NEW APPROACH FOR NEW DAY
Nonprofit focuses on clients’ motivation to reach their goals
Nonprofit for youths plans to use mentors, other resources to tap into clients’ motivation.
Savannah says New Day Youth and Family Services helped her find her “spark,” or her sense of purpose. The 16-year-old told the crowd at a news conference that before getting help at New Day, she was skipping class and getting bad grades. But two years with the nonprofit and she is on track with school and will even be able to graduate early.
On Tuesday, New Day announced new programs and a revamped approach to help youths with the goal of creating more success stories like Savannah’s.
Steve Johnson, executive director of New Day, said their new approach is based on helping kids find their intrinsic motivation, their “spark.” That is the first step in helping them reach their goals.
He said it’s not enough to provide a suite of external resources if students aren’t where they need to be internally.
New Day says that spark — in combination with a team of mentors and other resources to help youth — will be crucial in helping them thrive.
At the Tuesday news conference, the nonprofit, which helps people ages 11 to 22, described three new initiatives it will be running, with funding from Bernalillo County.
Commissioner Maggie HartStebbins formally announced that a new drop-in center will be open at the end of October. The center will provide an informal and proactive way to introduce people to services at New Day. Those services will now include life skills coaching, which was launched about six months ago, and “High Fidelity WrapAround.”.
The life skills coaching program will provide kids with job, college, relationship and networking advice and resources.
And the local “High Fidelity Wrap-Around” will be based on a national model that is geared toward youth with more intensive needs through community building and focusing on individuals’ strengths.