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Southwest Key E-Newsletter: August/September 2009 |
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August-September 2009
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Southwest Key Wins Best of Austin 2009
Critic's Pick, Austin Chronicle’s Best of Austin 2009:
"Since building an $8 million community center in East Austin two years ago, the folks at Southwest Key have been awfully busy – teaching GED and computer skills courses, offering cultural arts programs, housing the Boys and Girls Club, and serving up tacos out of its on-site restaurant, Cafe del Sol, among other things. (And just last month, they were awarded a $2.1 million federal grant, with which they'll be expanding the center – and the services offered there – even further.) But they haven't been too busy, luckily, to kick things up a notch this summer with their East Austin Summer Speaker Series, which handed the mic to such community leaders as PODER's Susana Almanza and former Mayor Gus Garcia. They discussed gentrification, education, the history of area activism, and other topics near and dear to Austin's fastest growing and historically most underserved segment of the city – issues that are by no means new, but by no means going away, either. We applaud their efforts to keep that conversation going within the community while also addressing some of the everyday, nuts-and-bolts issues that ultimately affect all of us."
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Fore the Kids Golf Classic Sponsor & Player Spots Still Available
Austin-area golfers will be out in full swing at Grey Rock Golf Club on October 19 for Southwest Key's annual Fore the Kids Golf Classic. Event begins with a shot gun start at 1:30pm, fabulous goodie bags, gourmet barbeque dinner, cocktails and a spectacular live auction at 6:00 pm. READ MORE....
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Academy Welcomes Inaugural Class of Six Graders
By Laura West
Southwest Key’s East Austin College Prep Academy welcomed our inaugural class of 91 sixth graders on August 24, 2009. These East Austin residents, 43 young women and 48 young men, are the first to enroll in the new tuition-free academy, which uses an innovative curriculum based on the highly successful YES College Prep model in Houston, ranked #52 among the top 100 schools in America.
The first month of school has been a smooth transition for the students who came from 26 different schools in Travis County. What’s been going on so far? Everyone seems to be of the same opinion that the first month of school was great! Principal Nellie Cantu is just glowing with pride about the fantastic start the students have gotten off to, “The students are amazing, bright kids and so eager to learn.” Also highly commended are the teachers who have been arriving at 7:15 and leaving at 4:45 then remaining on call for parents and students until 9:00 pm.
After asking one student what fun things happened this past first week his first reply was, “I made friends!” He also said that they already started dancing, that he got to choose music for them to dance to next time, and that he’s excited about his new Tech class. Walking down the clean halls, one can hear the classes going on inside the rooms with only the occasional student out and about, stopping at the water fountain, making her way back to class, offering a passing smile. But when it’s time to go home… there’s a sudden rush! Nearly 90 students are gone in a matter of minutes.
Mrs. Rachel “Pentagon,” as her students call her, began her math class by asking the students to talk about their dream future, dream job, dream car, dream college, and dream house, and then complete a collage. In collaborating with the Tech teacher, she was able to have the students research the cost of each, including job salaries.
The ninety-one sixth-graders are getting prepared for a rigorous high school curriculum, graduation, and success in college and career. They are being offered solid foundations in math and science as well as programs for the visual and performing arts. The students will participate in field lessons, traveling to significant places around Austin to gain rich experiences of careers, local culture, history, and colleges and universities. Service projects will also be required, offering the students the ability to connect with their community, and numerous options for extracurricular activities are available for the students on the last hour of the day, four days a week.
We are proud of our inaugural class and invite you to get involved as a volunteer, mentor, or supporter by contacting us at
512.287.5000.
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HBO Documentary Captures Children's Journey to the US
As the United States continues to build a wall between itself and Mexico, Which Way Home shows the personal side of immigration through the eyes of children who face harrowing dangers with enormous courage and resourcefulness as they endeavor to make it to the United States. The documentary, which premiered on August 24, 2009 on HBO, gives viewers a very clear picture of the children Southwest Key serves every day.
“For years our staff have been hearing the children’s stories about riding atop trains and walking through the desert for months to get to this country. This is the first time they’ve actually been able to put a picture to their stories," says Alexia Rodriguez, Chief Program Officer overseeing all shelter services. "It was so powerful. By the end of the film, everyone was in tears.”
The film follows several unaccompanied child migrants as they journey through Mexico en route to the U.S. on a freight train they call “The Beast”. Director Rebecca Cammisa (Sister Helen) tracks the stories of children like Olga and Freddy, nine-year old Hondurans who are desperately trying to reach their families in Minnesota, and Jose, a ten-year-old El Salvadoran who has been abandoned by smugglers and ends up alone in a Mexican detention center, and focuses on Kevin, a canny, streetwise 14-year-old Honduran, whose mother hopes that he will reach New York City and send money back to his family. These are stories of hope and courage, disappointment and sorrow. They are the ones you never hear about – the invisible ones.
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Southwest Key Receives National Juvenile Justice Award from Casey Foundation
The “Gloria J. Jenkins Award for Outstanding Contributions to Juvenile Detention Reform by a Community Organization” was presented to Southwest Key Programs on August 7, 2009. Southwest Key’s CEO Dr. Juan Sanchez was present to accept the award at the Foundation’s Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) National Inter-site Conference in Washington, DC before an audience of 450 juvenile probation chiefs, judges, advocates, and funders from around the country.
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Dr. Sanchez Keynotes Council on Accreditation Conference in New York City Southwest Key CEO Dr. Juan Sanchez was honored to provide the closing keynote address at the prestigious Council on Accreditation (COA) National Conference held August 9 – 11, 2009 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. Dr. Sanchez gave moving account of his journey from one of the poorest barrios in South Texas to founding the 4th largest Hispanic nonprofit in the country. He shared Southwest Key’s experience with the national accreditation process and shed light on the challenges others can expect as they move through the rigorous operational and programmatic standards of COA.
Founded in 1977, COA is an independent, nonprofit international accreditor of the full array of social and behavioral healthcare services for children, youth, adults, seniors and families. Southwest Key is one of only 3 nonprofits in Austin to be nationally accredited with COA.
The conference brought together almost 500 individuals representing private, public, accredited, in-process and prospective organizations in the US and abroad. It provided a forum for the exchange of ideas regarding best practices and an opportunity for to connect with colleagues.
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Social Enterprise Complex Awarded $2.1 Million from EDA
The Economic Development Administration has awarded Southwest Key $2.1 million for the construction of a Social Enterprise Complex on its campus in East Austin. This workforce facility, which will be built to national "green” standards, will be first of its kind in the country when construction is completed at its East Austin Headquarters in 2011.
“Southwest Key’s Social Enterprise Initiative puts people to work in jobs created right here in East Austin operated by our nonprofit,” says Dr. Juan Sanchez, Southwest Key’s Founder and CEO.
These social enterprises are mission-driven organizations which aim to accomplish targets that are social and environmental as well as financial--a triple bottom line. The facility will provide one central East Austin location in which people are employed by Southwest Key’s portfolio of social enterprises while obtaining comprehensive workforce and job retention services.
“The Obama Administration is committed to creating jobs, encouraging innovation and improving our nation’s economic competitiveness,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said. “This grant will help workers obtain the critical skills they need to move into higher-skilled, higher-wage jobs.”
Southwest Key will seek LEED certification for both the new addition, as well as the 2-year-old East Austin Community Center and headquarters building. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is a certification program of the independent U.S. Green Building Council.
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Shelter Program Staff Recognized for Youth Service at Annual Leadership Retreat Sixty program leaders flew from Southwest Key's immigrant youth shelters to San Diego in August to participate in an annual planning retreat. The highlight of the event was the awards dinner, where employees were honored for the characteristics that differentiated them among their peers.
2009 Award Winners:
Entertainer of the Year: Mr. Ernie Tapia, for designing the most creative extracurricular activities for clients
Academic Achievement Award: Mr. Ismael Avilez & Ms. Daniella Rios, for initiating a strong collaboration with local school districts (Plus their combined soccer team won the district championship this year!)
Smooth Operator Award: Ms. Maria Rios, for leading the most seamless program start-up in agency history
Wonder Woman Award: Ms. Estella Sanchez, for overseeing the most drastically improved program
Cultural Competency Award: Mr. Seby Sebastian, for delivering effective, culturally competent services to a mixed population of Chinese, Latino, and Indian youth
Spirit Award: Ms. Adriana Saenz & Ms. Isabel Rodriguez, for exemplifying the Southwest Key spirit of teamwork by sending staff to pitch in at other programs across the country during special projects and emergencies
Employee Enrichment Award: Mr. Geraldo Rivera, for providing outstanding opportunities to enrich program staff such as the Annual Youth Care Worker Conference
Teamwork Award: Ms. Elvira Mata, for being part of the team that rehabilitated the program reputation with the funding source by providing outstanding services
Knight in Shining Armor Award: Mr. Hector Zuniga, for leading the team that revamped and greatly improved services at La Esperanza Home for Boys
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New Diversion Program Opens in Buffalo
By Erika Gonzalez
On September 1, 2009, Southwest Key’s Family Keys PINS Diversion Program opened its doors to the Buffalo, New York community. Family Keys provides services to families who have filed PINS (Persons In Need of Supervision) petitions. The program currently has 38 cases and has the capability to serve up to 100 youth and families. An open house is scheduled for October 20, 2009, where the public is invited to tour the facility and learn more about all three of Southwest Key’s youth and family justice programs in Buffalo.
The goal of the program is to decrease the number of youth placed in out-of-home care through the enhancement of communication and by building relationships between youth and families. This goal will be accomplished by providing families with intensive, short-term crisis intervention services and linkages to services. Services will also be provided to youth and families involved with family court as a result of a Runaway Emergency PINS petition. Contacts occur at home, in the neighborhood, at school, work, or in the Southwest Key office. Staff assess the current situation, as well as the needs and strengths of all members of the household to determine an appropriate intervention plan that provides on-going support to the young person and their family.
Among the many services provided are Youth and Family Support Teams, Care Coordination, Crisis and Safety Planning, as well as Discharge and Transitional Planning. Immediate response, 24-hour/365 days-per-year availability, and services delivered based upon the family’s need and availability are the hallmarks of this program. This family-centered and strengths-based approach to service delivery will encourage and promote family self-sufficiency, positive parental control, and law abiding youth behavior within with their communities.
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Georgia Program Hosts 3rd Annual Youth Summit
By Erika Gonzalez
Community support was overwhelming for the 3rd Annual Youth Summit for Southwest Key’s Valdosta, Georgia program participants. The event is held each year to provide youth with tools and resources to help them make better choices and to prepare them for challenges they may face in the future.
The youth were excited and surprised to discover that a popular hometown football player, Randall Geofry, would be taking time to speak with them. Geofry recently retired from the Tennessee Titans and is from Valdosta. He spoke to the youth about mistakes he made in the past and how he overcame those mistakes.
The youth were impressed by many of the workshops from which they walked away feeling more knowledgeable and prepared for their future. One of the sessions informed the youth about STDs, while another presented by the Juvenile Justice Department discussed common crimes committed by youth and what happens if a youth enters the juvenile justice system.
“Thanks for a fantastic week! It was a fun experience.” –Youth Summit Participant
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Casita El Paso Moves to New Facility in Clint, Texas
Southwest Key’s Casita El Paso found a new home this fall, moving from its current location in downtown El Paso to a beautiful 13-acre campus in Clint, Texas. The new shelter facility has baseball and soccer fields and is much more child-friendly, with ample space for children to play outdoors. The new site will allow Southwest Key to offer many more activities for residents, including a greenhouse, culinary arts kitchen, carpentry studio, and auto mechanic shop.
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Southwest Key Selected to Operate all Workforce Centers in Cameron County, Texas |
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Southwest Key Workforce Development, a subsidiary of Southwest Key Programs, has been selected to operate and manage the workforce delivery system in Brownsville and Harlingen, Texas. Through this network of workforce centers, Southwest Key will be able to provide jobseekers and businesses with employment, training, and educational services to meet the current and future workforce needs of Cameron County.
Southwest Key plans to staff four one-stop locations with the possibility of two additional satellite sites to support jobseekers. In addition to the centers, Southwest Key will operate the Youth Services Unit, connecting young people--including foster care, juvenile justice, and disabled youth--with a multitude of educational and employment resources, and the Business Services Unit, providing no cost recruitment and employment services to businesses and jobseekers in Cameron County.
Southwest Key has a long history of providing highly successful workforce programming throughout the Lower Rio Grande Valley, including the Child Care Management Services Program from 1999 to the present. This partnership provides care to over 4,000 children annually and enables parents to continue to work and support their families. Under Southwest Key’s leadership, Cameron County CCMS Program achieved the number one ranking among all twenty-eight Texas Workforce Boards in its first year. The Cameron County CCMS Program was also ranked number one of the nine largest Boards statewide for three consecutive years.
Southwest Key will take over operation of the workforce system on October 1, 2009.
Youth Theater Program Tours Original Works Around Austin
Southwest Key teamed up with the Paramount Theatre, City of Austin, and UpRise! Productions this summer to offer 21 youth from 14 Travis County high schools an opportunity to create and tour an original work around Austin. The student performances addressed issues of diversity and culture, as well as social justice and community advocacy. Themes of the show surround each individual’s perception of self, their relationship with their existing communities, and their respective societal responsibilities.
The project was funded through the City’s Summer Youth Employment Program, which places kids between the ages of 13 and 17 at various employment sites throughout Travis County. Paramount, in partnership with Southwest Key, provided additional monetary support, rehearsal and performance space, oversight, as well as qualified staff leadership. Instructors were all members of UpRise! Productions, an East Austin multi-genre performing arts company: www.upriseproductions.org.
East Austin Speaker Series: Live & Uncensored!
The East Austin Summer Speaker Series attracted large crowds and spurred great community dialogue at Southwest Key's campus this summer. Local grassroots leaders spoke about the history of activism in East Austin and its emerging political influence, surviving gentrification, stimulating jobs and reducing educational disparities.
“The theme that really emerged through the series was how structural racism in Austin is still having an impact on people’s day-to-day lives, particularly for those living in East Austin,” says Jennifer Nelson, Southwest Key’s Chief Operations Officer and organizer for the event. “No matter what we're talking about—housing, education, jobs, general quality of life issues—the roots and impacts of racism could be seen
so clearly."
View coverage of Southwest Key's East Austin Speaker Series on KUT, the Austin American-Statesman, the Austin Chronicle, KEYE, and the Daily Texan. |
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Upcoming Events
@ Southwest Key
6002 Jain Lane, Austin
www.swkey.org/events
Event Info at 512.462.2181
Oct 7
Chicano Activism: Then & Now
PODER: 472-9921
Oct 19
Fore the Kids Golf Classic
Oct 22
Early Voting at Southwest Key
Nov 8
Open House for the East Austin College Prep Academy
4:30-7:00 pm
Hosted by the Mexican Consulate
Appetizers, wine & hors d’oeuvres, performances, auction & more!
Dec 10
Holiday Posada featuring Student Performance of Mariachi, Teatro, and
Ballet Folklorico |
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