The N.U.N.U. Family Center
N.U. Proposal for The Nepalm University Network Unlimited Center
DESCRIPTION
Nepalm Unlimited's (N.U.) mission is to physically provide professional and community (individual and family) support to our #TrailBlazerTV Online Community. Those who will have access to download our upcoming "NU" App will have access to our Virtual Center and the coordinates to our physical location(s).
Nepalm Unlimited was founded from a Newsletter created in April of 2004. On our 15 year anniversary as a Research Group, we launched a new initiative. Our Project highlights over the next first five-seven years will include:
*Establishing case management, family advocacy, counseling services, parenting classes, GED classes, women support groups, summer camps and after-school tutoring programs.
*Developing partnership with the Georgia Military College students to operate GED classes, creating the UPP Girls Support group and Internship Infrastructure.
*Creating job training/post-employment program for families transitioning off of public assistance. Creating Building Blocks Mentoring. Establishing a grandparents/kinship program, helping family members adapt to the needs of raising new children.
By 2024 we're projected to have successfully graduated more than 100 parents from the multi-ethnic parenting class, with parents who decided to attend the classes for further training.
PURPOSE OF REQUEST
We are requesting donations, investments, and grant funds to cover the portion of salaries for our case management, family support, school success, and self-sufficiency initiatives, as outlined on the following pages.
Family Support (Goal 1)
Goal 1 (Family Support). The Nepalm University Center will support the social, emotional, mental health and physical well-being of families by providing parenting resources and family support programs.
Objective 1A (Family Support): Setting a goal to provide One hundred and Twenty (120) families with our Community Management Services that will help them find access to resources such as food, transportation, health care, and housing.
Objective 1B (Family Support): Creating and Afterschool Outreach for Twenty to Sixty (20-60) high-risk students who are parents will attend a parenting class.
Activities:
- Our Case Management Services program will connect families to community resources, using existing relationships with community programs. Case managers will help parents achieve specific goals to overcome barriers and will contact parents once a week to personally help them connect with community resources.
- The CMS Staff also help outside of the Nuclear Family (grandparents or relatives of the natural parents) and address the needs of children in their care. This will help these parents understand the different school and county requirements connecting them to community resources such as parenting classes, health insurance and housing.
- A six week parenting class will cover topics such as managing stress and conflict, child development, anger management, and interpersonal relationships. Most parents will be referred to the program by their CMS.
School Success (Goal 2)
Goal 2 (School Success): We look to support youth success in academics, peer and family relationships, and avoiding drugs, alcohol, and contacts with law enforcement.
Objective 2A (School Success): We will provide the Building Blocks mentoring program, matching high risk children and youth with adult mentors.
Objective 2B (School Success): An afterschool tutoring program will serve 25-75 youth each week.
Objective 2C (School Success): A full-day summer enrichment camp will serve as many as 120 children and youth over a 45 day period.
Activities:
- Building Blocks to Success is a year-round mentoring program that matches 25 adults and the "high risk youth" together in a structured learning environment. Participating youth will come from teen parent programs, probation officers, youth diversion, teachers, and social workers. Mentors will be recruited from University of Georgia students and faculty, businesses, and neighborhood organizations.
- Mentors and program participants will meet for four to six hours per month to provide homework help, career guidance, and support.
- Structured meetings led by mentors and supported by N.U. staff will cover topics such as family relationships, school conflicts, problem solving, and dating relationships and peer pressure. Mentors also will provide job shadowing opportunities and help helping their mentees identify careers of interest. High school-age participants also will be employed during the summer by The Nepalm Family Center’s Summer Enrichment Program or other appropriate job sites.
- A Tutoring Program will provide after school tutors staffed by teachers from a local middle school. Tutors will be available to help students in all subject areas between 3pm and 5pm, Monday – Thursday. An estimated 60-75 students a week will receive tutoring assistance.
- The Nepalm Family Summer Enrichment program, in its fifth year, would provide a nine week program for children between the ages of 5 through 14. Program modules will include dance, cooking, science exploration, Spanish, introduction to computers, baseball and basketball. Fulton County Parks and Recreation will provide team leaders for baseball, basketball, arts and crafts, and other related activities. A weekly pro-social program will focus on topics such as resisting drugs, alcohol and gangs, improving self-esteem, and solving conflict peacefully and positively. Guest presenters will include DARE, Street Scene, and various Animal Rescue Shelters.
Family Self-Sufficiency (Goal 3)
Goal 3 (Self-Sufficiency): We look to provide programs and resources to support family self-sufficiency.
Objective 3 (Self-Sufficiency): A projected 60 adults will be provided with access to Adult Basic Education, GED or SAT classes, those adults will also enroll and complete a job readiness/career search program, and 60 families will benefit from this fast track career program.
Activities:
Family advocates will help adults obtain training, career development, and life skills resources. Key self-sufficiency programs available at The Nepalm Family Center include:
- Three nine week GED classes and three nine week SAT classes.
- A fast track career program through the Georgia Film Academy.
- Life skills class, covering balancing work and personal time, stress management, conflict resolution, anger management, workplace expectations, and parenting.
- Job coaching. After placement in a job, coaches meet at least monthly with the employee and immediate supervisors.
- Case management to help families address issues such as transportation, housing, child care, substance abuse treatment, family relationships, and cultural barriers.
Two of our Family Advocates are current TANF recipients and can relate to the personal experiences of participants, and the offer help with barriers that they may face.
POPULATION SERVED
The project will serve families who live in the southwest sections of Atlanta. The program was founded to address a number of challenges in the target community:
• Focus Area 1 - Families Support: The child abuse/neglect rate for the target area is 20% higher than the statewide average (Georgia Department of Family and Children Services). Of those served by the DFACS last year, 95% had household incomes under $20,000. In addition, more than 40% of target area families are led by single parents (2010 U.S. Census).
• Focus Area 2 - School Success: Close to 40% of students who attend Fulton County High Schools drop out of school. In addition, the Metropolitan Area’s students’ scores on statewide literacy, math and science assessments lag behind the state average by 30% or higher (State Department of Education, 2008). Last year, 22% of the Counties were disciplined or suspended for unexcused absences, fighting, and/or use of alcohol or drugs on campus (FCPS, 2008-09 Disciplinary Report). Research on mentoring has found that students with mentors are 52% less likely than their peers to skip a day of school, 46% less likely to start using illegal drugs, and 67% better able to make positive decisions (Public Private Ventures, 2004)
• Focus Area 3 - Self-sufficiency: More than 80% of children from metro-area families are eligible for free school lunch programs. More than 40% of adults in the community do not have a high school diploma or GED (2000 U.S. Census).
The Nepalm University Center has created its family support and school success programs' infrastructure after conducting a 2013-14 survey of more than 300 parents. The survey found that
1) parents wanted help connecting to community resources such as food, housing and healthcare, and
2) parents wanted youth to connect with more adult role models and positive influences.
3) there are homeless families who also need our help
COLLABORATION
Nepalm Unlimited has active partnerships with the local Teen Pregnancy Prevention Pgm and several Mental Health services, which have brought staff to the N.U. Center. The Fort Valley State University and Middle Georgia State College institutions have placed interns here.
The Ethiopian Missionary Church of St. Thomas contributes one full-time adult team leader, who provides technical assistance and training for computer classes. As a member of Georgia Military College in Fairburn, she has the resources to make use of the many opportunities available through the college and its students.
EVALUATION
Over the past three years, N.U. has looked to successfully meet requirements established for municipal and state grants through the Strong Cities Initiative and Adolescent Crime Prevention Initiative.
We seek professional evaluators to guide its assessment process. For example, Corey J. Thomas and Associates from Fort Valley State University collaborated with the Art Institute of Atlanta to carry out previous program evaluations for N.U.
Measurement tools used for the evaluations include family surveys, pre-and post-tests for each program, observational tools, plus school and police records. N.U. compiles several evaluation related reports during the year to assess program progress. Projected outcomes for the three initiatives are as follows:
Family Support (Goal Area 1): 80% of parents participating in case management, parenting classes or kinship support programs will report increasing family stability as measured by maintaining their housing, reducing family conflict, and improved parent-child relationships.
90% of families receiving case management will express satisfaction with the services.
Previous year’s results: 81% of parents reported increased family stability, and 90% expressed satisfaction with services.
School Success (Goal Area 2): For the time they are enrolled in the program and 12 months afterwards, 95% of mentoring and summer camp participants will not have any contact with the juvenile justice system.
During the same time period, 70% will improve their grades or school attendance. All mentoring relationships will continue intact for a full year.
Previous year’s results: 94% of participating youth did not have contact with the juvenile justice system; 71% improved grades. 95% of mentoring relationships continued for a full year.
Self-Sufficiency (Goal area 3): An estimated 80% of participants in post-employment services will retain their jobs.
At least 40 adults will demonstrate progress toward obtaining a job, either by securing new employment or completing career training programs.
Previous year’s results: 75% of post-employment participants retained their jobs, and 36 adults made progress toward employment.
SUSTAINABILITY
We are currently expanding our fund-raising base in other areas, including individual giving, sponsorships and special event income. The organization seeks modest contributions from participants in some of its programs.
For parenting programs, a suggested donation is requested. Our ByNominal Summer Camp tuition will be around $36 a week, with full scholarships available in case of financial need, provides additional income.
In addition, some community organizations support pieces of programming. For example, The Ethiopian Missionary Church of St. Thomas has provided funding for staffing, and has established a strong partnerships that will continue in to the future.
OTHER INFORMATION
During the current economic downturn, we have seen at least a 37% increase in demand for our services and a 25% increase for education on self-sufficiency. Donations are down by 15%, and while we have postponed purchasing materials and equipment-we also had to leave administrative staff positions unfilled to reduce costs. We may have to cut down on our projected case management capacity and eliminate a few other things. For that reason, we are stepping up efforts to seek new sources of funding.
THE NEPALM UNIVERSITY NETWORK UNLIMITED CENTER
Fiscal Year 2021, 2022 and 2023 Budgets
INCOME
2021 - 2022 - 2023
Actual - Budgeted - Projected
Public Fund-Raising $250,000 - $500,000 - $1,000,000
City of Fairburn $ 25,000 - $ 35,000 - $ 45,000
State (County DFACS) $135,000 - $270,000 - $540,000
SWAT Strong Initiative $ 20,000 - $ 40,000 - $60,000
Program Service Fees $6,000 - $ 12,000 - $ 24,000
Foundations/Corporations $ 25,000 - $ 50,000 - $100,000
TOTAL REVENUE $461,000 - $907,000 - $1,769,000
2021 - 2022 - 2023
Actual - Budgeted - Projected
Personnel $140,000 - $256,000 - $500,000
Direct Services Fund $10,500 - $25,000 - $ 50,000
Summer Enrichment Program $12,000 - $24,000 - $45,000
Equipment $10,000 - $25,000 - $50,000
Child Care $7,500 - $14,500 - $25,000
Food for Parent Education $5,000 - $10,000 - $20,000
Rent $100,000 - $250,000 - $500,000
Telephone $1,500 - $2,500 - $5,500
Travel $20,000 - $40,000 - $100,000
TOTAL MISC. $306,500 - $647,000 - $1,295,500
EXPENDITURES
Materials $500 - $1,000 - $1,500
Printing/Copying $300 - $600 - $900
Client Transportation $2,500 - $5,000 - $10,000
Staff Transportation $5,000 - $10,000 - $20,000
Postage $420 - $420 - $420
Accounting Services $ 5,600 - $ 5,600 - $ 5,600
Liability Insurance $ 500 - $ 500 - $ 500
TOTAL EXPENDITURES $14,820 - $23,120 - $38,920
We have also designed an community assistance program that closely resembles a Home Economics curriculum in the services we will make available including (but not limited to): cooking classes, laundry/dry cleaning services, money management, and other methods for maintaining a successful household. Our services will provide clothing for job interviews, shoes to upgrade or refresh their image for interviews, hair stylists/barber/groomers, resume specialist, and on site photographer. A majority of our target market have expressed the need of help from someone who's familiar with navigating the "systems" that are in place which can present challenges to those unfamiliar with certain aspects of society.
-Corey Nepalm
The N.E.P.A.L.M. University Network Unlimited
(The N.U.N.U.)
Navigating Our World
#InTheNow🗺