The skills center (TSC) is seeking to provide an array of proven sports-based youth development services for minority middle and high school girls ages 11-17 who reside or attend school in targeted…

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), through the Delinquency Prevention Program (CFDA 16.548), has awarded The Skills Center Inc. a $250,000 Project Grant to provide an array of sports-based youth development services for 50 minority middle and high school girls annually over a 3-year period. The program, titled "Tampa YES," will deliver trauma-informed, positive youth development programming that includes individual education plans, tutoring, mentoring, and recreational activities for girls residing in or attending school in targeted high-need zip codes in Tampa, Florida. The project aims to prevent and/or reduce youth violence and exposure to violence among the targeted population. Performance metrics will be tracked through The Skills Center's data platform to verify the program's success in promoting racial equity and removing barriers to participation for low-income, minority girls in the community.

The skills center (TSC) is seeking to provide an array of proven sports-based youth development services for minority middle and high school girls ages 11-17 who reside or attend school in targeted ZIP codes surrounding tscs new facility. These ZIP codes (33603, 33604, 33605, 33607, 33610, 33612, and 33619) include higher percentages of minorities, lower percentages of adults with a high school diploma or GED, and higher a percentages of individuals living below the federal poverty level than either tampa or hillsborough county. Families and girls in these communities lack gender-specific enrichment programs. Tscs approach builds strategies on the ojjdps priorities related to youth development activities that prevent and/or reduce youth violence and exposure to violence. Through tampa yes, TSC will provide services to 50 eligible girls each of the three funding years. Girls will be identified from the targeted ZIP codes by TSC staff and community. The youth will participate in trauma-informed, positive youth development programming that includes a individual education plan for each girl, tutoring, mentoring, recreational programming, and services from tscs three other minority-led collaborators. The girls progress will be tracked through tscs web-based data platform, scoreboard. These metrics along with those required for ojjdp performance management will verify tampa yes success in preventing youth violence among girls in tampas low-income minority communities. Tampa yes promotes racial equity and removes barriers to participation for low-income, minority girls in the targeted ZIP codes in tampa. The tampa yes program is enhanced by tscs identification as a culturally connected organization. Furthermore, the collaboration with three other black-led organizations strengthens the tampa yes service model and opportunity for success.