1. Schoharie County
Youth Bureau
Schoharie County Youth Bureau
518-295-2057
Youth@co.schoharie.ny.us

2. Schoharie County
Youth Bureau
Vision: That Schoharie County is a safe,
engaging place for all youth to grow,
learn, and develop into happy,
healthy, and productive adults.
Mission: To promote and advocate for the
empowerment and well being of the
youth of Schoharie County by
incorporating Positive Youth
Development methods in our direct
and supportive programs and services.

3. Who I am
 The Director of the Schoharie County Youth Bureau
• Youth Development Specialist
 I have worked with youth for over 20 years in
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Athletics/ sports camps
Youth Sports
Summer camps (day & residential)
Leadership development
Adventure programs
Wilderness programs
At risk programs
High & low ropes initiatives
Family Program Facilitator

4. Youth Bureau Structure
• We are a county agency
• The Youth Bureau was established to allocated
and administer state funding to local
municipalities and non profits who provide
programs and services to our youth.
• We operate under the New York State Office of
Youth development, which is part of the Office of
Children and Family Services
• Originally this is all the Youth Bureau did.
• Now we do so much more

5. Youth Bureau Staff
3 full time positions
 Director
 Program Coordinator
 Youth Bureau Assistant
Part time staff
 In the past we had up to 4 summer part time staff
 Last year we had 0
 This year we hope to have 1 back
Interns
 We had are first real intern last fall and look to have more in the future
Volunteers
 We have used volunteers in the past, but last year we took the process to the
next level.
 We have a process in place to use qualified volunteers as if they where
employees. They go through the same hiring process as employees.

6. What the Youth Bureau does
As stated in our Mission Statement:
– We provide & support Positive Youth Development
opportunities for the Youth of Schoharie County

7. What is Positive Youth Development
• Before we can fully appreciate the importance and the value of
the Schoharie County Youth Bureau, I feel it is important to
understand the key principle behind everything that we do here at
the Youth Bureau.
• That key principle is the Positive Youth Development (PYD) model.
• PYD is a well established and evidence based approach that helps
all youth develop and grow into happy and productive adults.
• Through this process youth are given the opportunities and
challenges that will promote and build upon their individual
strengths, recognize their weakness, and give them the skills and
the belief in their skills to successfully navigate the challenges of
adolescents to arrive prepared for adulthood.

8. How we accomplish our Mission
Statement
1. We allocate State funding from the Office of Youth
Development which is under the umbrella of the
Office of Children and Family Services.
2. We provide & assist with direct programming for
youth.
3. Advocate for youth.
 Participate on boards and committees that have
been established to promote the well being of
youth.

9. 1. Allocation of State Funding
• The Office of Youth Development (OYD) was created to design,
coordinate and promote innovative strategies to advance youth
development. The goal is for all New York State youth to reach
their full potential and become healthy, productive adults.
• Supports and funds programs and initiatives that enable youth to
build on their strengths.
• It supports programs that provide opportunities for youth to gain
important life skills and core competencies, and that allow youth
to have meaningful roles in their communities.

10. Allocation of State Funding (con’t)
Breakdown of our current allocations (2012)
• Youth Development and Delinquency Prevention (YDDP)
• Town & Village Youth Recreation Programs
• 19 Towns & Villages currently receive funding through us
• Youth Initiatives
• Mentoring Program (SCCAP- Family Support Project)
• Special Delinquency Prevention Programs (SDPP)
• Summer Co-Op Camp- (Towns of Gilboa & Connesville)
• Youth As Leaders Program- Schoharie County Youth Bureau
• Family Programs (Youth Bureau & Family Support Project)
• Runaway & Homeless Youth (RHYA)
• We do not receive this funding
Total 2011 Allocations: $38,499
Total 2012 Allocations: $ 27,369

11. 2. Youth Programming
 This category can be broken down into 3
categories.
1. Our direct programs
2. Our Cooperative Programs
3. Our assistance with other agency’s programs
 We served over 1,100 youth in one of our direct,
collaborative, and in a program we assisted with in 2011

12. Who We Work With
• Department of Social Services
• Department of Health
• Department Of Mental Health
• Office for the Aging
• Liberty Partnership Program
•Berkshire Farms
•Cornell Cooperative/ 4-H
•Schoharie River Center
•Shiloh’s Edge
• Local schools
•Mine Kill State Park
• Head Start
•Middleburgh Rod & Gun Club
• SUNY Cobleskill
•Fields of Grace
• SCAPP
• Family Support
• Long Path North Hiking Club
•Soil & Water Conservation
•Clarks Sports Center
•Towns & Village Rec. Programs

13. Our Direct Programs

14. Youth As Leaders
 This is a three year leadership program for high school students
in grades 10-12
 We meet with each class once a month during the school year.
 In addition to our regular meeting, we have a 3 day retreat in
late August.
 Sophomore Year- We teach leadership skills based on the book
“The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens” by Sean Covey
 Junior Year- We put the leadership skills to work with Service
Learning opportunities.
 Senior Year- We continue the experiential learning by having
the seniors facilitate the leadership skills they have learned in
the program.

15. Summer Adventure Program
 Kayaking
 Rock Climbing
 White Water Rafting
 Geo-caching
 Hiking
 Horseback Riding
 Canoeing
 Environmental
Education Programs
 Fishing
Three age groups
1. Junior Adventures
 Ages 8-11
2. Adventure Program
 Ages 12-14
3. Teen Adventure
 Ages 15-18

16. Traveling Arts & Crafts
• This program takes arts & crafts to towns with
little or no other summer programming.
• The program is free and runs for 2 hours a day
 June 26-28: Esperance/ United Methodist Church
 July 10-12: Seward/ Recreation Center
 July 17-19: Summit/ Town Hall
 July 24-26: Wright/ Municipal Building
 July 31- Aug 2: Jefferson/ United Methodist Church
 Aug 7-9:
West Fulton/ Municipal Building

17. Tennis Program
• This was a new program that we sponsored
last year
• Ages K-12
• Instructional & competitive sessions
• Received a grant to begin the Quick Start
Tennis Program for youth 10 & under.

18. Our Collaborative Programs

19. Family Programs
• Family Programs we offer
– Strengthening Families (for middle school)
– Strengthening Families (for teens)
– Active Parenting (for teens)
– Free the Horses (for elementary)
• We partner with the Family Support Project to conduct 2 to 3
parenting classes throughout the year.
• The Classes are for both parents and their children.
• They are skill building classes that are designed for all families.
• We focus on at risk families for our programs

20. April Adventures
• This is a 4 day program over the school’s spring break.
• We partner with Cornell Extension/ 4-H to promote
and run the program.
• Our target audience is families that could use a
alternative to child care for the week of spring break
and are unable to go away for the week.
• We have about 30-45 youth participate.
• We travel to 4 different locations.
• The program has an outdoor education element to it.

21. Youth Service Day
• The Youth Bureau participates in the National
Youth Service Day event held every April.
– In 2012 due to many reasons we pushed our event
back until the fall. Will move back to spring 2013.
• We partner with the Office of the Aging to run
the event.
• They sign up seniors (many who are apart of the
meals on wheels program) who need some yard
work done at their homes.
• We supply the Youth to do the work.

22. Holiday Programs
• We partner with SCCAP (and others) to put on two
Holiday Programs.
• The Holiday Train
– The Canadian Pacific Rail Road has a train that stops in
Cobleskill and puts on a Holiday Show.
– We assist with SCCAP to collect food and money donations
to help with area food banks
• Toys for Tots Train
– Again The Canadian Pacific Rail Road and the Marines stop
in Cobleskill with gifts and clothing for the people in the
crowd.
– We get youth volunteers to help make cookies, set up the
fire house, help with Arts & Crafts and face painting.

23. One Day Youth Bureau Events
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Youth Leadership Forum (part of YAL)
Legislative Day in Albany (part of YAL)
YAL Puppet show (presented in local elementary schools)
Bike Derby
Recreation Rotation (partnered w/ SUNY Cobleskill Athletics)
Legislative Interns (Cornell Cooperative/ 4-H)
Past events
• Rachel’s Challenge (2010)
• Point Break
(2010)
• Youth Conference (ended in 2010)

24. Assisting with Other Agency’s
Programs
• Multiple Day Programs
– We Provide more than 1 day of programming
• Single Day Programs
– Programs where we are only there for 1 day or
less
• Grant Collaboration
– Another agency writes a grant and Youth Bureau
provides resources for the grant

25. Youth Bureau Services for Other
agencies (multiple days)
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After school program (Cornell Cooperative)
Helping Hands after school program (Schoharie)
Adventure Trips (Family Support Project)
Middleburgh Outing Club (MSC)
Adventure Trips (Liberty Partnership Program)

26. Single Day Programs & Events the
Youth Bureau Participated in
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Health & Wellness Day
Health & Wellness Day
Awareness Day
Conservation Day
Leadership Training
Community Fun Day
FAM Fund Run
Health & Safety Fair
Meet& Greet Legal Guardians
Family Fun Day
Community Days
Point Break
Schoharie River Days
Youth Summit
(CRSD)
(SCS)
(MCS)
(Soil & Water)
(Fields of Grace)
(Esperance)
(Fenimore Assets)
(Schoharie County)
(Juvenile Justice Com.)
(Head Start)
(Berkshire Farms)
(MSC)
(Schoharie River Center)
(Liberty Partnership Program)

27. Grant Collaboration
• I have been asked to collaborate on a grant where we are not
the lead agency for the grant or the agency that will
administer the grant.
• I provide a proposal for a particular program that is submitted
with the grant.
• If the lead agency receives the grant we would provide or
assist with a program that would be paid under the grant.
• I also write letters of support if the grant helps the Youth
Bureau in our mission.

28. 3. Advocate for Youth
Committees & Boards
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Schoharie County Youth Bureau Youth Board
Liberty Partnership Program (Board)
SCCASA (Board)
Friends of Mine Kill State Park (Board)
CARRT
Juvenile Justice Committee
Suicide Prevention Task Force
Human Services Coordinating Counsel
Capital District Youth Bureau Association
Creating Healthy Places Partnership
Healthy Families New York
Center for Community Engagement

29. Youth Bureau Future
• Reduction in state funding
Since 2008 we have been cut over 62%
• Reduction in County Funding
 A 16% reduction in county funding
Elimination on 4 part time summer staff
 3 major events that would have resulted in
the elimination of the Youth Bureau in the
past year.

30. Youth Population
• Youth Population
Youth Bureau funding is tied to our youth
population.
 The youth population (ages 0-20)
 Year 2000:
9,684
Year 2010:
8,678
Reduction of : 1,006
There is a steady decline in youth population for age 20
to age 0

31. Why We Do What We Do
Rock Climbing Example

42. Questions

43. Mouse Trap Activity