Catapult was established in 2003, in order to support young people, many of whom live in poverty and face daunting challenges, the Great Valley Center’s Catapult— is specifically designed to provide opportunity to young people with high potential, but who may lack the aspiration, self-confidence or support needed to realize their potential. The program recruits youth from under-represented communities and nontraditional sources such as the foster care system and continuation high schools. One of the major incentives of this program is the $3,000 Educational Award granted to each graduate of the program. There are currently 155 Catapult graduates.
Class of 2007 Youth Leaders
Catapult enrolls youth leaders from the 19 Central Valley Counties commencing the program with a four-day retreat in August at California State University, Fresno. Youth learn to assess issues and become civically engaged in their communities. In subsequent months, adult mentors support the youth in gathering and sharing community information through youth and adult surveys, interviews, and public presentations of their findings. Each team plans and implements a project to address community concerns. In June, youth leaders meet at the State Capital to share the insight they have gained through their Catapult experience and offer policy recommendations at a Mock Legislative Hearing held at the Capitol.
The Class of 2007 is made up of a total of 28 youth participants representing eight Central Valley communities: Gridley, Sacramento, Turlock, Madera, Lindsay, Traver, Pixley, and Bakersfield (Lamont/Arvin).
The following are the demographics of 2007 Youth Leaders:
Gender Ethnic Education
Female 50% White 11% H.S. Freshman 7%
Male 50% Latino 78% H.S. Sophomore 25%
African American 4% H.S. Junior 57%
Asian American 7% H.S. Senior 11%
These young people come from very diverse backgrounds. Some are from farm worker families or are first generation immigrants. Several of them are in foster homes, attend continuation schools, have had some negative contact with the criminal justice system, or many live in isolated, rural communities.
In this last phase of the program activities (January – May), Catapult Youth Leaders coordinated a community action project to address the issues they discovered through the Community Emersion Phase, which included the youth and adult surveys, forums, interviews. The projects ranged from a Anti-Violence Family Walk-A-Thon, which gave families a common goal to work toward while nurturing positive family relations; to a Cultural Community Dinner in Pixley that focused on bridging cultural differences among residents of the small town. Other projects included:
Catapult Youth Leaders collectively engaged nearly 200 youth and adults in the planning and implementation of their community projects.
At a graduation ceremony held at the Sierra Health Foundation in Sacramento on June 30, 2007, the twenty-eight youth leaders gathered to celebrate and reflect on their experience with friends and family. Here are quotes from our youth:
“We learned many practical skills such as public speaking and managing a project, but I think the most important thing we learned is that we can create change in our communities and we can create change in anything we do.”
– Daniel Anaya, Catapult Youth Leader 2007, Pixley, CA
“After completing Catapult, I feel better prepared to understand the issues facing young people in my community. From the surveys and activities I gained perspective on what other students are concerned about in their communities.”
– Chao Thao, Catapult Youth Leader 2007, Sacramento, CA
2007 Community Partnerships
Each Community Partner Organization provides 1-2 adult mentors who assists a Catapult team of 2-4 youth for the duration of the 11-month program. <>
This year Catapult Community Partner Organization included:
1st Year Partners(2006-2007)
2nd Year Partners with Fiscal Contributions to Program (2005-2007)
Three of these organizations, are continuing (second-year) partners with financial commitments to contribute to program expenses. The other five organizations were new (first-year) partner organizations. Upon completion of the 2007 program year, three organizations have expressed interest in renewing their partnership for the 2007-2008 program year: Gridley, Sacramento, and Bakersfield. The other organizations have declined due to limited funding.
From August 2003 through June 2007, Great Valley Center has paid $120,546 in Education Awards to CATAPULT Alumni. Below are the annual payment amounts:
Year Amount
2003 $10,682
2004 $21,000
2005 $27,750
2006 $49,464
2007 $20,650
College Attendance for Alumni (2003-2007):
Percent of 2002/2003 alumni who attend 2 or 4 year college 57%
Percent of 2003/2004 alumni who attend 2 or 4 year colleges 46%
Percent of 2004/2005 alumni who attend 2 or 4 year colleges 34%
Percent of 2005/2006 alumni who attend 2 or 4 year colleges 22%
Budget
Catapult 2007 has received private funding from the Stuart Foundation, Citibank, Cowell Foundation, Bright Foundation, State Farm Insurance and Southern California Edison. Catapult is working to create local and private partnerships that will strengthen its long-term sustainability.
The program will not continue after this year here at the Great Valley Center. However, Catapult program staff has identified Youth Leadership Institute (YLI) to assume the program for next year. YLI is a credible and well-established organization whose mission is to promote social leadership and development opportunities for youth. Great Valley Center has previously partnered with YLI in transitioning other GVC programs, such as GABY (Grants Aadvisory Board for Youth). We are confident that the transition will be a smooth one and bring sustainable opportunities for the program.
