Join Hands Esl

Education Program: This program provides education advocacy services for all children and teens in the Dream Path and when possible scholarships to attend private school through the Alternative Education Program. There are currently 11 children in private education at schools including Sr. Thea Bowman Catholic School in East St. Louis, Althoff High School in Belleville, and Unity Lutheran School in East St. Louis.

Youth Programming: Through this program, Join Hands builds relationships, increases self esteem, and broadens the horizons of children 8-12 in two public housing projects in East St. Louis. Through the Girls Clubs and Boys Clubs and other youth classes and programs, we provide recreational, educational, and athletic opportunities to approximately 80 children, with a current volunteer to child ratio of 1:3 for activities and outings. This program helps to encourage young people to stay on the right track, do the right thing and focus on education. Volunteers act as role models and big brothers and big sisters, reflecting the beauty and worth of each child.

The Family Mentoring Program: This program focuses on relationships, providing a pathway out of poverty for families through support, mentoring programs and education advocacy. Mentors and staff journey with children and families helping them navigate the many barriers to academic success that exist for children growing up in intergenerational poverty. It includes family mentoring, Teen Mentoring, and Education Advocacy. The Dream Path Family program currently serves 38 families and 125 children. Currently the program serves 28 teens and 30 college students. Our model employs a "birth through college" curriculum and personal relationships to build solid foundations for success.

The Ubuntu Center for Peace: The Ubuntu Center is a place of peace, love, and hospitality. The center provides morning coffee and food to those in need. As volunteer power allows, the center offers mornings of reflection, yoga and meditation, and hopes in the near future to support efforts toward justice with our Ubuntu Movement. The Center has a peace chapel that is open to whoever has a need for some quiet space. The Ubuntu Center is an oasis in the midst of an often violent area. It is now home to all Join Hands programs, a resource for our families and children, and those in the neighborhood, as well as home to the program's administrative offices.

Teen Mentoring Program:Our Dream Path Teen Mentoring Program journeys with teenagers from our Family Mentoring fanilies, Teens who have aged out of our Girls, and Boys Clubs, and teen workers from Griffin Center After School Program in the local housing projects, helping them navigate the many, many barriers that exist to academic success for children growing up in intergenerational poverty.We provide

programming, individual mentoring and group activities to teenagers, providing a pathway to and through college graduation.