The United Way of Monroe County, in partnership with Pocono Alliance and Community Partners of the Poconos, is looking for additional youth programs to be included in a new online resource. Programs can include after-school, weekend, and/or summer activities for young people ages 12 to 19. Providers have until July 1 to enter their data via the United Way’s Web site.
The Monroe County Youth Program Inventory Project kicked off last fall and has been collecting information since February. Data on approximately 30 local agencies/ organizations has been gathered to date. These programs cover areas such as sports, music, summer camp, leadership, the arts, mentoring, employment and church youth groups.
When the inventory is done, the resource will be available to the community as both a hard copy publication and through Pocono Alliance’s PoconoInfo Web site, www.poconoinfo.org. This database will be available by September.
The Monroe County Youth Program Inventory Project has been funded with a $12,278 Community Service Block Grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This grant covers expenses such as project coordination and administration and Web site fees. The initiative also has the backing and support of the Monroe County Commissioners.
“We want our community to be aware of existing opportunities for youth. We also want to learn what’s missing, so that we can incorporate additional programming as needed.” said Francesca Turturro, coordinator of Youth Projects/TeenWorks for United Way of Monroe County.
Seven students from Pocono Mountain East High School and Evergreen Community Charter School are involved in the project’s implementation. They are helping to research existing programs and contact youth program providers to enter their services online. United Way’s TeenWorks program is a sponsor of the joint initiative and is providing stipends for the students who are helping with the database. Participating students also have the chance to win prizes donated by local businesses. Call Turturro at (570) 629-5657 ext. 16 for more information and instructions on inputting the data.
