Youth Development

In 2007, ACF concluded one of its successful efforts in youth development—Project MARS, which stands for Motivating Achievement, Resiliency, and Success. Project MARS targeted children who were academically at risk in sixth grade and supported them in an after school and Saturday program during the seventh, eighth grades and ninth grades. The goals of Project MARS were as follows:

• Improve student educational achievement each consecutive year from seventh grade through ninth grade;
• Increase student participation in extra-curricular activities that promote cultural enrichment and education;
• Help students identify and develop long-term career goals;
• Support students in the development of meaningful relationships with adult mentors from their communities and/or professionals within their chosen career path.

Project MARS continued to support the program for ninth graders with environmental education, mentoring and enrichment activities. By the end of 2007, Project MARS published an urban centered curriculum guide offering teachers a standards-based educational resource that promotes understanding of environmental science and storm water and develops behaviors and social practices that promote conservation and urban sustainability. Other accomplishments were as follows:

• Recruited 114 students, 100% graduated from the eighth grade made the successful transition to the ninth grade and in, June 2007, were promoted
• Engaged former Project MARS students to participate in 2007 summer program as student interns educating their peers on storm water management and urban environmentalism;
• ACF offered the Project MARS curriculum to science teachers in the School District of Philadelphia in Fall 2007.

The American Cities Foundation (ACF) recently launched the Citywide Green-Collar Internship Program.  Fifty-five students were selected, after a rigorous interview process, as the inaugural class of this program. ACF partnered with the University of Pennsylvania to hold the student training sessions on the Ivy League campus.  The students were introduced to emerging careers within the green job sector. The program provided teenagers with leadership, job specific, and communication skills. The students also learned effective communication skills, conflict resolution, interview skills, and resume writing. The completion of the 2008-2009 internship program was celebrated in May 2009.