The Great Miami Valley YMCA and Hamilton High School announce effort to create Y Achievers
The Great Miami Valley YMCA and Hamilton High School announce a combined effort to create successful teens through a program called Y Achievers, which has had demonstrated significant positive impact for 40 years in Cincinnati. ‘Achievers’ is a national college and career readiness program, delivered by the Y, which supports students in goal setting and reaching higher education and career goals. Today, more than 300 Y Achiever programs operate across the country. The program is geared toward first-generation college students and minorities and is delivered through workshops, college tours, Toastmasters, STEM, and more.
Achievers aims to address the reality that 35-40%of students who enroll in college drop out in the first semester, and for African American and Hispanic students, the graduation rate is 71%. Among students who do graduate, one-third need remedial courses in college and far too few go on to earn a college degree.
Rick Pate, Executive Director Secondary Programs shared, “The Hamilton City School District is thrilled to be partnering with the YMCA to provide the Y Achievers program for our students. We believe that this program will help us provide additional support for our first-generation college-bound students. The 14 Sophomore students that we celebrated today are well on their way toward a brighter future thanks to the effort that is going into this program.We look forward to tracking their success over the next two years.”
Through a multi-faceted approach, Y Achievers incorporates the engagement framework of Core Program Components, The Five Pillars, and the Y Achievers curriculum which is based upon the University of Chicago’s 6 to 16. Y Achievers Program outcomes include higher graduation rates, increased knowledge regarding college readiness, increased success with college placement testing, completion of FAFSA applications, letters of acceptance to higher education, increased exposure to career options, enhanced financial literacy, and an increase in the number of students enrolled in higher education after high school.