YMCA of Middle TN

Outreach

Y-CAP
YMCA Community Action Program

Audio
Y-CAP Director Allison Gill was recently interviewed on Debbie Alan's On the Home Stretch internet radio station at the Maryland Farms YMCA.
Listen to the interview from Friday, June 6 at 10:40am.

Video
Williamson County Y-CAP: An Outreach Ministry of the Maryland Farms, Brentwood Family & Franklin Family YMCAs

Our Purpose
Y-Cap is an outreach program designed to help turn tragedies into triumphs in Williamson County. Through one-on-one mentoring, team-building activities, family services, after-school and summer programming, and a strong partnership with Williamson County Juvenile Services and the Alternative Learning Center, Y-CAP transforms the lives of hundreds of youth every year who are stuck in a cycle of negative choices.

The Need

• Over 3,500 juvenile cases have been heard this year
• Close to 300 of these cases were school related
• Offenses included drugs, alcohol, assaults, shoplifting and runaways, as well as disorderly conduct, unruly behavior, and truancy
• Over 9% of 13-14 year olds, 36% of 15-16 year olds, and 38% of 17-18 year olds were involved in these cases
• Often these offenses point to other problems such as family dysfunction, abuse, mental disorders and substance addictions of other family members

Our Solution
Y-CAP complements the work of the Juvenile Courts System and the Alternative Learning Center (ALC) by challenging the behavior of students AND challenging them to move from making poor choices to becoming positive role models in the community. The staff includes two full-time and several part-time highly qualified individuals who focus on building the YMCA values into the youth by developing a relationship with them. These relationships are cultivated through a year-round program based out of the ALC during the school day, four days per week after school, and four full days per week for the months of June and July in the summer. Involvement in theY-CAP program takes the students out in the community and even the country, involving:

One-on-one mentoring/counseling
Character and team-building
Tutoring
Service Learning
Cultural Arts/Education
Leadership-building
Family Case Management
School Support
After-care follow-up

The Results
The teens who participated in the Y-CAP program responded to a YMCA teen survey on asset building:

• 100% reported that the program has helped them to learn more about themselves and their strengths.

• 88% reported that this program has helped them to make better decisions concerning the use of drugs, interaction with their peers and behavior in school.

• 75% reported that this program has helped them to do what is right even when others want to do something else.

• 88% reported that this program has helped them to realize they can do things they didn't think they could do before (finish high school, earn their GED, attend college).

• 100% reported that the program has helped them learn how to be a leader by assisting them in being a positive role model. Making positive choices in light of peer pressure, and delegating responsibility.

They also reported that being in the Y-CAP programs has:

• Caused them to want to learn more about new things through cultural education (100%)
• Taught them the importance of helping others through service learning (100%)
• Caused them to want to try harder in school (88%)

And these things have become more important to them:

• Thinking everyone has something to contribute (88%)
• Being responsible for what they do (100%)
• Telling the truth, even when it's not easy (100%)

Your Help/Volunteering
Many individuals want to know how they can support the youth of their county through the Y-CAP Program. The two main ways you can be involved is by giving of your time and financial resources.

If you are interested in serving in one of these ways, please contact Allyson Gill, Y-CAP Director at 615-372-4090, Ashley Harold, Maryland Farms Volunteer Director at 615-373-2900 x126, or RachelBedenbaugh, Regional Development Director at 615-661-4200, x21.

Any gift to the We Build People (WBP) Campaign specified to the Y-CAP Program and submitted to the Franklin, Brentwood or Maryland Farms YMCAs will go directly to fund Y-CAP. Y-CAP is fully funded by donated moneys through WBP of these YMCAs.

Select Different Center: Other centersAssociation OfficeBellevue Family YMCABrentwood Family YMCAClarksville Family YMCACool Springs YMCADonelson-Hermitage YMCADowntown YMCAFranklin Family YMCAGreen Hills Family YMCAHarding Place YMCAJoe C. Davis YMCA (Camp)Margaret Maddox YMCAMaryland Farms YMCAMaury County/Spring HillMt. Juliet YMCANorth Rutherford YMCANorthwest Family YMCAOakwood YMCAPutnam County YMCARobertson County YMCARutherford County YMCAScottsville & Allen CountySumner County YMCAUptown YMCAY-CAP