Running head: ORGANIZATIONAL THEORY OF ACTION
Theory of Action Profile
Nora Elbilawi
EDEP 821
Dr. Jeff Gorrell
spring 2010
Theory of Action
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Who it is serving
It is serving and enhancing the lives of New Jersy’s inner-city Camden youth. Hopeworks empowers this group of youth to identify and develop their “D.R.E.A.M.S. (Dynamic, Realizable Efforts to Attain and Maintain Success) and own their future”.
Hopeworks works with youth ages 14-23, both who are in school and those who are not. The organization’s programs are designed to fit the schedules and needs of these groups.
How they are implementing their goals
They are implementing their goals by expanding the learning opportunities available to this demographics of youth (especially African American and Hispanic disadvantaged youth) to create a better future for them.
The essence of this organization’s program is technology training, which they attain in a safe, respectful, and celebratory atmosphere. The organization have highly qualified trainers and instructors who train this youth in using very important and valuable computer applications needed nowadays in the job market; for example, website design, geographic information services (GIS), computer networking and repair, and video.
The motto of this computer training program is "Learning To Learn." In other words, this group learn through a “learn on your own” teaching pedagogy. The methods used in this program is based on interaction with the content material and Hopeworks curriculum. Youth learn to solve their own problems, using the resources that are available to them like trainers, curriculum, books and the Internet. This type of learning is contrary to what mot of this youth experience in their schooling.
Hopeworks seeks to break the model of feeding up the information. One of the essential goals of this organization is to create more independent generation that lead consequently to their confidence in their future knowing that “what they need to learn, they will be able to learn”.
What they are trying to accomplish
The organization is trying to implement strong programs in order to reduce the high school dropout rate for African-American and Hispanic youth in Camden, New Jersey. This group of youth lack an ambitious and positive overlook at their future; the organization wants to create hope for the future, increase skills and guiding tools towards a good-paying jobs, and provide business development and educational opportunities for Camden's young youth between the ages of 17 and 25 who have dropped out of school.
Programs
Day training. Training Programs are held in the morning hours through the afternoon. These programs include technology training as well as Literacy and Formation programs. The typical timeline is that after 3 months, a youth will have the skills to apply for a job either with the organization itself by training other youth groups or test at a level to enroll in entry level college courses.
Hope through school. This program is designed for in-school youth. Its goal is to keep youth in school by offering technology training and job opportunities, coupled with academic support for students who are in the eighth through twelfth grades. It is a six-week program; young youth from the area come to Hopeworks after-school for additional training and to work on client projects.
Curriculum.The curriculum include students learning basic computer skills and then move on to advanced HTML, PhotoShop and ImageReady, web site design, geographic information services (GIS), computer networking and repair, and video.
Digital Storytelling. Digital StoryTelling is a project-based learning program that integrates technology with language arts. These young youth work on creating a digital story short video, consisting of a series of still images and effects that are combined with a narrated soundtrack to tell a story. This project make learning more fun and meaningful especially for this demographic of students.
Literacy. The organization works to help youth increase their skills in literacy and math so that they can begin to take college level courses.
Formation. In here, staff seek first to listen and to know the stories of our youth and then to organize those stories into an individualized plan for success, a Personal Development Plan.
Summer programs. The Summer Geographic Information Systems (GIS) program is a great opportunity for this group of youth to be a part of an exciting team that works on creative projects for real clients during summer vacation.The projects include working on web sites, creating maps , and having fun.
Internships. Youth work approximately 20 hrs per week at the internship. At the same time, they are taking college classes and working and participating in Literacy and Formation at Hopeworks. Most internship last for 10 – 12 weeks and are paid positions.
Theory in Use
The pastoral teams of three Camden churches, two Lutheran and one Catholic, founded Hopeworks collaboratively. They initiated this organization due to the statistics of Camden city that had many disadvantaged youth; hence, they officially opened their doors to first trainees in March 2000. Before the organization was put into action, statistics regarding this population, showed that:
1. There are 8,000 young people who have dropped out of high school.
2. The high school dropout rate is close to 70% at the two public high schools.
3. 34% of the city's young people are unemployed.
4. Nearly 50% of the city's young people live in poverty.
Hopeworks develops the educational abilities of Camden’s youth, inspires them to look toward a better future regardless their disadvantages, and guides them through real life career experiences. The program’s theory of action and mission proved its well deserved success, to be more of a theory in use, when examining their impressive data that:
1. Nearly 1000 youth from the target population have enrolled into the program
2. Trainees have gone on to get jobs, attend college and earn GED's
3. Under the direction of the full-time web site project director, Hopewroks’ trainees have developed web sites for over 180 paying clients, mainly local, national and international small businesses and non-profit organizations.
4. Hopwworks’ GIS business has serviced over 60 clients, producing parcel maps, digitizing land use information and creating online mapping functionality using Google Maps.
5. The organization have developed lasting partnerships with six different organizations-a mix of governmental, commercial and faith-based organizations that helped accomplish Hopwworks’ mission.
Theory of action profile
Theory of action profile