Training and Technical Assistance

In 2008 New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) developed a strategic vision for the improvement of its middle schools, known as The Campaign for Middle School Success. This is a multi-year, strategic approach to closing achievement gaps and increasing student academic achievement with frameworks for schools to apply with flexibility. It provided 70 middle schools, chosen through a competitive grant application process, with grants that would finance their improvement planning.

In Chiangrai Province in Thailand, EDC and the Association for Community and Ecology Development will assist families affected by HIV/AIDS or extreme poverty to reduce household expenses and generate sustainable incomes to fulfill their basic household needs and cover their children’s education. Sixty families with children will be trained to enhance their entrepreneurial knowledge and vocational skills. Seed funds will be provided to each family to start income generating activities.

In an effort to fight cancer, EDC is working with the American Cancer Society’s corporate partners to develop assessments and training materials that will benefit employees and their families. The messages and services they will receive, such as tobacco cessation and nutrition counseling, aim to help them manage or prevent chronic or terminal diseases like cancer.

EDC HHD Asia was selected by Hewlett Packard as a Center of Excellence in Asia Pacific for Micro-Enterprise Development Programs in April 2008. As a Center of Excellence, EDC will be managing and supporting 58 Microenterprise Development Centers (MEDCs) in countries such as China, India, New Zealand, Cambodia, Indonesia and Vietnam, amongst many others. EDC will manage the Web portal posting information on new developments in regional economies, providing access to training curriculum and forums for MEDCs to share their best practices to support the growth of Micro Enterprises.

Eyes on Bullying is a national, multimedia bullying prevention program designed to provide parents and caregivers with user-friendly and effective ways to learn the essential principles of bullying prevention. The multimedia program, initially developed for IBM employees, includes a 42-page Toolkit with key information, resources, and six skill-building activities for caregivers and parents to use with children.

EDC has provided support to the VA National Center for Ethics through their IntegratedEthics Initiative which focuses on ensuring that the VA’s health care practices are consistent with widely accepted ethical standards, norms, and expectations for conduct. EDC staff created the learning design and executed the development of workshop materials, print, video, and online tools to support and sustain this major organizational change program. IntegratedEthics workshops have been delivered on a regional and Veteran Integrated Service Networks level.

OJJDP created a national effort to enhance the development of mentoring programs for youth involved in the juvenile justice system, juvenile reentry, and foster care. This initiative promotes collaboration among community organizations and agencies committed to supporting mentoring services for system-involved youth. Its objective is to identify and support the development of new and effective mentoring programs and determine how to expand these models for system involved youth.

Building Collaboration for Mental Health Services in California Schools is an initiative funded by the California Department of Education through California’s Mental Health Services Act. This project aims to engage mental health and education professionals in an effective planning process to prepare for implementing California’s Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) in schools.

This technical assistance center serves 10 local communities working to reduce and prevent youth substance abuse by increasing understanding and practice of evidence-based strategies and collaboration between communities. Methods include monthly trainings, regional facilitation with community leaders, e-newsletters, a Web portal and local community coaching.

The Tribal Youth Program (TYP) Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA) Center addresses the need to strengthen American Indian and Alaska Native juvenile justice and other systems–education, mental health and social services, culture, recreation and employment programs–all critical to Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s mission of reducing juvenile delinquency, violence, child victimization, and increasing the safety of tribal communities.