The Fifth Ward Enrichment Program

                                                         
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Mission: To empower boys to become responsible men and productive members of their families and community.

Who We Are....
The Fifth Ward Enrichment Program (FWEP), a nonprofit organization and United Way affiliated agency. Founded in 1984, it offers to 200 inner-city African American and Latino youth more than 20 support services that deter chemical dependency, teen pregnancy, school delinquency, and dropouts, while promoting self-discipline, personal accountability, healthy lifestyles, and self-esteem. These services are provided year-round through the School-based Projects and the Teen Enterprise Center (TEC). FWEP’s adolescent boys influence all aspects of the program, based on their unique and often urgent needs. We are dedicated to empowering at-risk adolescent males, ages 12-19 in the Fifth Ward, Houston, Texas and surrounding neighborhoods.

WHAT…
The agency aims to empower adolescent males to play a more active and participatory role in the social, political, health and economic development of their community and themselves. This is accomplished through the following components:

HOW…
School-Based Project – The program is a character-building, education based, after-school and summer program for youths in HISD school sites. Students attend workshops that address important issues to everyday healthy living: current events, self-awareness, self-esteem, conflict resolution, interpersonal skills, human growth and sexuality, career exploration, and cultural awareness.

Peer Mentoring - Peer Mentors are male college students assigned to each project site in support of delivering after-school programming, life-skills, tutoring, counseling, snacks, and assistance to the site coordinator.

Teen Enterprise Center (TEC) – Providing skills and opportunities for earning is the basic focus of economic empowerment. In practice, enterprise activities and training courses are developed for adolescent males. Youths receive incentives and awards while learning teamwork, self-discipline, product quality, and customer service through participation in business ventures that include photography, computer graphics and Music/Keyboarding.

Financial Literacy- Money Sense trains students how to open a checking and saving account, build financial assets, the benefits of saving, how money is recycled within their own community and how interest income makes their money grow.

School to work- Teaches our clients the proper way to execute an employment interview, complete a job application and present themselves as worthy of employment consideration. High school participants receive a once-a-week course during which employment training skills are identified and honed.
Tutorials- The goal of this component is to increase the percentage of participants reading and executing math skills at their respective grade level and being promoted to the next grade level.

Parent Support Program –The goal of this component is to increase and sustain parent participation by developing parent leaders who plan and coordinate parent involvement activities and advise on youth and family related issues.

College Access - The College Access Liaison is the resource for FWEP youth and their parents regarding the delivery of all information and tools pertaining to college access, the college admissions process, pursuing financial aid, best school matches for graduating seniors, accessing on-line resources, and goal attainment regarding postsecondary education. The Liaison coordinates parent informational meetings, help schedule ACT-SAT tests, monitor students’ progress towards high school graduation, coordinate college tours, and establish and oversee college awareness resources at the three high school project sites.

Outcomes
Youth development programming at FWEP produces positive behavior outcomes, including:

• significant improvements in interpersonal skills
• quality of peer and adult relationships
• self-control, problem solving and cognitive competencies
• self-efficacy, commitment to schooling, and academic achievement

FWEP participants show significant improvements in youth problem behaviors, resulting in decreasing:

• drug and alcohol use
• school misbehavior
• aggressive behavior
• violence
• truancy
• high risk sexual behavior
• smoking

Successful programming includes the following methods:

• strengthen social, emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and moral competencies
• build self-efficacy
• shape messages from family and community about standards for positive youth behavior
• increase healthy bonding with adults, peers and younger children
• expand opportunities and recognition for youth who engage in positive behavior and activities
• provide structure and consistency in program delivery


Fifth Ward Enrichment Program is a non-profit charity chartered under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue code. Your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by the law.