Positive Youth Development
Positive Youth Development
MISSION STATEMENT
Montgomery County is committed to creating a supportive, violence-free community for children, youth and families where
young people are valued, treated with dignity and given opportunities to realize their full potential. The County and its
partners are responding to the urgent need to reach out to support youth who are faced with challenges including gang
involvement, poverty, and pressure to engage in risky behaviors. The methods used to respond to these challenges include
positive youth development and gang intervention and suppression. Multiple agencies throughout the County are working
actively together to engage youth and families positively and to prevent and address youth violence and gang activity.
LINKAGE TO COUNTY RESULTS AREAS
Children Prepared to Live and Learn
Healthy and Sustainable Communities
Safe Streets and Secure Neighborhoods
PROGRAM CONTACTS
Contact Gabriel Albornoz of the Department of Recreation at 240.777.6800 or Joshua Watters of the Office of Management
and Budget at 240.777.2768 for more information regarding this initiative's operating budget.
SUSTAINABLE GOVERNMENT
In December 2006, County Executive Isiah Leggett articulated a new vision for focusing on the issues of gang activity and
youth violence based on the fact that gang crime and activity are more pronounced in specific locations in the County. This
new vision also called for new efforts to encompass a broader cross-discipline approach for positive youth development
rather than strictly gang prevention.
Major accomplishments of this Initiative include:
Excel Beyond the Bell (EBB): EBB was launched as a pilot program in FY12 to address gaps in high quality out-of-school
opportunities at the middle school level. The program is a collaborative effort created to inspire our youth to realize their full
potential by offering safe, quality, and accessible after-school programs that are designed to increase interest in exploration,
build positive relationships, increase school connectedness, and promote positive pro-social behaviors. The program now
operates in 8 middle schools in targeted communities and enrolls over 1,700 young people each year. Since its inception, this
program has served over 8,000 students.
TeenWorks: Launched in FY13 as the Summer Teen Employment Program (STEP), this initiative quickly evolved to one of
the County's premier year-round youth workforce development programs. TeenWorks is a job readiness and learn-to-work
program geared toward vulnerable youth who are not yet equipped to enter the workforce alone. It bridges critical out-of-
school time (OOST) opportunities with employment, preventing students from having to make the hard decision between
OOST programs that promote positive growth and development and working to alleviate financial stress and strain.
Participants leave TeenWorks with financial literacy and employability skills. Since its inception, it has employed almost
400 young people.
Food, Fun, and Fitness: This program, initiated in FY15, is a drop-in summer program for young people 18 and under that
combines access to nutrition with physical activity. It serves young people who would otherwise be home alone during
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summer months and serves as a critical safety net to address issues such as food insecurity, social isolation, and physical and
psychological well-being. The program helps to relieve financial stress and strain providing an immediate economic impact
for families. Families taking full advantage of meals served during summer months alone can expect an economic benefit of a
six-week summer program serving breakfast and lunch. Since its beginning, Food, Fun, and Fitness has served almost 1,500
young people and has served over 70,000 meals and snacks to vulnerable youth.
RecZone: Launched as "Sports Academy" in FY 2008, this program is specifically designed for high school adolescents
whose drive for independence and vulnerable self-concept make it essential to engage with them during critical after-school
hours (2pm-6pm). RecZone helps to bridge a connection between school and out-of-school supports, opportunities, and
services through a variety of structured and self-determined activities. Located in 5 high schools, RecZone averages over 130
students daily per site and has enrolled over 20,000 high school students since its inception.
Teen Writing Clubs: Since 2010, library branches throughout the County have offered ongoing writing clubs for teens aged
13 to 18. These young writers meet as a group and share their writing with one another to receive constructive feedback in a
supportive environment. These clubs are facilitated by members of the Maryland Writers' Association and the participants
get the opportunity to meet authors and other writers. In 2014, a member of the Marilyn J. Praisner Teen Writers' Club
published a novel, "Remember Me."
Police Cadet Program: In the Fall of 2016, the Montgomery County Police Department reinstituted the Police Cadet
Program. This program focuses on young, college-aged adults, who are considering a career in law enforcement and assists
those who might not have the financial means to pursue the requisite college course work by providing temporary, part-time
employment as participants work within the police department and gain firsthand knowledge of County law enforcement
functions. This has allowed the department to reach out to residents who might have been missed through conventional
recruiting methods like college fairs. There are currently eight slots for participants in the program, and the Department has
hired three of the cadets who are now attending the police academy.
Youth Opportunity Centers: Established in 2006 with the creation of the Crossroads Youth Opportunity Center in
Takoma Park, and expanded in 2008 with the creation of the UpCounty Youth Opportunity Center in Gaithersburg, Youth
Opportunity Centers provide culturally-based and evidence-informed trauma and healing services. Specific services provided
include, GED preparation, mental health counseling, and workforce readiness programming and referrals to WorkSource
Montgomery for youth at-risk of gang involvement or at-risk of dropping out of school. In FY16 these centers served 432
youth, and since the program began, approximately 3,500 youths have been served.
Street Outreach Network: The mission of the Street Outreach Network (SON) is to prevent, neutralize, and manage
hostile behavior in the highest-risk youth and communities through the development of positive relationships between
youth, community stakeholders, and outreach workers. SON engages with youth through development programs and leisure
time activities to redirect antisocial and aggressive behaviors. Since being established in 2007, this program has grown from 1
manager to a team of 11 full-time staff responding to the needs of youth Countywide through planned activities. On average,
80 percent of this program's clients are neither arrested nor suspended from school after participating. In FY16, SON served
approximately 600 youth, and has served over 4,000 since its inception.
High School Wellness Centers: Beginning in 2007 with the creation of the Northwood High School Wellness Center, this
program helps students reach their full potential by offering coordinated medical care, quality counseling, positive youth
development, and health education in a confidential and culturally-sensitive manner. In addition to the Northwood Center,
the County operates three additional High School Wellness Centers (Watkins Mill, Gaithersburg, and Wheaton). In FY16,
1,305 students were served at the wellness centers, and since 2008 over 7,300 students have been served.
Truancy Prevention Program: The County began funding the Truancy Prevention Program in the State's Attorney's Office
in FY13. It is an early intervention program that aims to improve attendance of middle school children in Montgomery
County Public Schools (MCPS) by discovering the root causes of truancy and assisting students and their families with
issues that impact attendance. It is a voluntary program designed to keep children in school and families out of court. This
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program is now in 20 schools and has served 787 students through FY16.
Safe Space Program: With almost $250,000 in funding allocated to this new program in FY18, the Safe Space Program fills
both a geographic need and a gap in services by offering highest-risk youth access to resources and services to prevent them
from engaging in violent or criminal behavior. In addition, this program will focus on improving community safety by
strengthening community leadership to address violence, helping to strengthen the sustainability of County gang prevention
efforts. This program will operate two centers in the County on Friday and Saturday evenings from 6pm to Midnight for at
least 50 youth. Services provided will include behavioral health services, grief counseling, job readiness training, and leisure
activities. Furthermore, key community stakeholders will be trained in culturally-based and evidence-informed practices to
provide them with the skill sets necessary to address violence in their neighborhoods.
FY18 RECOMMENDED ENHANCEMENTS
The FY18 Recommended Budget includes approximately $23.0 million in tax-supported resources identified for the Positive
Youth Development Initiative (PYDI). In addition, the recommended budget includes almost $300,000 in non-tax supported
resources for positive youth development.
Department of Health and Human Services
Add funds to support full-year service enhancements for youth at-risk of gang violence ($305,403).
Creation of the Safe Space Program within the Street Outreach Network at two locations in the County to provide
critical services to highest risk youth ($248,328).
Department of Police
Add five officers to the 6th District Police Station to focus on gang activity in the Montgomery Village area
($290,521).
Add two officers for the new Community Outreach Division ($229,253).
Department of Recreation
Annualize Excel Beyond the Bell at Francis Scott Key Middle School ($42,806).
Expand Food Fun and Fitness/TeenWorks summer program ($150,000).
Expand the Dream Academy (Child First) afterschool program to one more elementary school for six months and adds
an academic component. This program provides comprehensive enrichment programs, including family engagement
opportunities ($211,188).
Increase funding for Collaboration Council for EBB due to changing priorities of Governors Office for Children
($100,000).
Added contractor expense to develop East County sports league ($11,700).
WorkSource Montgomery
Add funds to support the Summer Youth STEM Career Exploration program, R.I.S.E. (Real Interesting Summer
Experience), to provide rising high school juniors and seniors with enriching summer career development experiences
($90,000).
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
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The Positive Youth Development Initiative is a comprehensive response to the problems of children and youth exposed to
trauma, gangs, and youth violence in the County, and reflects the commitment by the County to an approach that includes
prevention, intervention, and suppression components. The Initiative's priorities serve to enhance existing approaches and
services, and ensure the County's ability to respond to emerging trends and challenges utilizing culturally-competent and
evidence-based approaches.
The leadership of these efforts is provided by the Director of Health and Human Services, the Director of Recreation, the
Chief of Police, along with key members of the County Executive's staff, Public Libraries, Correction and Rehabilitation,
MCPS, the State's Attorney's Office, and community leaders. Work continues in the areas of suppression and enforcement,
outreach and education, violence prevention, and deterrence.
The Initiative also includes multiple efforts to strengthen out-of-school time programming throughout the County. The
Montgomery County Collaboration Council, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Recreation,
the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, Montgomery College, MCPS, and many other key partners are
working together to address quality, to assess needs, to unify funding approaches, and to develop shared program
approaches and outcomes. These efforts will result in the increase of programs and support for the youth of the County. In
addition, many of the Health and Human Services PYDI programs provide opportunities for children and youth to heal from
trauma and utilize trauma-informed, evidence-based curriculums accordingly.
Services benefiting County youth are incorporated in the general department program offerings as well as targeted services.
These projects respond to multiple critical needs facing the County at this time and the desired outcomes of addressing
trauma, reducing gang violence and crime, and promoting youth success and development. Below are some of the major
County Government programs currently supporting County youth:
Department of Health and Human Services
The Crossroads Youth Opportunity Center and the UpCounty Youth Opportunity Center provide a wide array of
culturally-based, trauma-informed intervention support services for high-risk youth, youth who seek to exit gang life,
youth engaged in juvenile delinquency and criminal activity, and violence prevention services.
The Identity After-School Program provides after school programming to serve at-risk Latino youth in middle and high
schools.
The Maryland Multicultural Youth Center provides case management, GED preparation, job readiness development,
and after school programs to high-risk youth.
High School Based Wellness Centers provide school-based, culturally-based, and trauma- and healing-informed
positive youth development services such as after school activities, job readiness, academic support, trauma-informed
mental health services, parent support groups, leadership development, truancy reduction, substance abuse
prevention, and other health related services. The High School Based Wellness Centers are located at Watkins Mill,
Northwood, Gaithersburg, and Wheaton High Schools.
The Street Outreach Network (SON) provides culturally-based, trauma- and healing-informed, evidence-based gang
and youth violence intervention services, conflict management services, and recreational and leisure activities. In
addition, the SON offers wellness and nutrition programs, after school services to elementary, middle, and high school
youth groups, job readiness and workforce referrals to WorkSource Montgomery, and community-based projects that
engage youth and young adults in life-affirming activities, the Safe Space Program, and support services to youth and
young adults returning to the community after incarceration or detention. The SON also provides transformational
healing for children and youth impacted by trauma and/or violence in collaboration with Adolescent Behavioral Health
Services, Kennedy and Watkins Mill Cluster Initiatives, and faith-based groups.
Asian American Leadership, Empowerment and Development for Youth and Family Program provides after school
enrichment programs and mentoring to students at four middle schools and two high schools.
The Street Outreach Network continues to focus its intervention services throughout the County especially targeting
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the Montgomery Village, Germantown, Damascus, Wheaton, Silver Spring, Gaithersburg, Rockville, Briggs Chaney,
and Long Branch communities.
Six Street Outreach Staff have been trained and certified in evidence- and culturally-based, trauma-informed
curriculums, and eight Street Outreach Staff have been trained and recertified as Professional Community Intervention
Specialists.
Conservation Corps provides job, education, and life skills training for out-of-school and unemployed County youth
ages 17 to 24.
Department of Recreation
RecZones provide direct leadership during the critical after-school hours for five high schools, including Einstein,
Kennedy, Montgomery Blair, Springbrook, and Watkins Mill, which serve students throughout the school year. The
program offers structured, semi-structured, and self-directed opportunities customized to meet the needs of students
entering middle adolescence, where voice, choice, and perceived freedom are critical to retention. Programming ranges
from sports, arts, job readiness and college exploration, and community services to leadership development.
Excel Beyond the Bell Program (EBB), a partnership among Recreation, the Montgomery County Collaboration
Council, and MCPS, is offered at eight locations four days a week from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. EBB offers a structure
designed to increase school engagement through concentrated and expanded programming which includes: Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), sports, a variety of dance and arts programs, Youth Advisory Council
(YAC), a hot dinner, and delayed after school transportation.
Rec Extra expands the capacity of extra-curricular and after school opportunities for middle school students. Programs
are customized to each school and operate from 3:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 13 middle schools. These programs offer
sports, STEM, yoga, hip-hop dance, art, certified babysitting training, cooking, and other activities.
Teen Events provides after-hour teen programming at several community recreation centers that are spread out among
five regions. The program partners with Identity and HHS Street Outreach Network to reach underserved and
disconnected youth. Events include: Teen Cafés, as well as special events such as Futsal tournaments, Spring Break
Basketball tournaments, Summer Basketball tournaments, leadership development through sports, Teen Talent Show,
college tours, and service learning opportunities.
Summer Teen Programs offer opportunities for young people during the summer and has partnered with Identity,
Linkages to Learning, Hispanic Business Foundation, KID Museum, MCPS and the Community Foundation, to
provide a wide variety of outreach and programming including teen summer programs and programming for
disconnected children and children in economically challenged communities.
TeenWorks is the Department's comprehensive youth workforce development initiative, which offers experiential
learning and job readiness training in financial literacy, job etiquette, teamwork, and communication leadership for
disadvantaged youth in school ages 15 to 19 years. Through work teams and apprenticeships, TeenWorks provides
young people with on-the-job training through a wide range of work experiences including parks & recreation,
conservation, environmental science, community non-profit work, and local government. Program partners include the
Maryland Department of Natural Resources, MCPS, Montgomery Parks, National Park Service, Health and Human
Services, KID Museum, and Hispanic Business Foundation.
Professional development and training initiatives for all our frontline workers and community partners that include:
Advancing Youth Development; Youth Program Quality Intervention; Developmental Assets; Youth Program Quality
Methods (series); Behavior Management; Youth Mental Health First Aid; Bullying Awareness and Prevention;
Professional Competencies of Youth Workers; and Person First/Disability Characteristics.
Mobile Recreation is a program designed to improve wellbeing and reduce barriers to health by targeting school
communities with high FARMS rates. The program combines structured physical activity and play with the Summer
Food Service Program, ensuring that any young person 18 and under has the opportunity to be active and has access
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to nutrition. Program partners include MCPS and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.
Department of Police
Responding and combating criminal gang activity in Montgomery County through the Centralized Gang Task Force,
which includes the gathering of intelligence, surveillance and investigations, street enforcement, and educating the
public and other governmental agencies on gang activity.
Provide one School Resource Officer (SRO) for each public high school to assist school staff in maintaining safety of
the schools and serving as a liaison between the Montgomery County Police Department and MCPS officials for
school and police related concerns and incidents. The SRO serves to deter and prevent acts of school violence and gang
activity while also fostering positive relationships between the County's youth and the police.
Provide one Community Services Officer for each of the six police districts to address long-term problem solving
issues, including Neighborhood Watch, Community Outreach, CRIMEREPORTS.com, day to day citizen questions,
station web sites, National Night Out events, community presentations, and neighborhood/homeowner association
meetings. These officers provide community outreach and community relations.
Department of Correction and Rehabilitation
Detention Services provides a General Educational Development (GED) and High School Diploma Program which
graduates participants with family attendance; manages the Gang Management Program which primarily involves
youthful offenders; offers the Model Learning Center Education Program for intensive Adult Basic Education, GED,
English as a Second Language, and Computer Skill Literacy; and provides a Dedicated Youthful Offender Housing Unit
focusing on life skills, positive youth development, and education.
Refer young Latino residents under the supervision of the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation to the Latin
American Youth Center for GED programming and other services.
Office of the State's Attorney
Prosecute gang-related crimes through five Assistant State's Attorneys. These attorneys work with one full-time and
two part-time investigators who screen all cases, maintain a database to track trends and conduct analyses of
gang-related cases. The Assistant State's Attorneys work closely with the Police Department and neighboring
jurisdictions to reduce gang-related activity.
Address the root causes of truancy through a collaborative effort with the State's Attorney's Office, MCPS, parents
and other partners called the Truancy Prevention Program. Through positive one-on-one interaction with students,
this 10-week early intervention program identifies why children are either not regularly attending school or are not
on-time for school. The program not only puts resources in place to support regular and timely attendance, but
successfully encourages students to enhance school performance. Truancy Prevention Program has expanded to 20
County middle schools.
Participate in the Kennedy and Watkins Mills Clusters in a multi-agency collaboration to improve school performance.
Department of Public Libraries
Provide 3D printing services at Silver Spring, Long Branch, Twinbrook, and Kensington Park branches, soon to be
expanding system-wide.
Offer spaces in many branches where teens can gather, collaborate, use computers, or enjoy library materials specially
selected for their interests.
Provide two digital media labs at Silver Spring and Long Branch with Teen Tech Time.
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Provide innovative programs for, with, and by teens, including writing clubs, computer coding, chess clubs, graphic
novel drawing, knitting and crocheting, and crafting.
KID Museum at Davis Library, a leveraged partnership which allows a growing non-profit learning organization to
refresh former training and book storage space at the Davis Library into a state-of-the-art Makerspace, that provides
dedicated maker programming for library customers.
Engage youth and leverage their talents, skills, and energies in several ways, including a collaboratively developed and
maintained teen Facebook page and an active Teen Advisory Group that provides feedback and advice on library
services to the Library Director, administrators, and staff.
Provide volunteer opportunities for youth who are completing school-required Student Service Learning (SSL) hours,
as well as job opportunities for teens as Library Pages.
Offer a library materials collection that supports school or home schooling needs, personal interests, career/college
preparation, and STEM resources.
Provide Ride On Youth Cruiser SmarTrip cards for the Department of Transportation, making acquisition of this free
transportation service much easier for County youth to obtain.
Offer a series of graphic design and digital media production classes for high school students with the Gandhi Brigade
Youth Media.
Partner with the NAACP Youth Council on providing community deposit collections in beauty salons and
barbershops.
Partner with Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School, Takoma Park to provide employment to a work study student.
Department of Technology Services (including Cable Communications Plan)
Training, equipment, facilities, support, and employment for youth to generate youth media content including: youth
events and public performances; video, audio, and written content for cable television and the Internet; facilitating
youth webpages and on line community space; and presentations on topics of current interest to youth.
The ultraMontgomery Youth Coding program, a multi-agency, multi-departmental initiative, provides training,
mentoring, and equipment support to create opportunities for young people in Montgomery County to learn
computer coding, game design, and similar Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) skills. Through these
opportunities, the County intends to encourage and support youth to explore STEM-related careers. Special emphasis
will be placed on providing outreach, recruitment, and education to attract disadvantaged youth, girls, and communities
under-represented in STEM careers.
Partner with EBB to increase youth STEM coding, game design, and opportunities.
Department of Housing and Community Affairs
Provide free car seats, clothing, baby furniture, and other supplies to low-income mothers of newborn babies.
Estimated to benefit 480 children/families.
Provide after school and summer STEM learning programs for K-5 low-income youth in Germantown. Estimated to
benefit 50 students.
Provide a STEM program with after school robotics training at two subsidized housing sites for low-income students.
Estimated to benefit 30 students.
Provide after school program for 120 low income K-5 students at Arcola Elementary and Pembridge/Amherst Square
Apartments.
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Provide 90 days of respite care for male youth while reunification efforts are pursued with parents, legal guardian,
kinship provider or sponsor. Estimated to benefit 20 youths.
Provide after school activities and summer camp for low-income youth. Estimated to benefit 100 youths.
Department of Environmental Protection - Solid Waste Services
Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Program pays for young offenders doing alternative community service to bulk
and mix good paint for donation to non-profits and harden unusable paint for disposal in the HHW area.
Board of Elections
Partner with MCPS to hold the Voter Registration Drive conducted each year. The activity encompasses Student
Leadership Week, and concludes on the Student Member of the Board of Education Election Day.
Future Vote increases current and future voter knowledge, and educates and strengthens ties related to civic
participation for Montgomery County's youth and families by actively providing an opportunity for civic duty,
community involvement, and emphasis on the importance of preserving participatory democracy.
WorkSource Montgomery
Continue the Montgomery Moving Forward Initiative, a partnership of County Government, MCPS, Montgomery
College, the non-profit community and the private sector, to assist unemployed and underemployed County residents
in gaining employment in the health and wellness industry.
Use $90,000 from the Pepco/Exelon merger fund to support the Summer Youth STEM Career Exploration program,
R.I.S.E. (Real Interesting Summer Experience), as part of the Positive Youth Development Initiative. The program will
leverage private sector funding as a pilot program. It will give rising high school juniors and seniors from MCPS three
weeks of internship opportunities to be exposed to career opportunities that can shape their future, especially in
STEM fields.
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