Tacoma Community Boat Builders Inc

TACOMA BOAT BUILDERS TBB OFFERS MENTORING PROGRAMS FOR COURT-INVOLVED AND OTHER UNDERSERVED YOUTH BY PAIRING PARTICIPANTS ONE-TO-ONE WITH ADULT MENTORS. AS A COMMUNITY-BASED SOCIAL INTERVENTION PROGRAM WE USE A POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT APPROACH TO LEARNING OFFERING HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE THROUGH WOOD-WORKING BOAT BUILDING AND ON-WATER ACTIVITIES.

WHEN YOUTH COME TO TBB THEY ARE PAIRED ONE-ON-ONE WITH STAFF OR VOLUNTEER MENTOR CRAFTSPERSONS. WE EMPHASIZE SKILL-BUILDING DEVELOPING COMPETENCIES AND SELF-ADVOCACY FOR EACH YOUTH. FOR THIS REASON EACH PARTICIPANT DETERMINES WHAT THEY WANT TO FOCUS ON SUCH AS AN INDIVIDUAL PROJECT BUILDING MAKING SOMETHING GOING OUT IN A BOAT ETC THE STAFF AND MENTORS ARE THERE TO GUIDE AND COACH EACH YOUTH SO THAT THEY ACHIEVE A SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME. STAFF AND VOLUNTEER MENTORS RECEIVE REGULAR DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FACING THE YOUTH SERVED BY OUR ORGANIZATION. IN 2021-22 AS EVIDENCE OF THE IMPACT OF THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC ON YOUTH EMERGED TBB ENGAGED IN A SIGNIFICANT SHIFT IN ITS STAFFING MODEL TO SUPPORT THE CHANGING NEEDS OF THE YOUTH SERVED. NEW STAFF ROLES WERE DEVELOPED AND PROGRAM FORMATS WERE SHIFTED TO ACCOMMODATE THE INCREASED NEEDS FOR SUPPORT EXPRESSED BY THE YOUTH SERVED AT TBB. WE CONTINUE TO ENJOY THE SUPPORT OF 23 VOLUNTEERS WHO SHARED 1900 HOURS SUPPORTING THE BOAT SHOP OPERATIONS AND PROGRAMMING. THE TARGETED INTERVENTION TBB PROVIDES IS BASED ON THE PRINCIPLES OF POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT FOCUSING ON THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF YOUTH RATHER THAN ON PROBLEMS AND OR DEFICITS. THE OVERALL GOAL WITH THE TBB PROGRAM HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO GIVE YOUTH THE COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORT THEY NEED TO THRIVE NOT JUST IN OUR PROGRAM BUT ALSO IN LIFE. TBB PROGRAM OBJECTIVES ARE TIED CLOSELY TO WORK DONE SINCE 2015 THROUGH THE YOUTH PROGRAM QUALITY INITIATIVE YPQ. THE YPQ EVALUATIONS ARE OUTCOMES DRIVEN AND TIED CLOSELY TO WELL DOCUMENTED BEST PRACTICES FOR EFFECTIVE POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT. THE PROCESS OF ASSESSMENT PLANNING AND IMPROVEMENT HAS PROVIDED TBB WITH AN EVALUATIVE FRAMEWORK THAT STRENGTHENS AND IMPROVES ITS PROGRAM PROGRESSIVELY OVER TIME. TBB CONSISTENTLY SCORES HIGH IN THE DOMAINS OF SAFE ENVIRONMENT SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION AND ENGAGEMENT. INCREASED EMPHASIS ON SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING IN OUR PROGRAMMING OUTCOMES AND EVALUATIVE IS A MAJOR PILAR OF THE WORK AS WE SUPPORT THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF YOUTH PARTICIPANTS. OUR CORE PROGRAMS SERVE YOUTH 12-18 YEARS OF AGE WHO ARE - OR HAVE BEEN - CONNECTED TO THE JUVENILE COURT SYSTEM OR AT HIGH RISK FOR OTHER NEGATIVE IMPACTS FROM SYSTEMS INVOLVEMENT. WHILE YOUTH ARE ORIGINALLY ASSIGNED TO TBB FOR 8 WEEK PROGRAMS MANY CHOOSE TO CONTINUE THEIR TIME IN THE SHOP. THE DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN TO THEM AND YOUTH ARE ENCOURAGED TO STAY CONNECTED TO THE PROGRAMS AND THE ORGANIZATION WHICH RESEARCH SHOWS INCREASES THEIR CHANCES FOR LONG-TERM SUCCESS. FOR SERVICES TBB CAN'T PROVIDE DIRECTLY TARGETED REFERRALS ARE MADE TO YOUTH-SERVING ORGANIZATIONS IN THE COMMUNITY WITH WHOM TBB HAS BUILT STRONG RELATIONSHIPS. PROGRAM SERVICE ACCOMPLISHMENTS INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING FOR 2021-22: SERVING 145 UNDUPLICATED YOUTH WHO ARE BOTH COURT CONNECTED AND EXPERIENCING HOUSELESSNESS IN PIERCE COUNTY. 133 OF THOSE YOUTH WERE NEW REFERRALS WITH THE REMAINING 12 CONTINUING ON AS ALUMNI. THE OVERALL SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION RATE FOR COURT-CONNECTED YOUTH IS AT 86%. OF THE TOTAL YOUTH SERVED 42% WERE YOUTH PARTICIPATING IN PROGRAMMING WHILE DETAINED AT REMANN HALL JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER IN PIERCE COUNTY. AS PART OF OUR CONTINUED EFFORT TO OFFER PREVENTION OPPORTUNITIES TBB EXPANDED ITS REFERRING AGENCY PARTNERSHIPS FOR ALL PROGRAMS AND OFFERED NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR MISSION-ALIGNED YOUTH-SERVING COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO JOIN US FOR COMMUNITY BOATING SUMMER POP-UP OPPORTUNITIES AND OUR SHARP SISTERS DAY-CAMP OFFERED TO FEMALE IDENTIFYING YOUTH RESIDING IN TACOMA PIERCE COUNTY. ON AVERAGE TBB CONSISTENTLY SERVES 50-53% CULTURAL ETHNIC MINORITY REPRESENTATION IN OUR PROGRAMS; 2021-22 WAS NO EXCEPTION WITH THE FOLLOWING RACIAL-ETHNIC BREAKDOWN: BLACK: 34% PACIFIC ISLANDER: 1% MIXED: 13% HISPANIC: 12% ASIAN: 3% NATIVE AMERICAN: 1% AND WHITE: 36%. NOTABLY REFERRALS OF WHITE YOUTH ARE DOWN BY 11% AND BLACK YOUTH DECREASED BY 5% WHILE MIXED RACE AND HISPANIC YOUTH REFERRALS REACHED 25% COMPARED WITH 6% IN 2021. IN ADDITION TO THE 145 UNDUPLICATED YOUTH 12 ALUMNI YOUTH ARE WELCOMED TO CONTINUE ATTENDING SESSIONS WHERE THEY FURTHER DEVELOP THE SKILLS RELATIONSHIPS AND CAPABILITIES THAT ONLY TIME AND EXPERIENCE CAN DEEPEN. PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM STAFF MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO OFFER GREATER INDIVIDUALIZED SUPPORT FOR YOUTH IN NEED OF GUIDANCE AND ADVOCACY FOR CLOSING THEIR CASES WITH THE COURTS COMPLETING THEIR SECONDARY EDUCATION SUPPORT IN DEVELOPING AND ACHIEVING GOALS AS WELL AS SUPPORT FOR CHALLENGES THEY MAY BE FACING IN OTHER IMPORTANT DOMAINS OF THEIR LIVES.