Mentor/Tutor Program: Kennett CTC’s Mentor/Tutor Program provides both one-on-one and group life and academic support for middle and high school youth in the Kennett area. For our one-on-one mentoring program, adult mentors meet weekly with students to provide encouragement, support, and resources to help set and achieve goals; some tutors/mentors provide students with academic and graduation project support, others help students find internships, jobs or job shadowing experiences, and still others help students change negative behavior patterns and make positive life choices. In our general mentoring/tutoring program, adult volunteers provide these same forms of support for four or five students at a time, allowing students who are not necessarily interested in having an “official” one-on-one mentoring relationship the chance to nonetheless benefit from the individualized support.

GirlTalk: This student-developed and student-led program focuses on topics of critical importance to Latina high school girls. At each session, a panel of speakers presents a relevant topic along with related resources; topics range from drug and alcohol refusal skills, teen pregnancy, and relationships to communication, goal-setting, and career exploration. The young women also have an opportunity to form small discussion groups where they can express their thoughts and ask questions. The main objective of each student-led and facilitated session is to increase knowledge and empower girls to make positive life decisions, and to set and pursue their goals.

Intercambio: This Garage/CTC partnership is a student-developed and student-led English/Spanish language and culture exchange program, which meets weekly after school at Kennett High School and helps students in this diverse school and community build language skills and relationships across cultures.

Youth Advisory Council: YAC is a leadership development initiative designed to provide students with opportunities to build leadership skills, address community issues, and be positively involved in the community. YAC students are engaged in positive, rewarding activities and service, and build real leadership skills, personal assets, and self-confidence through the planning and implementation of youth-related programs like GirlTalk, The Huddle, and Intercambio. YAC students also coordinate major drug and alcohol free youth events several times per year, and lead several significant community service projects each year.

The Huddle: This Kennett CTC/Garage Youth Center partnership is similar to GirlTalk, except that it is designed for high school males. This program meets periodically during the school year and addresses topics of critical importance to high school guys, including gang avoidance, drug and alcohol refusal skills, goal-setting, decision-making, staying out of trouble, and building healthy relationships.