Best Practice

Youth and Family Services Boys Health Program


State/Jurisdiction: South Dakota
Setting: Community
Population: Adolescents & Young Adults Families & Caregivers
Topic Area: Access to Quality Healthcare Safe and Connected Communities Family & Youth Engagement Primary & Preventative Care Health Promotion & Communication Mental Health & Substance Use Nutrition & Physical Activity Injury Prevention & Hospitalization Healthcare Financing & Insurance
NPMs: NA NPM 6: Developmental Screening NPM 7.1: Injury Hospitalization – Ages 0 to 9 NPM 7.2: Injury Hospitalization – Ages 10 to 19 NPM 10: Adolescent Well-Visit NPM 11: Medical Home NPM 12: Transition NPM 15: Adequate Insurance

The Youth and Family Services Boys Health program is designed for helping kids learn where they are. We do this by building relationships with them and processing what they need to be successful at school, we meet with their teachers and other care providers to establish a true course of action and put everyone on the same page. We get the kids enrolled in additional support programs such as counseling and placement needs if it is in the initial intake. We help kids with their transportation needs such as taking them to their doctor appointments, dental visits and optical visits. We do multiple learning programs and each program is set to allow for group learning. We have the education set to allow kids to work with their peers and they support each other with adult supervision. When learning in a group that is supported by the peer group education can be both social and material learning. We set it so that we supervise all processes and make sure we support positive engagement. In reading support and summer reading retention, kids read aloud together and support each other in moving forward. Creek Freaks allows us to teach conservation and water preservation in a fun and scientific way. Kids get in the water in groups to filter through the sediment bed of the creek and take the items picked up a sifted through at the sample site. They then go through the materials together to determine if the water is polluted or not. We have an online education for our writing and math programing that supports the schools learning process. We teach bicycle repairs and maintenance and allow the boys to have a bike for transportation needs. We teach automotive repair. We have a computer design class that incorporates photography and design. This is set to allow kids to be creative and help each other see from a different perspective. We have a fitness course that we use to teach kids physical fitness, the need for taking care of your mind and body through exercise and stretching. We have a life skills class that teaches kids the importance of self-value and awareness. This is a group setting and it is a 10 to 12 week course that incorporates values, self-esteem, decision making, communication, relationships, brain science, drug education, sex education and goal setting. Lastly, in the summer we have a tour of the Black Hills Program, where we drive the kids around the Black Hills to introduce them to their community and what are some of the secret locations that hold the coolest views.


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Implementation Handout



CONTACT INFORMATION
Youth and Family Services
Corey Kennedy
ckennedy@youthandfamilyservices.org
605-791-5025
Practice Website