“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” Benjamin Franklin
Family Service of Roanoke Valley is proud to be the lead agency for a new collaborative effort ensuring our community invests in each student. This effort focuses on all aspects of what youth need. It wraps support and resources around them and their families to promote life-long resiliency, productivity and contentment.
Strengthening Youth Opportunities for Success (SYOS) combines academic, social/emotional and job skills support to make sure each student succeeds on the path each chooses to follow.
SYOS is funded through United Way of Roanoke Valley. The collaborative effort is led by Family Service of Roanoke Valley and leverages community partnerships.
The overall goal of SYOS is to improve access to a healthy and successful adulthood by supporting educational opportunities for youth through academic enrichment, behavioral and emotional health services, positive youth development, and job skills curriculum.
Partners include: Boys and Girls Club of Southwest Virginia, Cultural Arts for Excellence (CAFE), Community Youth Program (CYP), Presbyterian Community Center (PCC), Project Discovery of Total Action for Progress (TAP), and West End Center for Youth.
These organizations already have a strong working relationship. SYOS gives the community a chance to witness what happens when partners work even more closely with a shared goal for each students’ success.
Partners are working together to increase capacity and expand services to Kindergarten through 12th grade students, creating a broader safety net for youth and families. Guidance and support has been provided by Roanoke City Public Schools and the Roanoke Rescue Mission to ensure the needs of families and students are being met.
Family Service’s role includes providing counseling services in the after school centers as well as life skill programming to all students. In order to further support these youth toward a healthy, successful adulthood, the SYOS collaborative also offers programming, services and support to their families. SYOS increases access to emergency services to improve housing stability and offers parent education opportunities addressing a full range of topics to promote healthy families.
Family Support Specialists help to increase stability and functionality of the families by making home visits for families identified as needing more intensive intervention. These services are offered by Family Service and include advocacy, crisis stabilization, therapeutic supports and practical supports such as budgeting and scheduling.
With a full range of wraparound services, SYOS gives youth enrolled in Roanoke City after school programs the skills and support they need to create their own positive adult experience. The investment in our youth and in the future of our community will be returned exponentially for years to come!
