Ms. Sandy Cole, Director of UTC's Center for Community Career Education (CCCE), has secured grant funds totaling $7,000 from the Opening Doors Community Development Corporation. Ms. Cole will use these funds to continue to operate the WesTech lab and to evaluate the impact of the Weed & Seed program on the Westside Community.
Since 2001, the WesTech Community Technology Center has provided Westside residents with access to computer hardware and software and technology training activities in order to increase educational and employment opportunities available to community members.
Ms. Cole and the WesTech staff will use these funds to provide basic computer instruction and career exploration for high-school students in the Westside Community. At the end of this course, participating students will present their research on a career that aligns with their interests. The Weed & Seed project will provide incentives for the top three presentations.
Weed & Seed, an initiative sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice, aims to prevent, control, and reduce violent crime, drug abuse, and gang activity in communities across the country.
Weed & Seed involves a two-pronged approach: law enforcement agencies and prosecutors cooperate in "weeding out" violent criminals and drug abusers, and public agencies and community-based organizations collaborate to "seed" much-needed human services, including prevention, intervention, treatment, and neighborhood restoration programs.
Ms. Cole will use these funds to develop and administer a survey instrument to solicit feedback from residents regarding the impact of Weed & Seed on the Westside Community. She will provide data from this survey to Weed & Seed program officers, who will use the data to make decisions regarding future program activities.