Youth Success Strategies Conference at Georgia Aquarium

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Sep 16, 2010, 01:00 ET

ATLANTA, Sept. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Georgia Mentoring Partnership, Georgia Parental Information & Resource Center, Adolescent Family Life Project, AmeriCorps, and AmeriCorps VISTA, in partnership with Communities In Schools of Georgia, are conducting a joint conference to provide educational resources and help participants better serve at-risk students. The event is open to anyone who wants to learn more about mentoring, parent engagement, dropout prevention and other youth development strategies. Participants will learn how innovative ideas and techniques can help establish and maintain effective school and community-based programs. The conference will focus on six of the fifteen strategies identified by the National Dropout Prevention that have a positive impact on high school graduation rates. Visit www.cisga.org for more details and registration information.

WHAT: Youth Success Strategies Conference

WHO: Individuals and organizations working with at-risk students

WHERE: Georgia Aquarium

WHEN: Monday, September 27 - Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Event topic highlights and speakers include:

Choice Bus workshop, Philip Christian and Shelley Stewart; two sessions, Tuesday, September 28, 9-10:15 a.m. and 10:30-11:45 a.m. The Choice Bus is an experience-based learning tool designed as a half prison cell and classroom and will be open for tours after each workshop. The bus will give visitors a more realistic idea of the consequences of bad decisions when students drop out of school and end up in jail.
Harlem Children's Zone workshop, Principal of the Promise Academy, Dennis McKesey; two sessions, Tuesday, September 28 1:15-2:30 p.m. and 2:45-4 p.m.
Judge Glenda Hatchett, keynote luncheon speaker, Monday, September 27
Dennis McKesey, Principal of the Promise Academy – Harlem Children's Zone, keynote luncheon speaker, Tuesday, September 28

Communities In Schools is the nation's largest dropout prevention organization. CIS partners with local school districts and community organizations to connect needed resources and services to kids and families. In Georgia, 41 CIS local affiliates and 19 Performance Learning Centers^® (PLCs) provide services to more than 170,000 students in 54 school districts. Key initiatives include mentoring, parent education, tutoring, literacy, after-school programs, youth leadership, and PLCs. PLCs are geared toward high school students who are not succeeding in the traditional school setting. Communities sponsoring CIS programs have seen an increase in their school graduation rates, a decrease in violence and disruptions, and an increase in attendance and academic achievement. For more information, visit www.cisga.org.

SOURCE Communities In Schools