Home
About Us
Contact Us
How To Help
Events Page
Forum
Mission Statement
News
Other Charities
Success Stories
Victim Services
Youth Resources
Youth Services
Youth Programs

Youth Empowerment Center News

Leann Wuest (right), a freshman at Canyon Crest Academy, read to children as part of the Youth Reading Role Models program run by the Family Literacy Foundation.

SOLANA BEACH – November 26, 2004 - A program designed to enrich the lives of children has proved beneficial to the teens involved, as well.

Youth Reading Role Models is a program created by the Family Literacy Foundation to bring a positive adult presence to preschoolers.

In Solana Beach, teens involved with community service clubs from a variety of North County schools read aloud to children at St. Leo's Head Start. Upon completion of the program, the teens complete a survey and summary of the experience, and often say they gained a sense of accomplishment and increased self-confidence.

Ariana Ayazi, center director for St. Leo's Head Start, said 98 percent of the children there are Hispanic. The reading program helps them because they hear stories in English and it prepares them for kindergarten.

"It is through the reading interaction that they develop their language skills," she said.

What: Youth Reading Role Models training
Where: Solana Beach branch library
When: 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Jan 22
Who is eligible: Students in ninth grade or above who are members of Teen Korps, National Charity League or teacher-sponsored community service clubs, such as Key Club, Interact Club or Future Educators of America
Information: Monica Sayers, (858) 481-7323

Kids Korps, a community service club for youths, is one of the organizations providing volunteer readers to St. Leo's Head Start. Teen Korps is a branch of Kids Korps; it is open those age 12 and older.

Robin Chappelow is the regional program director for Kids Korps. She said reading to the preschoolers is one of the teens' favorite programs.

"The beauty of it is any teenager can take the time to read to a child," Chappelow said. "We're all about teaching kids to give back, and there's not a lot of money or material things needed to make this happen."

Teens complete an in-depth training session before they begin reading to the children. The training stresses punctuality and attendance.

"The little ones really look forward to the teens coming and are disappointed when they don't," said Monica Sayers, program manager of Family Literacy Foundation.

Training for the program takes place at Solana Beach branch library. Teens are given the option of choosing books from the library, and librarians, such as Judith Gregg, can assist. Gregg has shown teens how to use reference books that target specific age groups and how to select appropriate books. She also helps them choose from the library's large selection of picture books.

"They get energized by the kids and want to go that step further and look for just the right book," Gregg said.

Erica Buehler, a junior at Santa Fe Christian School, read to the children at St. Leo's Head Start every Friday after school during her sophomore year.

"The kids were always so excited to see us," she said. "They loved holding your hands and being really affectionate."

Training stresses the importance of reading slowly to the children, many of whom are learning English as a second language and speak Spanish at home. The teens are taught to ask questions while reading, such as the color of the ball in the story, in order to capture the children's attention.

Erica said she sometimes used her Spanish-language skills to ask the youngsters the same question in Spanish.

After reading, Erica would let the children pick out a game or puzzle, and she would play with them.

"It was a great learning experience and a good way to start off the weekend," she said.

For more information on Youth Reading Role Models, call (858) 481-7323.

A Lifetime of Service and Achievement Duly Recognized

HISPANIC Magazine honors U.S. Army Colonel Norma P. Tovar; eight other notable Latinas

U.S. Army Colonel Norma P. Tovar.

New York, NY--(HISPANIC PR WIRE)--June 2, 2005--The 14th annual celebration of HISPANIC Magazine? Latina Excellence Awards will honor U.S. Army Colonel, Norma P. Tovar with its 2005 Leadership Prize, in recognition of outstanding accomplishments over a lifetime of service in our armed forces.

Created in 1991, the Latina Excellence Awards annually showcases Hispanic women whose achievements in the areas of business, youth, community service, communication, and leadership, among others, exemplify the best qualities and contributions Latina women have made to American culture and society.

A native of La Puente, CA, COL Tovar currently serves as Director of Training Operations Management Activity at the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command headquarters in Fort Monroe, Virginia, helping to oversee planning, scheduling and logistics for all Army personnel training programs. In all, the Army has developed over 1600 training courses that aid in the preparation and training of its forces. Last year, the Army filled over 450,000 places among its personnel for said purpose. Leading a staff of fifty, COL Tovar ensures that a timely and effective implementation of these programs takes place.

As a second generation Latina of Mexican descent, COL Tovar credits her parents with much of her success. ?rom an early age, my parents taught me key values like respect, integrity, teamwork and loyalty. I found in the Army an organization that echoed these values and this has helped me to advance my professional career and succeed in life,·she recently said.

COL Tovar earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara and then enlisted in the Army in 1981 under the College Option Program. She was commissioned through the Officer Candidate School in March of 1982. Under the auspices of the Army, COL Tovar has also earned a Master of Business Administration degree from George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

Her military career has included a variety of command and staff assignments, both in the Continental United States and overseas, to include: Commander, Company B (Fitness Training Unit), Fort Bliss, Texas; Chief, Mission and Market Analysis Branch, 1st Recruiting Brigade, Fort Meade, Maryland; Commander, 19th Adjutant General Company (Postal), Yongsan, Korea; Army Research Fellow, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California; Program Analyst, Office of the Chief of Staff of the Army, The Pentagon; Deputy Director for Legislative Affairs and Vice-Director, Programs and Resources Directorate, U.S. Southern Command, Miami, Florida; and Professor of Military Science, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California.

"I accept this award on behalf of all Hispanic women who wear the uniform and who embody, on a daily basis, the core values of the U.S. military. Hispanics have built a legacy of courage, patriotism and service in the U.S. Army,·COL Tovar said. ? am also grateful to HISPANIC magazine for recognizing the efforts and great sacrifice Hispanic women make in both serving our country and carrying out their responsibilities as wives, mothers or professionals,·she added.

Celebrating its 14th anniversary, the luncheon gala, to be held at the St. Regis Hotel from 11:30 AM to 2 PM on June 7th, is HISPANIC Magazine? way of recognizing the achievements of Hispanic women. Along with COL Tovar eight other notable Latinas will be recognized.

About HISPANIC Magazine

HISPANIC Magazine is the largest English-language, general-interest monthly in the United States, with a circulation of more than 290,000 copies. It is owned by Hispanic Publishing Associates, which also publishes HISPANIC Trends, a business magazine and HispanicOnline.com, a Latino web pioneer featuring updated news, information and entertainment for Hispanic Americans. Hispanic Publishing Associates is 100% Hispanic-owned.

NOTE TO EDITORS: A high-resolution image is available at: http://www.hispanicprwire.com/index_in.php

--30--

CONTACT:
For Hispanic Magazine, Inc
Aida Coro
305-871-6400, Ext. 564
or
For The U.S. Army
Gustavo A. Bujanda
210-892-0733

Return to News Menu

Youth Empowerment
Lorraine Bowman, President
4249 Manzanita Drive
San Diego, California 92105
info@empowering-youth.org