LSYOU Program Engages At-risk Youth on
Academics, Employment, and Leadership
 |
On July, 11, 2008, 20 New Orleans Recovery School District (RSD) eighth-grade students enjoyed the
feeling of graduating on the LSU campus.
Held at the Chapel on the Campus, the LSYOU ceremony featured performances by the LSYOU Choir
and Dramatic Arts programs. Malcolm Myer, section chief for Government Relations for the Louisiana
Attorney General’s Office spoke to the students, sending them home with a vision of how to succeed
beyond the LSYOU summer camp.
Students received awards for their accomplishments and a LSYOU Diploma of Completion in addition
to their savings from their summer jobs. “It’s the culminating day for students who made it through a rigorous five-week program, living on
campus, working on campus, studying with LSU students, and working with university staff,” said College
of Education Program Director Suzan Gaston.
The program, known as LSYOU, stands for Louisiana State Youth Opportunities Unlimited, a program
created by Gaston nearly 25 years ago which has received national recognition for its track record in
helping poor, academically under-performing youth at-risk for dropping out of high school.
The program has worked with the East Baton Rouge Parish (WIA 21) and Tangipahoa Consortium
(WIA 20) Workforce Board in the past, but this summer expanded with more than $110,000 in funding
through Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Louisiana in conjunction with JOB1 Business and Career
Solutions’ In-School Youth Development Program.
Recovery School District Superintendent Paul Vallas said the program was a natural fit.
“Our students have some of the greatest challenges in the state. Our district serves students who
are overwhelmingly poor and academically challenged. More than 85 percent qualify for free or reduced lunch,” said Vallas, “Approximately 85 percent of
our students are two or more
grade-levels behind. Plus, our
children’s lives were further
complicated by the trauma
suffered from Hurricane
Katrina.”
“This program addresses the
needs of students who are
most likely to drop out of the
educational system completely,” Vallas added.
Gaston commented that the
RSD’s partnering with LSU on
a program that has been in
existence for 25 years was a
great nvestment of state funds,
hoping that money spent on
students in advance would later
pay off through a decreased
drop-out rate as well as aiding
in the creation of a more
trained and better educated
workforce for the State of
Louisiana.
The program does this
by hosting the students in campus facilities, and placing
them in a positive, controlled
atmosphere. In addition to structured academic counseling,
the students also receive
intensive support services
from trained counselors to
address any emotional or
behavioral issues that could be
barriers to increased academic
performance.
With group meals and
recreational activities, LEAP and
academic tutoring, counseling
and work readiness classes
with mentors, and on-campus,
paid jobs, the program fosters
a sense of accomplishment,
ability to succeed, and the
added bonus of exposing them
to college or aspiring to higher
educational or professional
goals.
Gaston added that this type of
positive intervention can really
change people’s lives, “One of
our graduates received a Purple
Heart this year. He invited us to the ceremony because he
thought we had really impacted
his life. It was an honor to see
someone so transformed and
to still be a part of his life even
after all these years,” added
Gaston. “This is just one of
LSYOU’s many success stories.”
Angela Owings Broussard | College of Education
Highlights
