AROUND THE CENTER
Update on Treu-Mart Youth Development Fellowship Program
The Treu-Mart Youth Development Fellowship Program, a professional development and support program geared toward youth professionals who work with youth during out-of-school-time, continued to grow as it entered its 3rd year. The Fellowship curriculum is based on resiliency and youth development theory, with a focus on applying research into practice in the community.
During the 2006-2007 academic year, an additional 29 youth professionals from across Cuyahoga County joined the Fellowship Program. This brings the total number of Treu-Mart Fellows to 72. The Fellows work with youth in a variety of capacities and are employed by 50 different agencies. Agencies new to the Fellowship during this year include Adoption Network Cleveland, Arrupe Neighborhood House, The Cleveland Botanical Gardens, Cleveland Public Library, Cleveland UMADAOP, Cuyahoga County Public Library, E-City, Fatima Family Center, The Free Clinic of Cleveland, Golden Ciphers, KidsHealth 2020 and Neighborhood Leadership Institute.
A proposal writing workshop was held on May 4th - the first alumni event for Fellows. The session was hosted by the Foundation Center and addressed how to write a proposal as well as prepare a budget. A follow-up session will be held in early summer when attendees will receive feedback on their draft proposals from people who are currently working in local foundations. Seventeen people attended the session, including Fellows and colleagues from their organizations.
Representative comments from the Fellows about the impact that the Fellowship has had on them and their work include:
- "I have grown personally and professionally as a result of being in the Fellowship Program... I am more able to deal with difficult situations."
- "It has had a major effect on the way I do things."
- "I have been in the education and youth serving arena for a number of years... I have to be honest in saying that the Fellowship has been the most meaningful experience I have ever had as a youth professional. We entered the Fellowship as colleagues but became a family."
