36% maintained their jobs for ninety days or longer
after the training. A graduate of the program was hired in a
clerical position at the Village of Lincoln Heights Municipal
Building.
Future Directions:
- Expand collaborations
to include Lincoln Heights YMCA, Lincoln Heights Elementary and the
Princeton School District. Each partner will be committed to bring
valued experiences and resources to address critical neighborhood
issues.
- A train-the-trainer
initiative will be established with all consortiums to sustain
programming efforts.
- Seek funding for
future programs through grant writing, partnerships, and
collaborations.
For more information
contact: Deborah
Carney, Extension Agent, Hamilton County, 513-946-8994 or Tierney
Hamilton, Program Assistant, Hamilton County, 513-946-8985
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