Texas Youth Commission
Volunteer Services
& Community Involvement
FY 2002 Annual Report
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND
PHILOSOPHY
AND MISSION
ANNUAL
REPORT
Each TYC program has a volunteer services
component administered by a qualified Community Relations Coordinator. The
coordinator functions under the direct supervision of the institutional
superintendent or quality assurance administrator.
A COMMUNITY RESPONDS
GIVING
BACK TO THE COMMUNITY
STATEWIDE CONFERENCE
PRIMARY VOLUNTEERS INITIATIVES
Mentoring Services
Tutoring Services
Chaplaincy Services
Community Resource Councils
Business Plan 2003
Conclusion [placed into html by Dr.
M.G. Maness]
INTRODUCTION
Millions of Americans
volunteer every year. Independent Sector’s1 2001 Survey indicates that 44% of adults – 83.9 million
individuals – formally volunteer for groups or organizations, rendering with
their service a value estimated at $239 billion in 2001. A less known fact is that 25 to 30% of this
volunteer labor is directed to government. National surveys report that a third
or more of all state agencies have the engagement of volunteers. Volunteer
participation is very expressive in Texas State Government. There are more than
200,000 individuals volunteering in the delivery of services in Texas.
According to Rehnborg, Fallon
and Hinerfeld2, Texas state agencies utilize “four organization models
to facilitate the delivery of volunteer service. Centralized models appear to be most effective in leveraging
broad large-scale citizen participation initiatives. These models require dedicated staff at the central office and
regional levels supporting volunteerism.”
The Volunteer Services & Community Involvement Program of the Texas
Youth Commission (TYC), along with the Attorney General’s Office, Texas
Department of Criminal Justice, and Texas Department of Mental Health and
Mental Retardation, is categorized as a centralized model.
One full-time staff member,
the Administrator of Community Relations, in the central office of TYC is supported
by 18 full-time Community Relations Coordinators who are responsible for
volunteer management and other community affairs duties. The authors conclude that, while a certain
level of financial and organizational investment is required to support
volunteer services, the volunteers “significantly expand the reach of state
government, leverage scarce financial resources, and actively engage citizens
in the work of a democracy. Their
involvement generates social capital and builds carrying communities. ”
BACKGROUND
The importance of volunteers
was emphasized in an agreement approved by the federal courts when a class
action suit, Morales vs. Turman, was settled in 1984. That agreement states that:
“The Agency shall take steps to expand the use of volunteers in TYC
institutions and facilities. Volunteers
shall be utilized to expand students’ opportunities for educational and
recreational experiences, to provide students with increased social
interactions and to assist students, as appropriate, in successfully completing
the treatment program.”
The Texas Youth Commission had
already recognized the inherent value of community involvement even before the
civil suit mandated that volunteers be utilized. Former TYC Executive Director Ron Jackson congratulated the West
Texas Community Advisory Council on becoming the first TYC Council to be
incorporated in a letter dated February 16, 1984. Jackson praised the community’s involvement by stating, “TYC is
fortunate to have volunteer activities and assistance from citizens like
you.” The agency’s volunteer
initiatives have expanded dramatically since that time, but the original intent
and dedication of our valuable volunteers have only become more unified.
PHILOSOPHY AND MISSION
The mission of the Texas Youth Commission's Volunteer
Services Program is to maximize community resources and utilize volunteers to
provide opportunities that enable youth to become responsible and productive
citizens. We embrace the philosophy that, through volunteers, the community has
the ability to enhance lives of youth by providing meaningful activities and
resources that promote pro-social, educational, emotional, and spiritual
growth; thus, expanding services provided by staff.
The TYC Volunteer Services Program consists of four primary initiatives for
community involvement: Mentoring, Tutoring, Community Resource Councils, and
Chaplaincy Services. It is our belief that community citizens can
dramatically influence the successful rehabilitation and reintegration of juvenile
delinquents through these four primary volunteer activities.
|
Our volunteers are a fundamental part of the
Texas Youth Commission. In FY 2002, TYC recorded 2,042 active
volunteers on its roster. 2002 TYC Volunteer Demographic Report
|
||
|
Categories |
|
|
|
Community
Volunteer |
87% |
|
|
Employee-Volunteer |
6% |
|
|
Intern
Student |
7% |
|
|
Age |
19-20 |
3% |
|
21-30 |
16% |
|
|
31-40 |
14% |
|
|
41-50 |
22% |
|
|
51-60 |
19% |
|
|
61-65 |
8% |
|
|
Over 65 |
13% |
|
|
Youngest |
18 |
|
|
Oldest |
92 |
|
|
Average |
47 |
|
|
Employment Status |
Retired |
8% |
|
Student |
2% |
|
|
Unemployed |
2% |
|
|
Works full
time |
36% |
|
|
Works
part-time |
2% |
|
|
Gender |
Female |
50% |
|
Male |
45% |
|
|
Marital Status |
Married |
59% |
|
Single |
32% |
|
|
Ethnicity |
African-American |
15% |
|
Asian |
0% |
|
|
Caucasian |
63% |
|
|
Hispanic |
14% |
|
|
Other |
1% |
|
ANNUAL REPORT
The Association for Volunteer Administration convened an international
working group on the profession of volunteer administration in Canada during
2001, with representation from Argentina, Bangladesh, Canada, England, Hungary,
Israel, Mauritius, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, Scotland, and the United States. This group produced a Universal
Declaration on the Profession of Leading and Managing Volunteers3. This declaration is reprinted in segments
throughout this annual report with the hope that TYC employees will become more
aware of the value of volunteer involvement to our agency and the incredible
contributions of our own Community Relations Coordinators.
“As the international professional association
for volunteer leadership, the Association for Volunteer Administration
envisions a world in which the lives of individuals and communities are
improved by the positive impact of volunteer action. This vision can best be achieved when there are people who make
it their primary responsibility to provide leadership in the management of
volunteer resources, whether in the community or within organizations. These leaders are most effective when they
have the respect and support of their communities and/or their organizations,
appropriate resources and the opportunity to continually develop their
knowledge and skills. With the growth of volunteering worldwide there is a
recognition that the time and contribution of volunteers must be respected, and
that their work must benefit both volunteers and the causes and organizations
they serve. Thus, we affirm and support
the Universal Declaration on Volunteering – which states ‘Volunteering is
a fundamental building block of civil society. It brings to life the
noblest aspirations of humankind – the pursuit of peace, freedom, opportunity,
safety and justice for all people…. At the dawn of the new millennium,
volunteering is an essential element of all societies.’”
Those who manage the
dynamic force of volunteers within the Texas Youth Commission are committed to
excellence and the ideals held by the Association for Volunteer
Administration. Our agency’s Community
Relations Coordinators (formerly referred to as Volunteer Coordinators) are
highly skilled in personnel management, public relations, marketing, team
building, non-profit management, and program development. The success demonstrated throughout this
annual report is a direct result of the professionalism and hard work shown by
these individuals:
|
Melissa Burney |
Dotty Luera |
Patricia Wyman |
Raul Arredondo |
|
Rene Fonseca |
Fidel Garcia |
Bill Bradbury |
Demetris McDaniel |
|
Rose Chaisson |
Tanya Rosas |
Melisa Perkins |
Dagmar Poteet |
|
Santiago Flores |
Jean Bice |
Donna Garcia |
Denise Kennedy |
|
Connie Redford |
Roberto Ruiz |
Vickie White |
|
We share our success with many others throughout the agency
who assist in managing volunteer services – particularly the designated
volunteer coordinators in our nine halfway houses, and the institutional
Chaplains. They have also contributed
much time and effort to integrate volunteer services into the TYC
rehabilitation program.
“As volunteering has expanded globally, the
need has emerged for strong leadership and management of volunteers.
Increasingly, this is recognized as a professional role. Directors of Volunteers promote change, solve
problems, and meet human needs by mobilizing and managing volunteers for the
greatest possible impact. Directors of
Volunteers aspire to:
·
Act in
accordance with high professional standards.
·
Build commitment
to a shared vision and mission.
· Develop and match volunteer talents, motivations, time availability and
differing contributions with satisfying opportunities.
·
Guide volunteers
to success in actions that are meaningful to both the individual and the cause
they serve.
·
Help develop and
enhance an organizing framework for volunteering.”
A COMMUNITY RESPONDS
Texas communities have historically been very generous
and supportive of TYC facilities and youth.
The collaborative relationship between the Texas Youth Commission and
our communities was further validated during fiscal year 2002 as records
indicated yet another increase in volunteer involvement and contributions. Texas citizens
provided 128,113 hours of volunteer service, valued
at $1,976,098. During last year,
2,042 registered volunteers and innumerable groups were involved in the
delivery of these services.
Other in-kind and cash donations brought the
FY 2002 contributions to a grand total of $2,319,019. All of these donations supplemented the
resources provided by the state and solely benefited the youth served by
TYC. Examples of donations include
library books, educational and behavioral incentives, family transportation
assistance, holiday and cultural celebrations, clothing, scholarships, etc.
We began fiscal year 2002 with several daunting goals –
all but one was fully attained. We
sought to develop a standard volunteer training manual for implementation
statewide. By the end of the year, a
draft of the standardized training manual had been developed. We anticipate completing the training manual
by the Spring of 2003 and plan to begin disseminating the new manual to all TYC
facilities by the end of FY03.
A goal that was achieved was the increase of volunteer
involvement in parole programs by 150%.
SUCCEEDED! The number of volunteer service hours in
parole offices increased by 161% to 9,551 during FY02 – up from 5,923
the year before. The success resulting
from other goals determined last year are highlighted in the next pages.
Community Relations Coordinators were very busy in public
education and marketing activities. During FY02, the following community
outreach was reported – 659 tours, 245 community
education & recruitment programs, 437 volunteer services training sessions,
reaching a total of 20,912 citizens.
Universities across Texas continue to recognize our
facilities as quality field placement sites and send volunteer interns to
sharpen their skills under the guidance of our trained staff. During FY02, 166
college interns contributed 15,989 hours of paraprofessional services to
our programs. The Evins Regional
Juvenile Center had an overwhelmingly large number of active interns among TYC
institutions last year – with 71 individuals contributing 5,060 hours. McFadden Ranch was the largest practicum
field site among halfway houses with 12 interns working 1,010 hours.
GIVING
BACK TO THE
COMMUNITY
Youth in institutions, halfway houses, and on parole
contributed thousands of community service hours during FY02 – service that
improved the quality of life in Texas communities.
Community service remains a critical component of TYC parole. The intrinsic value of giving back to one’s
community continues to be instilled in our youth. Projects include, but are
certainly not limited to, Toys for Tots, Habitat for Humanity, Adopt-a-Highway,
city beautification activities, anti-drug and prevention program in public
schools, food and fan drives, and beach clean-ups.
One of the highlights of fiscal year 2002 was
the first annual presentation of the President’s Student
Service Awards to 35 TYC youth, who together contributed a total of 5,756
unmandated hours of service over and above those required by their
parole programs.
State Senator Royce West and TYC Executive Director Steve Robinson
presented the President’s Gold Award to the youth, consisting of a lapel pin
specially designed by the White House and a certificate signed by the
President. Two TYC
youth were also presented a $1,000 college scholarship,
sponsored jointly by the State Volunteer Resource Council for Texas Youth and
the Corporation for National and Community Service. The two scholarship recipients were selected from among six youth
who submitted essays exploring the issue of the value of serving others. The President’s Student Service Award and Scholarships,
White House initiatives, are intended to recognize, reward, and encourage
activities that have a significant impact in meeting the needs of local
communities.
Below are the hours of community service
performed by TYC youth in halfway houses, parole offices, and institutions
across the state:
|
FY02 REPORTED HOURS: |
FY01 Reported Hours: |
FY00 Reported Hours: |
|||
|
Halfway Houses: |
79,293 |
Halfway Houses: |
77,958 |
Halfway Houses: |
69,216 |
|
Parole Offices: |
91,193 |
Parole Offices: |
98,927 |
Parole Offices: |
88,655 |
|
Institutions: |
10,057 |
Institutions: |
13,073 |
Institutions: |
19,527 |
|
TOTAL HOURS: |
180,541 |
Total
Hours: |
189,958 |
Total
Hours: |
177,457 |
STATEWIDE CONFERENCE
The Texas Youth Commission and the State Volunteer
Resource Council in May co-sponsored the largest statewide volunteer conference
in eighteen years. Three hundred volunteers and employees of TYC attended the
three-day event held in Grapevine.
This year’s conference was themed “Volunteers Bringing Harmony to All”
and provided training and networking opportunities designed especially for the
volunteers throughout TYC. The McFadden
Community Advisory Council hosted the successful conference. Connie Redford, TYC’s community relations
coordinator in the Northern Service Area, and Stacey Strait, McFadden Council’s
conference planning committee chair, directed the local planning efforts of
numerous volunteers and staff.
At the opening workshop, a panel of six youth,
representing Willoughby and McFadden Ranch Halfway Houses and Ft. Worth Parole,
shared their personal experiences in the juvenile justice system and their
plans for a successful future. Twelve
other workshops, taught by experts in the fields of volunteerism, nonprofit
management, and education, were provided on Saturday. Two Saturday general sessions featured presentations by American
Correctional Association noted-author and criminal justice expert Daniel J.
Bayse, and author and acclaimed speaker Brad Fregger. The conference culminated with the Annual Awards Brunch during
which outstanding volunteer contributions were highlighted. Senator Royce West, of Dallas, was the
featured keynote speaker during the awards ceremony. The 2003 Statewide Volunteer Conference will be held at the
Houston J.W. Marriott Hotel on May 30-June 1.
In addition to the statewide agency conference, our
Community Relations Coordinators met together for two other extended training sessions
led by the Administrator of Community Relations. One of these training sessions was scheduled in conjunction with
the annual Governor’s Volunteer Leadership Conference – the state’s premier
training for volunteer administrators in Texas.
“Directors of Volunteers mobilize and support
volunteers to engage in effective action that addresses specified needs. As
Directors of Volunteers we strive to:
·
Be innovative
agents for change and progress.
·
Be passionate
advocates for volunteering.
·
Welcome diverse
contributions and ideas.
·
Develop trusting
and positive work environments in which volunteers and other resources are
effectively engaged and empowered.
·
Ensure the
safety and security of volunteers.
·
Develop networks
and facilitate partnerships to achieve desired results.
·
Be guided by,
and committed to the goals and ideals of the cause/mission
towards which we are working and to continually expand our knowledge and
skills.
·
Communicate
sensitively and accurately the context, rationale, and purpose of the work we
are doing.
·
Learn from
volunteers and others in order to improve the quality of our work”
PRIMARY VOLUNTEERS
INITIATIVES
Perhaps the most important strategic goal determined last
fiscal year was to develop quality mentoring and tutoring programs where none
exists in each institution and halfway house, and where feasible, in service
areas. SUCCEEDED! Mentoring programs now exist in all TYC
institutions except Marlin and Sheffield – where it remains either infeasible
or impractical. These institutional
mentoring programs produced 7,200 hours of service during FY02, with a monetary
value of services of $111,104.
Mentoring programs now exist in 6 of the 8 halfway houses (York and Schaeffer
are excluded), and in all service areas producing 6,741 hours of service with
the value of $103,960 last year. Across
the agency, 290 volunteer Mentors were involved in the
delivery of these services.
Three programs utilized mentoring Team Leaders. Total
mentoring hours, including the Team Leader contributions, totaled 14,568 valued
at $224,749. Mentoring services
represents 11% of the total volunteer contribution to the agency.
Tutoring programs now exist in all TYC institutions
except Vernon and Marlin. Although
these services are not feasible at Marlin, the Vernon facility has already
begun taking steps to implement the services.
During FY02, the academic department at Vernon was without a principal
and it was determined to be in the facility’s best interest to put the program
on hold until the academic department was back to routine operations. These institutional tutoring programs
produced 2,959 hours of service valued at $45,555. Despite the fact that our halfway houses tend to contract all
educational services out to the local school districts (including tutoring),
four halfway houses implemented additional volunteer-led tutoring services,
producing 229 hours of service valued at $3,551. Total tutoring hours, including the Team
Leader contributions at Gainesville and Hamilton, were recorded at 3,262 and
valued at $50,250. Across the agency,
111 individuals were involved in the delivery of these services. Tutoring services represents 3% of the total
volunteer contribution to the agency.
Volunteer-led chaplaincy
services continues to be the largest facet of the TYC community involvement
program, recorded last year at 53% of total volunteer contributions. Religious needs of TYC youth could never be
fulfilled without the extraordinary and enduring commitment and involvement of
our local communities. Chaplaincy
volunteers are active at every TYC institution and halfway house. During FY02, One-thousand
registered volunteers, and innumerable other special guests and groups
contributed a total of 66,349 hours of their personal time through
group/individual study, worship services, pastoral counseling, support groups,
music, drama, and special events – valued at
$1,023,822.
Our twenty-four local Community Resource Councils
continue to provide the sound foundation upon which the volunteer program
flourishes. Over
400 individuals faithfully served these nonprofit organizations, contributing a
total of 9,853 hours of their time – valued at $151,735.
The following sections provide specific data on the
organizational and social impact made by each of these primary volunteer
initiatives during fiscal year 2002:
Mentoring Services
Impact results
for 2002 showed that youth receiving volunteer-led mentoring in institutions
were significantly less likely to be rearrested after release than youth
without a mentor. We compared the
re-arrest statistics from the youth who went through the mentoring program in
an institutional setting, with a control group of a similar size from the same
institutions. According to the data,
the mentored kids were nearly half as likely to be rearrested for an offense
one-year within their release (18.3% vs. 32.7%). Out of 104 youths that were mentored, only 19 were re-arrested,
while 34 youths from the control group were re-arrested at the same time
period. This difference was
statistically significant.
Research Methodology: The specific
strategic objective relating to the Mentoring Program development was to
demonstrate that positive impact occurs.
Prior to the beginning of last year, supplementary service codes were
established to track the effectiveness of mentoring services in regards to the
one-year rearrest rate for youth in secure settings. Our recidivism analysis looked only at youth with mentoring in
TYC institutions. The reason we didn't include the community programs is
that we track recidivism when they are released from secure to non-secure
settings. If they were in a community
program, the tracking time would start before they even get a mentor. Each of these 104 youth was matched with another youth
released from the same facility and at as close to the same date as
possible. Each youth was tracked from
release until 9/12/2002, or an average of approximately 234 days. The results showed that youth receiving
mentoring in institutions were significantly less likely to be rearrested after release than youth without an
institutional mentor. We examined
rearrest for a violent offense and reincarceration also, but there were too few
of those cases to find a significant difference
In planning for the FY03 year-end
analysis, two additional perspectives have recently been added to the mentoring
job description and specific supplementary service codes established to track
these distinct perspectives. The
primary goal of MENTORING is to develop a trusting, supportive relationship
between a mature adult and a carefully matched youth in which the youth is
encouraged to reach his/her potential, discover his/her strengths and develop
self-confidence. For FAITH-BASED
MENTORING, this primary objective is based upon religious and spiritual
principles. Personal spiritual growth
is treated as a core element in the overall development and moral guidance of
the youth. Faith-based mentoring includes the spiritual element by viewing it
as a foundation upon which to build positive change. For SPONSORSHIP MENTORING, this primary objective is based upon
the desire to remain clean and sober of drugs/alcohol. The assignment is
conditional on the youth consistently demonstrating a desire to remain clean.
The volunteer mentor will consistently
visit with the assigned youth approximately 4-8 hours each month, for a minimum
of six months. If the youth is in a TYC
halfway house or contract program, the mentoring commitment will be for the
duration of the youth’s commitment to that program/facility. The mentor will
focus on the four primary tasks of mentoring:
Ø
Establishing a
positive personal relationship,
Ø
Developing
life skills and goals,
Ø
Assisting
youth in obtaining additional resources, and
Ø
Increasing
ability to interact with other social and cultural groups.
Ø
The Faith-Based
Mentor will additionally focus on the task of developing spiritual
understanding, faith, and traditions.
Ø
The Sponsorship
Mentor will additionally focus on assisting the individual youth to become
more autonomous, face the reality of his/her addiction, encourage the
development of personal growth and spirituality and allow the youth to make
his/her own decisions.
Annual reports submitted by TYC facilities express how
mentors have been integrated into the treatment and rehabilitation
program. For example, the McLennan
County State Juvenile Correctional Facility has doubled the number of their
mentors – recruiting 31 individuals.
TYC facilities will continue to focus on increasing the number of active
mentors. The role of the TYC Mentor has become more established and valued, as
we can see in the following comments:
“The mentors reap benefits also as they enjoy the company
of their young student and realize that they truly can make a difference.” ~Patricia Wyman, Crockett Coordinator
“No one makes it in America without some kind of mentor.
Whenever successful people look back, they cite those older adults who have
influenced their development, even if they knew each other for only a short
time. For at-risk kids such as TYC youth facing steep odds against success,
finding mentors is not only helpful but essential. They can’t make it all by
themselves.” ~Denise Kennedy, ESA
Coordinator
“You would not know it is the same boy. Do you remember what he was like just a few
months before? I feel like it is because
of his mentor. All my boys do so well
with a mentor.” ~Cathy Austin, CRTC
Caseworker
“I have noticed a difference in the behavior of students
who have mentors. The behavior of these students gets better when they have a
mentor, and many students who I have talked to look forward to seeing their
mentors and really get close to them.”
~Staff Member, Brownwood State School.
Boone
Vastine, a Mentor serving at the Crockett State School, mentors his assigned
youth.
Tutoring Services
The primary goal of our agency’s educational program is
to prove each youth the opportunity to learn the maximum educational skills
possible. The greater the improvement a
youth achieves in educational skills, the better the youth is equipped for a
successful reentry into community life. Volunteer tutors greatly enhance their
work and increase a youth’s academic gain through individualized instruction
and encouragement.
Chaplaincy Services
The chaplaincy volunteers continue to be the major
contributors of TYC volunteer hours and in most of the institutions they are
the strongest component of the volunteer program. Many of our chaplaincy volunteers have been involved in our
program for several years and remain tremendously committed to the spiritual
development of our youth. Religious
communities worked cooperatively together, despite individual differences in
doctrine, to provide religious services and to allow the youth to be exposed to
many different religious and denomination.
Victory Field Correctional Academy continues to maintain
the “Adopt-A-Group Bible Study” program with 12 churches participating. These
churches adopt a platoon and take responsibility for Bible study, birthday
recognition, Christmas and help with family involvement for the each group.
These churches have been working with the same platoon since their assignment
in 1997-1998. Successful coordination of the faith-based services involved
numerous individuals including the Chaplains, Community Relations Coordinators,
Volunteer Team Leaders, and other program administrators at the facilities.
Community Resource Councils
The twenty-four Community Resource Councils, comprised of
representatives from local community, service and religious organizations,
generate community assistance, refer needs and projects to known resources, and
help inform the community of the TYC facilities’ goals, accomplishments, needs
and problems. Just a few of the
projects and activities undertaken by the Councils last year included
transportation assistance for family members, graduation receptions and other
educational incentives, capital improvement donations for TYC facilities,
holiday and cultural celebrations, volunteers recruitment and recognition
events, and youth art classes.
In FY02, Community Resource Councils accomplished a great
deal. Their fundraising goals have
achieved substantial results. The Evins Regional Juvenile Center Volunteer
Council, Inc., for example, reported raising $41,000 in community contributions
last year. Funds were raised through various types of activities including food
booths, sport events and annual solicitation campaigns. Creative initiatives
have also been used to raise funds. The Community Advisory Council for
Corsicana State Home held an event called “Celebrity Wait” in which local
personalities served as waiters at a neighborhood restaurant. Their tips, surpassing $1,000 for the night,
benefited the nonprofit organization.
Councils created innovative ways of increasing social
interactions with youth and assisting them in successfully completing the
rehabilitation program. The McFadden
Community Advisory Council developed several projects that involve youth
participation. For example, they
welcome the halfway house’s student council representative to join their monthly
meetings – cited as one of the most beneficial learning experiences for the
youth that have been able to participate. Other unique projects undertaken by
the McFadden Council were the Garden Project, the Green House, and two family
days (costing over $2500 for each weekend).
The Student Support Council for Gainesville State School started an
anger-management program led by three volunteers and has achieved significant
results in youth behaviors.
The State Volunteer Resource Council is a statewide group
of volunteers who give their time, energy and talent to fulfill its mission to
“maintain and support a system of local councils who will maximize community
resources and utilize volunteers to enable the youth of the TYC to become
productive and responsible citizens.”
The State Council envisions a system of engaged local councils at each
of the TYC facilities. Members of the Executive Committee have committed
themselves to fulfill this vision in several ways. A Resource Handbook for every local council to use with members
and volunteers will be published. There
will be an informational column in each edition of the TYC Journal. A representative from the Executive Committee
of the Council will attend each TYC Board Meeting. The Executive Committee will attend local council meetings and
events to learn about ideas or concerns of local members. Twice annually, a meeting will be scheduled
for networking, training and sharing as a council and as local volunteers.
The State Council and local councils have produced great
things that have occurred through cooperation and shared mission among the SVRC
members, the 24 local councils and chapters, and the TYC facilities and local
communities. This group of volunteers
forms an enormous enterprise that is changing lives and communities.
“Core Beliefs:
As Directors of Volunteers, we hold these beliefs
and seek to demonstrate them in our actions:
·
We believe in
the potential of people to make a difference.
·
We believe in volunteering
and its value to individuals and society.
·
We believe that
change and progress are possible.
·
We believe that
diversity in views and in voluntary contribution enriches our effort.
·
We believe that
tolerance and trust are fundamental to volunteering.
·
We believe in
the value of individual and collective action.
·
We believe in
the substantial added value represented by the effective planning, resourcing
and management of volunteers.
We also believe that we share the responsibility:
·
To manage the contributions
of volunteers with care and respect
·
To act with a
sense of fairness and equity
·
To ensure our
services are responsible and accountable, and
·
To demonstrate
the practices of honesty and integrity
The complexity of the problems the world faces
reaffirms the power of volunteering as a way to mobilize people to address
those challenges. In order for
volunteering to have the greatest impact and to be as inclusive as possible, it
must be well planned, adequately resourced and effectively managed. This
is the responsibility of Directors of Volunteers. They are most effective when their work is recognized and
supported. Therefore, we call on leaders in Government at all levels, to
invest in the sustainable development of high quality volunteer leadership and
to model excellence in the management of volunteers.”
Business Plan 2003
The Community Relations Coordinators have strived to
provide their volunteers better-planned and effective resources for serving.
Improving volunteers training and developing new tools to maximize the
volunteers’ work, like Volunteer Handbooks and Newsletters, have been a
constant concern this past year. Most significant accomplishments reported by
volunteer programs during FY02 included full implementation of mentoring
programs, expanding the membership of community resource councils, creating
dynamic partnerships in the community, paying special tribute to volunteers,
revision of the council’s bylaws and other governing documents, while improving
overall council operations, meeting 100% of ACA standards in sections regarding
volunteer involvement, having a youth receive the Presidents Student Service
Award and Scholarship, implementation of a tattoo removal program, and
extraordinary success in raising funds through the council.
Each of the TYC volunteer programs has determined local
goals for FY03 including such objectives as increasing community visibility and
the number of active volunteers in all programs, improving Family Assistance
Programs, developing partnerships and community service projects, and getting
more employees involved with the volunteer program.
The FY 2003 Overall Business Plan for Volunteer Services:
Ø To
improve overall functioning of the local volunteer resource councils, evidenced
by: ability to meet quorum at monthly meetings, council membership and
diversity among members increases across the state, attendance &
participation in SVRC meetings/activities increases, incorporation and tax
exemption status achieves and/or maintains good standing.
Ø State
Volunteer Resource Council will successfully achieve all strategic goals
identified: developing resource
handbook for council members, hosting a successful statewide conference,
attendance at TYC Board meetings, contributing articles to the TYC Journal, and
implementing an executive committee performance survey.
Ø
To complete the development of the TYC
Volunteer Training Manual and disseminate to all field programs for New
Volunteer Orientation.
Ø
To develop a TYC Mentoring Training &
Resource Manual and disseminate to all field programs for implementation.
Conclusion
Our volunteers have helped TYC expand organizational
capability, improve community relations, enhance service quality and make a
difference in the lives of thousands of youth. In order to make volunteer
contributions most effective, their efforts have to be recognized and
supported. Our Community Relations Coordinators cannot do this alone. The Texas Youth Commission invests in the
development of high quality volunteer leadership and models excellence in this
area.
We close this report with an excerpt
from the publication Investing in Volunteerism: The Impact of Service
Initiatives in Selected Texas State Agencies that sums up the single-most
important reason for the success of the TYC Volunteer Services Program: “Clearly volunteers
are indispensable to the functions of Texas State government. When well managed, state agencies leverage
the work of their volunteers to increase efficiencies and deliver sound
government and effective services to the people of Texas, they accomplish
things that simply would not happen through tax dollars and state employees
alone. Putting the time of volunteers
to good use is not only a matter of common sense and common concern, but it
also an issue of good management and adequate fiscal allocations. It does not happen on its own. It does not happen without thoughtful
attention. Volunteers may work for no
pay, but they are not free!”
Tammy Vega, Administrator of Community Relations
Natalia
Koga, LBJ School of Public Affairs Graduate Intern
For more information about
the TYC Volunteer Services Program, contact Tammy Vega, Administrator of
Community Relations at 512-424-6245 or tammy.vega@tyc.state.tx.us.
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND
PHILOSOPHY
AND MISSION
ANNUAL
REPORT
Each TYC program has a volunteer services
component administered by a qualified Community Relations Coordinator. The
coordinator functions under the direct supervision of the institutional
superintendent or quality assurance administrator.
A COMMUNITY RESPONDS
GIVING
BACK TO THE COMMUNITY
STATEWIDE CONFERENCE
PRIMARY VOLUNTEERS INITIATIVES
Mentoring Services
Tutoring Services
Chaplaincy Services
Community Resource Councils
Business Plan 2003
Conclusion