2019 ETC Final Report

The Harrisburg Housing Authority’s Summer Growth Program completed its 6th year following five years of continuous growth and success.  It is apropos without a pun intended to use the phrase “there is always room to grow”.  This year marked the next stage or evolution in the growth of our Summer Growth program with the guidance and assistance of the Environmental Advisory Council (EAC).  This year, the EAC was instrumental in working with the Program Director, Mr. Clarence Watson’s development of program concepts and engagements.  We are thankful and very appreciative of the insight and dedication that the EAC provided this year to the program.   

Under the direction of Mr. Clarence Watson, each year the program has increased in participant numbers.  We have grown from 25 teens back in 2014 (our first year) to 100 teens in our sixth year.  Over the past three years, we have expanded the program from four weeks during the summer to six weeks.  For the fourth consecutive year, we have had over 225 applicants apply for the program.  The demand for the program remains extraordinarily strong.

The program is designed to strike multiple chords all at the same time.  We are building in our teens higher expectations for themselves; getting them to understand the significance of environmental issues within their community and abroad; having them embrace the importance of responsibility and accountability; showing them  how to achieve  through action, etc…   

Like previous years, Mr. Watson wanted to make sure the investment from HHA and the City of Harrisburg continued to produce life changing results for our inner city teens.  The program has proven and continues to demonstrate e that with the right environment and proper leadership, our teens can excel.   The success of our teens and the clear desire for more life-affirming programs and engagements, leads us to conclude that there is a need and demand for a youth-oriented Urban Leadership Academy. 

In 2016, Capital Region Water partnered with the Harrisburg Housing Authority and our Environmental Teen Corp. (ETC) (the name given to the teens a group)..  Capital Region Water has become an integral part of the continuous growth of our program.   In 2019, even though CRW was not a financial supporter, we continued a positive educational and working relationship that included: 

 ETC toured and learned about the different departments at CRW.  They educated e ETC teens on how the water industry works.  

CRW took ETC on Green Infrastructure tours.  Educating them about the importance of water gardens in the city.  

CRW took on a leadership role in offering our mentors career opportunities with their company.  Provided leadership and direction for ETC teens. 

"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education." 

 ~ Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Through Mr. Watson’s leadership over the past six years of the program, HHA begins each year by sending a mass email flyer to parents and then distribute flyers out to all HHA residents.  In addition, the program information is promoted via social media.  This year, we had over 225 applicants apply for the program once again.   We used the following work format: 

The working hours for the teens were from 9am-3pm.  

The meeting place for the teens was at the Camp Curtin Academy.  It was an ideal educational venue for our teens this summer.  

HHA kicked off the program with a mandatory orientation with all teens and their parents.  Because of the number of teens in the program this year, we held orientations on multiple days with multiple sessions.  The orientation packet was thorough and focused on a zero tolerance format.   

As the ETC teens now know, Mr. Watson is a firm believer in the habit of displaying good character and good behavior.  One of his favorite sayings as an educator is, “the only difference between an ordinary student and an extraordinary student is their attitude and behavior.”  Thus, Mr. Watson focuses on four quotes throughout the program that helps the teens improve their “emotional Intelligence”: 

“Do what you have to do, in order to do what you want to do.”  (The Great Debaters)  

The teens would recite this quote every morning and would be asked how they would use this quote to get through their work day.  Regardless of how hard or tedious the work was, they knew it had to get done.   

 “What runs through you sticks to you.” (Malo Carpenter) 

This quote would be recited every morning.  Mr. Watson would state the first part of the phrase and the ETC teens would complete the phrase out loud.  We believe that simplicity and repetition equals success.   

“Think before you move.”  (Eugene Brown) 

We stress on a daily basis the importance of making good decisions. 

Leadership Mentors 

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." 

 ~ John Quincy Adams 

The foundation and continued success of our program was based on the leadership of Mr. Watson and our college and adult mentors.  The reputation of the program now precedes itself.    Thus, each year the program has been able to recruit solid mentor leaders to help lead each ETC group.   The mentors have various backgrounds.  Their backgrounds range from ETC graduates to college students to college graduates to community leaders.  The mentors lessons on peer leadership in order to help prepare them  lead their assigned Environmental Teen Corp. (ETC) group. Each group was made up of  8-10 teens.  

In the past, we contacted area colleges such as HACC, Penn State Harrisburg, Harrisburg University, Shippensburg and Millersville to find qualified applicants for the program.  This year, because  of the popularity of the program, we had 22 candidates apply to become a mentor (last year was 20). 14 of the 22 applicants were selected as incredible mentor leaders who ultimately displayed extraordinary leadership to our teens.  

All staff and mentors completed the First Aid/CPR course and passed the criminal history and child clearance background check.   

DEVELOPMENT OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE (7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TEENS) 

“To education a person in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.”

 ~Theodore Roosevelt 

There is little debate that one of the major challenges for a teen is his/her ability to control and understand his/her emotions.  With this in mind, Mr. Watson incorporated mandatory study lessons from the book, “7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens.”  In addition to having the teens memorize and recite the habits each day, the teens had personal workbooks to complete.  Twice per week the teens were instructed on how to apply the habits to help them successfully complete the program and how to incorporate them into their daily lives.

 After six years of using the Seven Habits philosophy, we absolutely believe it has been an integral part of the foundation of the program’s success.  Note: Out of 100 teens who started the program, 98 successfully completed the entire program. 

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES 

"One of the marvelous things about community is that it enables us to welcome and help people in a way we couldn't as individuals."  

~ Jean Vanier 

OBJECTIVE NUMBER ONE 

THE ETC WAS TO HELP THE CITY OF HARRISBURG CLEAN BY ENGAGING IN NEIGHBORHOOD CLEAN-UP, RIVERFRONT CLEAN-UP, TRASH PICKUP, ETC. 

For six years our main objective was to get the ETC teens to understand how important it was to keep their own community clean and help beautify the City.  This year, the teens came into the program expecting to keep the streets clean and knew they were setting an example for everyone in the neighborhood.  In order to provide perspective, Mr. Watson also had the teens clean neighborhoods that were well kept; and asked the teens why some neighborhoods were cleaner than others.   Mr. Watson had them clean and pick up trash on every main street and community in the City of Harrisburg to give the teens perspective and insight into developing expectations for themselves, their respective surrounding and our communities.  As we have done in previous years, the following streets and areas were cleaned by the ETC teens. 

OBJECTIVE NUMBER TWO 

DEVELOP HEALTHY EATING INITIATIVES 

“Food is medicine, and the right kind of relationship with food can make a positive impact on your health. ~Hayley Hobson 

For the sixth year, our Learning Lunch Program provided a healthy education to our teens about the importance of healthy eating. This program was designed to teach the teens’ healthy eating habits, restaurant etiquette, how different cultures and people at differing income levels viewed food. The Learning Lunch Program was also designed to give back to locally owned restaurants.  

The goal was to spend one week at each restaurant.  This year, with 100 teens, they were separated into 12 teams with a mentor supervising each team. They were dispersed at eight different restaurants at the same time. The teens enjoyed good dining for a week at the same restaurant and then rotated to a different restaurant the following week.  

The program was also geared to introduce the teens to a broader base of dietary engagement.  Not only were they going to enjoy different types of food, they learned restaurant etiquette, how to enter a nice restaurant, how to behave, how to order, how much to tip, etc.  Before going to each restaurant, the teens prepared at least ten questions to ask to owners.  The questions ranged from why do you add a gratuity to a bill to how do you handle irate customers?  Each restaurant owner spent at least 15 minutes of their time engaging in a question and answer session. Also, a few restaurants let our teens come in early to learn how and help prepare for the lunch crowd.  The teens dined at the following restaurants; Underdog, Mother’s Sub, Rookie’s, Miriamas, Ciervo’s Pizza, Joe Mamas, Las Delicias and Right on Reily.  All restaurants had a different style and theme, and our teens got the opportunity to experience different styles and cultures of food.  At the end of the week, we would conduct a question and answer session with each team on the pros and cons of each restaurant.  Mr. Watson visited each restaurant every day to check on how things were going. We are happy to report that our teens were constantly praised by the owners, managers and staff from each restaurant about how well-mannered and professional the teens were.  Our mentors did a fantastic job in making sure the teens displayed proper etiquette and ordered their lunches within their budget. 

OBJECTIVE NUMBER THREE 

THE TEENS WOULD LEARN ABOUT CAREER OPPORTUNITIES 

"The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary."  ~ Vince Lombardi 

We designated Tuesdays for environmental and educational tours and Fridays for successful inspirational speakers. Our teens were exposed to different historical venues to hear inspirational speakers share their success stories.  The purpose of the speakers and environmental tours was to share life leadership experiences so that the ETC teens could develop those skills and explore potential career opportunities.  We had the following speakers share their knowledge and expertise with the ETC teens: 

 Our first speaker was the Hon. Mayor Eric Papenfuse.  The Mayor addressed the ETC teens and spoke about the rejuvenation of Harrisburg.  Our second speaker was Gary Miller.  Author and Poet.  Our third speaker was Ronald Goodrich. Manager at the McClure Company.  Our fourth speaker was Patricia Robinson.  CEO/Author/Speaker – Personal and Professional Transformation Coach.  Our fifth speaker was Lamonte Jones.  Entrepreneur and community activist.   Our sixth speaker was Bryan Majors.  Author and founder of Major Prep. Our seventh speaker Larry Bragg.  Educator and owner of PAYOR incorporated.  Our eighth was Kassie Fenn. Chesapeake Bay Foundation.  

OBJECTIVE NUMBER FOUR 

TO TEACH OUR YOUTH LIFE LEADERSHIP SKILLS DESIGNED TO HELP THEM THROUGHOUT LIFE. 

LIFE LEADERSHIP SKILL DEVELOPMENT 

“Not everything we face can be changed.  But nothing can be changed unless we face it.” ~James Baldwin 

Twice per week, Mr. Watson and two mentors would teach lessons using the educational  setting to teach our teens about the basic skills of how to live a productive life. We taught and had group discussions about the following lessons: 

Gratitude  

 Healthy Relationships   

Emotional Intelligence  

How Money Works  

The Power of Public Speaking  

Excellence 

 Health 

In addition to learning life skills, our teens shadowed and interviewed local businesses and their owner and employees.  We wanted to teach our teens that it’s possible to be a highly productive citizen in your own community.   

OBJECTIVE NUMBER FIVE 

TO EXPAND THE ENVIRONMENTAL TEEN CORP’S ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP IN THE CARING OF THEIR COMMUNITY 

With the collaborative efforts of the Environmental Advisory Council (EAC), the ETC increased their environmental awareness in the community.  The EAC took a proactive role in scheduling meetings and planning activities for the Environmental Teen Corp. which resulted in:    

Direct and concrete involvement with the EAC.  

Work performed on a recycling campaign for the community.  

A community garden committee providing the ETC with a structured plan to learn, enhance and maintain the community gardens in the city.  

ETC’s introduction by the Chesapeake Bay to the Student Leadership Program which offered opportunities to expand their knowledge of watershed issues through unforgettable outdoor field experiences and by training our teens on how to advocate for local environmental issues that are meaningful to them.  

Harrisburg University taking each team on a thorough tour of the campus.  This served to enhance our ETC teens’ awareness of the incredible career opportunities that HU has to offer.  

The Department of Environmental Protection partnering with the ETC to provide education tours of the department and, also, discussing the various career opportunities that are available.  

The Commonwealth Charter Academy, the largest aquaponics facility in the midstate, providing ETC with the experience of learning how to grow food throughout the year and how to provide the produce to the local restaurants.  

The Central PA Food Bank providing the ETC with an inside look at how the system operates on a daily basis, and providing certified training all the teens.   

OBJECTIVE NUMBER SIX 

PREPARE OUR TEENS FOR POST-SECONARY EDUCATION 

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."  ~ Nelson Mandela 

Three years ago, we teamed up with the Individual Commons Foundation to provide a self-study college readiness program for the ETC teens.  The program is called Ontrack to Post-secondary education.  The program is designed to be completed throughout the school year, but our teens complete it during the summer.     How to succeed in high school.  Ontrack’s high school success modules helped our teens with important tasks like note-taking and test-taking, and they also covered soft skills like how to deal with bullies or manage their time to get tasks done timely. 

 Help discover Post-Secondary options.  Once they are doing well in high school, they can start to look ahead at their post-secondary possibilities. These include four-year colleges, two-year colleges, technical and trade schools. The program not only explains what these are and how they can apply to them, but it also helps them figure out which of these options is the best fit to help the student find a great, satisfying career. 

 How to finance their future.  Once they know what type of school they’ll be attending, they’ll need to know how to pay for it. Ontrack does not want a student finishing her or his post-secondary degree and having hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. So, the program takes the student through scholarships, grants, the FAFSA, and state financial aid programs to let her or him understand the

variety of ways he or she can get money that he or she won’t have to pay back after receiving their degree.

FINAL THOUGHTS FROM SOME OF OUR TEENS 2019 ETC EXPERIENCE  

C. Parker, 16  

This summer during my ETC experience I have learned a lot of new things that I wouldn’t have expected to learn.  I have a lot of takeaways from this summer.  One take away is to be open and honest to new things, whether it’s new food at different restaurants or just exploring our communities more than I did before.  This program has been a wonderful experience for me these past years that I’ve been here. 

 Y. Lee 16 

What I’ve learned this summer in the ETC program was that we need to clean our environment every day and enjoy doing it.  Not just do it because of the money reward.  I’ve learned not to be lazy doing your job because only 100 people out of Harrisburg only get picked, and if you do something stupid or bad Mr. Watson will kick you out of the program. Also, since this was my last year, after four years of being in the program, I would like to be a mentor next year and help most of your younger kids about the program and about life.   

 T. Harris 16 

 This summer I’ve learned to try new things.  Before we started I was hoping to make new friends and I can say I’ve done that.  I’m also glad that we had Kavon Hope as a mentor.  He is a strong leader who doesn’t play around.  If we missed a piece of trash, we would have to clear the whole street as many times as we had to.  The seven habits were also a huge part of this summer.  I’ve learned them before but I can recite them front and back.  I could probably spell them in my sleep.  I loved my time here and I hope I can come back. 

 A. Wright 15 

What I’ve learned while in the Environmental Teen Corp?  I learned respect, discipline, and how important it is to take care of your community while also taking care of yourself.  We went on all types of career option tours, such as canoeing through the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.  While canoeing we learned about the structure of our water and how it works.  While we cleaned up almost the whole city, I used the seven habits to make sure I was doing the right thing.  My favorite part about the program was making new friends and helping the people in need while at the food bank.   

My experiences in the program always opens my eyes to how to go about life when making decisions.  I learned that writing can take you far, to appreciate my parents and family, and to think before I do.  By reading the 7 habits and applying them to my everyday life, my life and decisions has been easier to make and live.  During the program, my group even planted trees in the garden on 24th and Berryhill street.  Overall, this program has taught me many things that I will always carry with me. 

 T. Terry 15 

This year’s program was probably my favorite year so far.  Not only did I make new friends, but I also learned a lot of new things.  This year I learned a lot about the environment.  The way we treat our environment can have a major effect later on.  It’s almost like we cause our own problems.  For example, we decide to throw our trash on the ground, so when it rains all the trash goes towards the drains and clogs it, hence causing floods.  We need to be proactive when it comes to keeping our environment clean, and that was one of the most important things we learned.   

 N. English 14 

o What I learned since I’ve been in the program is that the environment is very dirty and needed to be cleaned.  The people in our environment is throwing trash and killing plants and animals.  The most important thing I’ve learned is when we went to the food bank to give back for the people who doesn’t have a lot of food. 

 I. Satterthwaite 14 

My experience during this summer was great.  What I’ve learned was that you can’t always do things yourself, you work together as team to succeed faster in your task.  Our mentor showed us how to work together to get things done.  Mr. Watson told us many things that are important but the most important was “what runs through you sticks to you,” Max Out” and “do what you need to do in order to do what you want to do.”  Those three statements meant something to me because they are all true. 

 J. Shorter 16 

For my second year in this job, I had a really great experience.  This is also my last year as a “non mentor”, so I had to step up my leadership game.  Our mentor Dashaun was in Iowa for a whole week for track and I became the mentor for that week.  I made sure we all were safe, cleaned a lot, and contacted drivers to make sure we ate on time and made sure we got back to school.  I had a great experience for the past two years I was here, hopefully when I graduate from high school, I can be a mentor. 

 B. Bynoe 14 

This summer was the most educational, beneficial, and rewarding summer of my life and I owe it all to the ETC program and Mr. Watson.  I made friends and family while I was at the program, the love we built for each other in a matter of weeks is one of a kind.  I also said that before the program was over that I would mature into the sophomore that I needed to be next school year.  I can say that I have matured into that person because of the seven habits. 

FINAL THOUGHTS 

What started out as a pilot program with 25 teens and not much support from many community stakeholders or leaders, has grown into a vibrant, respected and successful Summer Program that unleashes the positive energy of 100 teens and 14 leadership mentors.  

This growth journey has not always been easy.  The program has had its challenges with support and mischaracterizations.  However, through the power of the 3 P’s (passion, persistence and perseverance) we’ve continued to learn and grow. 

After six years of continuous growth, our core approach remains intact; keeping the streets of Harrisburg clean, mastering and putting into action the Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens and continue displaying the importance of nutrition and fitness through our Learning Lunch program. 

Once, again, the program has exceeded our expectations.  The ETC members were engaged, motivated and very positive about helping the city of Harrisburg.    

For the sixth year, we cannot begin to thank enough the various groups, businesses and individuals that helped us reach and teach the teens.  Moreover, we thank the City of Harrisburg, the City Council and Mayor’s office for the financial support given for the stipends that went to the teens.   

The program website address is https://authorityteen.com. 

The Summer Growth Program's Environmental  Teen Corp. ("ETC") completed its sixth year of continuous growth and success.  Each year the program has increased in numbers.  The first year it was 25 teens, second year 50 teens, third year 75 teens, fourth year 89 teens, and for two years in a row we had a staggering 100 teens.  We had over 225 applicants apply for the program this year.  The popularity of the program continues to expand and grow.  Please take a look at media recognition by clicking on the links below.

WGAL news story on ETC for year one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nkImpO-nBM

WGAL news story on ETC for year four:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ph0uANrIiok

ETC helps Patty Kim with clean up mission in Allison Hill:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA8ijP1vxMY

Leadership Presentation By Clarence Watson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzhE4G45xDg

Breaking a Generational Curse By Mont Jones

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f

Oprah Winfrey's comments about why she invested in a 40 million dollar academy for all girls in Africa instead of investing in our public schools had a profound effect on how program director, Clarence Watson, wanted to run this program.  Oprah stated that many of us take "FAPE" (Free Appropriate Public Education) for granted.  Some teens (and parents) exhibit behavior that is disrespectful to others or they tend to care more about materialistic things like cell phones, name brand clothes, sneakers. etc., and do not place much thought or emphasis on expanding and growing themselves. 

As we’ve completed our 5th year, I wanted to make sure the investment from HHA and the City of Harrisburg continued to produce life changing results for our inner city teens. Our mission over the years has changed. We have proven and continue to prove that with the right environment and proper leadership, our teens can excel to the highest level. 

This year has expanded my thought process regarding the program. The evolution of this program is different than anything I’ve ever experience. It has the potential to be a yearly Urban Leadership Academy.

In 2016, Capital Region Water partnered with the Harrisburg Housing Authority and Environmental Teen Corp. (ETC).  Capital Region Water has become an integral part of the continuous growth of our program.

ETC toured and learned about the different departments at CRW.  They provided concrete information about how the water industry works.

CRW engaged in weekly presentations with ETC.  Each department gave detailed information on the operation of their department.

CRW presented guest speakers from HACC and Thaddeus Stevens regarding scholarship opportunities and certificate programs available after high school.

"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education."

~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Through HHA’s youth coordinator, Clarence Watson, during the past five years of the program, HHA started the process by sending a mass email flyer to parents and then distributed flyers out to all HHA residents. We had over 225 applicants apply. For the fifth year, we used the following work format:

· The working hours for the teens were from 9am-3pm.

· The meeting place for the teens was at HACC campus (Midtown). We wanted to introduce the teens to a college atmosphere. We met at HACC Monday through Thursday.

We met at Harrisburg University on Fridays. Again, we wanted to introduce the teens to an educational environment. This summer I had the great chance of being a part of something that helped change young men and women lives and helped rebuild and take care of our community. 

HHA kicked off the program with a mandatory orientation with all teens and their parents. Because of the increased number of teens in the program this year, we held two orientations, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The orientation packet was thorough and focused on a zero tolerance format. The teens and the parents understood the requirements of the program.

We taught the college interns and mentors a lesson on Peer Leadership to help prepare them to supervise and manage their assigned Environmental Teen Corp. (ETC) group. The interns picked their own teams and adopted a team name for each team. Each intern took their team and engaged in a get-to-know-you session to develop team unity. In the end, each mentor successfully completed the program with their team. 

Watson’s a firm believer in the habit of displaying good character and good behavior. One of his favorite sayings as an educator is, “the only difference between an ordinary student and an extraordinary student is their attitude and behavior.” Thus, Mr. Watson focused on three quotes throughout the program that would help teens improve their Emotional Intelligence: 

· “Do what you have to do, in order to do what you want to do. (The Great Debaters)

o We’d recite this quote every morning and I’d ask the teens how they’d use this quote to get through their work day. Regardless of how hard or tedious the work was, they knew it had to get done. 

· “Don’t let your learning lead to knowledge; let your learning lead to action.” (Napoleon Hill)

o We’d recite this quote every morning and have a brief discussion on what it meant. The teens started understanding that it’s not about what you say, it’s about what you do. The ETC started being known for its actions. We just didn’t talk about cleaning up, we planned and did it. 

· “Begin with the end in mind.” (One of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens)

o We’d recited this quote every morning and have a brief discussion about what it meant. The teens understood their mission and goals for the program. Regardless of the type of work we did, this quote helped the teens dig deep within themselves to finish the task at hand. Many times, some were ready to quit and give up, but with habitual reciting and brief discussions on this quote, the teens perservered.

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader."

~ John Quincy Adams

The foundation and continued success of our program was based on the leadership of our college and adult mentors. We developed flyers and used social media to get the word out for college interns and mentors. In the past, we contacted area colleges such as HACC, Penn State Harrisburg, Harrisburg University, Shippensburg and Millersville to find qualified applicants for the program. This year, due to the popularity of the program, we had 20 candidates apply this year, and had the opportunity to have 14 incredible leadership mentors who displayed extraordinary leadership to our teens. 

All staff and interns completed the First Aid/CPR course and passed the criminal history and child clearance background check. 

This year, we wanted to get the thoughts of our mentors regarding their experience with the program and here’s is what some had to say:

· Chris Whittaker, Freshman at Cochise College

This summer I had the great chance of being a part of something that helped change young men and women lives and helped rebuild and take care of our community. What I was a part of was the Harrisburg Housing Authority Environmental Teen Corp, better known as ETC! This program brought to the city by the housing authority is a great way for teenagers to bring life back into the community and stay away from all the trouble that inner city teenagers could find themselves in. This was my first year in the program and I loved every second of it. I had a great summer working with those kids and being under our director Mr. Watson. 

I had a great team of kids I was assigned to everyday to help clean the community, visit  job tours, and focus on them becoming leaders overall. This summer was filled with great experiences for the kids to enjoy. We had a great time helping them every single day as Mr. Watson made sure we were always busy and always were doing productive work. I can’t wait to work again next year and establish another year of contributing to my community and city. The ETC program is establishing the change our city so desperately needs starting with the youth!

· Leslie Dixon, Harrisburg School District

My experience with ETC was wonderful. This was my first year as a mentor and I the Mr. Watson for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of the program. The program is a blessing in disguise. ETC not only helps keep the community clean but it teaches our young people to better themselves. To let them know they can be anything in life with hard work and determination. To let them know that education is key. I work for a school district so I monitor kids every day in some sort of way. I’ve learned a lot from out ETC children this summer and I hope they learned something from me.

Thanks 

Leslie Dixon 

· Shawn Lee, Behavioral Manager at River Rock Academy

 First, I would like to thank Mr. Watson and Mr. Manns for the privilege to work with ETC program. I see why Mr. Watson is so passionate about the program and the impact we can have on our kids and the community. As the leadership team, we have a great opportunity to role model and build positive relationships with our teens. What started out as a part-time summer job quickly turned into an opportunity to guide fresh young minds. Since the end of summer, I have seen the ETC youth playing sports, working, playing in the band etc., and have been able to have genuine conversations with a group of kids I may not have interacted with if it wasn't for ETC. I look forward to returning next summer and I will be thinking of ways to improve on an already dynamic program.  

· Christina Johnson, Senior at the University of Toledo

This summer is my second summer working for the Harrisburg Housing Authority program and I will say each year gets better. The first year I was a little nervous to work with teenagers but I knew it would be a great experience for me and, also a great experience for the teenagers. I wanted to help give knowledge to the teenagers on life decisions and from my experience how to stay on a successful path. I loved the experience so much I had to come back and do the program again. Getting to know all these talented kids and helping them to become young men and young women was the best part of my summer. We had some hot long days with picking up trash, painting fire hydrants, and weeding some gardens but we also watched a lot of motivational movies, we did some team building activities, and got to taste some awesome food around our city. This program not only helped us come together as a team to make our community a better place it helped me grow as a person. Although I was the mentor this summer the teens had also taught me life long lessons. For example, the teenagers that was in the program in the previous year taught me the seven habits and even quizzed me to make sure I knew them so I could teach the incoming teenagers. I believe this program will go very far and we will have more successful young men and women then ever coming out of Harrisburg Pennsylvania. I hope I get the chance to mentor the teens this upcoming summer.

· Michael Hodge, S.A.I.P Coordinator at Lebanon High School

I truly enjoyed working with the ETC Program last summer.  It was something that I have never been a part of and something that other cities should look to emulate.  It was a joy to see the young people of ETC take pride in cleaning up their city and working together for a common goal.  I saw many of the ETC workers show growth in maturity and experience in such a short period of time.  I believe most of the ETC workers are better people as a result of working in the program and will continue to grow and be productive members of our society.  I pray that the program will continue to grow and be successful.
 

Thanks again for the opportunity!

Michael T. Hodge

· Olufunmilayo Afolabi, Sophomore at HACC

I have worked for the ETC leadership program. It was a joy working there. I have seen teenagers walk in the program and walked out a completely different person with a better attitude. Some have a business mindset, carry themselves with much respect for themselves and others and are innovative to make a change for the world. Mentoring teens was one thing I really enjoyed doing. I was able to do what I loved at this job. And not only that, I was able to use the seven habits theme which contributed a lot of knowledge to help build the teens mindsets into maturity and having a better walk in life. With that, I will forever support the ETC leadership program. "ETC on three, ETC!"

· Aviane Chase, Customer Service at Comcast

Mentoring for the summer work program was one of my greatest challenges as well as accomplishments. The day by day learning experiences we had with the young men and women were always teachable moments. From trying to engrave sturdy habits into the teens to trying to also give them a shoulder to lean on when needed. We don’t just look at the program to end in the summer, we want the kids to take the program habits into school, home, out of town and fix it to be in their mind 24/7. When mentoring, you make yourself available to these kids in a way that can make them look at you as a big brother/sister; and to some, a teacher. It’s a serious position of leadership because you are trying to help guide the teens to become our new generation of doctors, entrepreneurs, mechanics, etc. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this wonderful team of leaders.
 

“To education a person in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.”

~Theodore Roosevelt

There is little debate that one of the major challenges for a teen is his/her ability to control and understand his/her emotions. With this in mind, Mr. Watson incorporated mandatory study lessons from the book, “7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens.” In addition to having the teens memorize and recite the habits each day, the teens had personal workbooks to complete; twice a week the teens were instructed on how to apply the habits to help them successfully complete the program and how to incorporate them into their daily lives. After five years of using the Seven Habits philosophy, we truly believe it has been the foundation of our success. Note: Out of 100 teens who started the program, 99 successfully complete the entire program. Below is prescription of how the Seven Habits helped our teens:

· Be Proactive. The teens took responsibility for being at work on time, were dressed in proper attire and were prepared to work to the best of their ability every single day.

· Begin with End in Mind. The teens understood that regardless of whether they completed program or not, August 18th 2018 (the last day of the program) would still come. They had a choice to complete the program and receive a full stipend or not complete the program and receive a partial stipend. Ninety nine out of 100 chose to complete the full program.

· Put First Things First. The teens understood that the Summer Growth Program was their number one priority, and understood the importance of being at work every day without excuses. 

· Think Win-Win. The teens understood that if they worked hard together to keep the community clean, they would get paid their full stipend at the end of the program. They got paid a stipend and the community got cleaned – a win –win.

· Seek first to understand, then to be understood. Every year, at the beginning of the program, we had a lot of blurters. However, overtime, the teens began to develop respectful listening.  From listening to speakers to listening to their friends, we made a conscious effort to make sure there was silence when someone spoke.

· Synergize. Everything we do in the program involves teamwork, and the teens understood that if their teams worked together, they achieved more in less time. 

· Sharpen the Saw. Stress is living in the past and worrying about the future. We taught the teens the importance of renewing themselves every day. Regardless of how hard they worked, they understood that every day was a new day. Every morning they were asked, “Did you renew yourself?”

"One of the marvelous things about community is that it enables us to welcome and help people in a way we couldn't as individuals." 

~ Jean Vanier

One of the main objectives was to get the teens to understand how important it was to keep their own community clean and help beautify the City.  As in the first four years, in the beginning, the inexperienced thought if we clean, other people would just dirty it up again.  They were so used to seeing dirty neighborhoods that they were desensitized to seeing trash and litter on the ground.  This year was different.  The teens came into the program expecting to keep the streets clean and knew they were setting an example for everyone in the neighborhood.

“Food is medicine, and the right kind of relationship with food can make a positive impact on your health.

~Hayley Hobson

For the fifth year, our Learning Lunch Program provided a healthy education to our teens about the importance of healthy eating.  This program was designed to teach the teen's healthy eating habits, restaurant etiquette, and how different cultures and people at differing income levels viewed food.  The Learning Lunch Program was also designed to give back to City owned restaurants.  

This year, with 100 teens, they were separated into eight teams with a mentor supervising each team.  They were dispersed at eight different restaurants and then would rotate to a different restaurant the following week.  

The teens dined at the following restaurants: Crawdaddy's, Mother's Sub, Rookie's, Firehouse, Brother's Pizza, Passage to India, Subway and Las Delicias.

  "The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary." 

~ Vince Lombardi

We designated Tuesdays for environmental and educational tours and Fridays for successful inspirational speakers. The purpose of the speakers and environmental tours was to share life leadership skills development and career opportunities. We had the following speakers share their knowledge and expertise with the teens:

· Our first speaker was Brandon Flood. Policy and Reporting Specialist for Bureau of Diversity, inclusion and Small Business Opportunities.

· Our second speaker was Ben Bragg. Owner and founder of DYMPASH cleaning services.

· Our third speaker was Patricia Robinson. CEO/Author/Speaker – Personal and Professional Transformation Coach.

· Our fourth speaker was Lamonte Jones. Entrepreneur and community activist. 

· Our fifth speaker was Ronald Goodrich. Manage at McClure Company.

· Our sixth speaker was Honorable Sonya McKnight. Magisterial District Judge.

· Our seventh speaker was Rev. James Lyles. CEO & President of Youth Programs & Ministries.

· Our eighth speaker was Dr. Eric Holmes. Author of the book, Power of the Seed.

· Our ninth speak was Ryan Korn. Director of Secondary School Services at Harrisburg University.

  “Not everything we face can be changed. But nothing can be changed unless we face it.”

~James Baldwin

Twice per week, Mr. Watson and two mentors would teach lessons using the college atmosphere setting to educate our teens about the basic skills of how to live a productive life.  We taught and had group discussions about the following lessons: 

1.  Gratitude

2.  Healthy Relationships

3.  Emotional Intelligence

4.  How Money Works

5.  The Power of Public Speaking 

6.  Excellence

7.  Sexual Health

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." 

~ Nelson Mandela

Two years ago, the Harrisburg Housing Authority teamed up with the Individual Commons Foundation to provide a self-study college readiness program for our teens. The program is called Ontrack to Post-secondary education. The program is designed to be completed throughout the school year, but our teens completed it during the summer. This year we had 94 teens participate in the program. This incredible program helped prepare our teens for the following: 

· How to succeed in high school. Ontrack’s high school success modules helped our teens with important tasks like note-taking and test-taking, and they also covered soft skills like how to deal with bullies or manage their time to get everything done that they need to.

· Help discover Post-Secondary options. Once they’re doing great in high school, they can start to look ahead at their post-secondary possibilities. These include four-year colleges, two-year colleges, technical and trade schools. They not only explained what these are and how they can apply to them, but also helped them figure out which of these options is the best fit to help them find a great, satisfying career.

· How to finance their future. Once they know what type of school they’ll be attending, they’ll need to know how to pay for it. Ontrack doesn’t want you finishing your post-secondary degree and having hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. They’ll take you through scholarships, grants, the FAFSA, and state financial aid programs to let you know the variety of ways you can get money that you won’t have to pay back after finishing your degree.