Reduced Recidivism
- From January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008 Medlock’s recidivism rate was at a low of 16%, giving the young men who leave Medlock an 84% success rate!
- During the same period the Dallas County Youth Village had a 11% recidivism rate; 89% of the young men that are released never commit another criminal act.
- As a point of reference the Texas Youth Commission had a 43% recidivism rate according to the 2008 reports.
Horticulture Program
Established in February of 2008 we have had
251 young men take the course conducted by the Dallas Master Gardners and Texas AgriLife Extension. There had been 22 Dallas County Staff trained as well.
There are now 12 raised beds with enough vegetables being grown to provide for the Culinary Arts Program and for the Young men who work in the garden to take some home or give some to their parents/relatives.
Nutrition/Culinary Arts Program
Established in January of 2008 this class runs 3 semesters a year with up to 16 students per class.
Overall this program is doing real well. We have graduated 77 young men.
The young men's knowledge of culinary and nutrition-related topics greatly increased, as shown by their pre and post test scores. After this 6 week course, they improved their test scores by more than 47 %.
Many young men have gotten jobs as a direct result of completing these classes and them being able to list this on their resume.
Certified Food Management Program
Established in March of 2008 this class is made up of the Nutrition and Culinary Arts class graduates who are showing strong interest in the Food Industry.
Of the 61 young men who completed this class so far, 31 of them passed the test and received their State license. That is better than the adult average at Lew Sterrett.
The young men who have returned home and have their Food Management license are successful finding jobs. All that have applied for restaurant jobs have been hired at a higher than normal starting salary.
Scholarship Programs
Currently several young men are attending community college with financial aid from The Youth Village Foundation. We have also helped several find funding and grants that allow them to not pay any tuition.
So far in 2010, with the help of the YVF, 21 residents studied for and 17 completed their GED.
Computer Lab Programs:
Established in June of 2008 this class runs 3 times a year at the Youth Village. We have 15 students (15 desktop computers in our lab) at one time and the course has been running 3 times a year. In June of 2010 we started our first Medlock Computer lab using 10 new Dell laptops. We hope to expand both programs to running 4 times a year.
To date we have graduated 66 young men from our Computer program. They have all received A's, B's or C's (one D) in the El Centro College course taught at the YVF computer lab. They end up with the ability to pass an employers computer test.
Dog Training Program
The P.R.E.P dog-training program averaged a 96% successful adoption rate previously when it ran from 2001 to 2005. The program was re-started in September of 2009. The Program now has eleven 3-week sessions a year. To date we have graduated 65 young men with certificates from Canine Dimensions. The certificates state their skills in dog training and temperament testing. This class has resulted in saving the lives of 80 dogs all of which have been adopted or are in Foster homes.
Career Management, Development and Transition
This program was established in May 2009 and to date 29 young men have received certification, completed resumes and career assessments.
Financial Literacy
Established in June of 2009 this class is made up of the graduates from the Career class. It is taught by volunteers from the University of Texas Dallas. The SIFE students created the curriculum. To date 28 young men have completed the course.
