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students in the area. Once this attention was drummed up, with the permission of the Ventura County school district, Woodruff and Shrub were able to obtain funding, find volunteer instruc- tors, and open a shop up to house an afterschool program. Nearly 9 years later, at-risk youth participate in the program twice a week, for three hours a day, learning anything from basic automotive repair to creative car customization. Through hands- on experiences, special guests, presentations, and field trips to local body shops or racing events, participants work alongside automotive professionals and officers from the Oxnard Police Department to develop both hard and soft skills. The main goal, according to co-founder Charles Woodruff, is really exposure and mentorship: the automotive skills the teens learn are important, but more so are the opportunities to develop professional skills they will need regardless of the field they enter and the support systems they form through positive connections with adults who are committed and invested in their wellbeing. The one-on- one connection with youth is beneficial for the officers as well, reflects Woodruff, giving law enforcement a deeper connection with the community they are working in and the chance to make a personal, tangible impact in some of those community mem- bers’ lives. “Yes, the cool mustang gets the attention of kids, but it’s when you get them in the classroom after school that you can really start to teach them, and that’s when you can really make a difference.” HOW TO GET INVOLVED Afterschool programs provide youth the space to develop resiliency, improve their academic performance, and gain expo- sure to valuable learning opportunities. More than 10.2 million students are enrolled in afterschool programs and participation increased by nearly 60 percent from 2004 to 2014. Yet while participation rates are at their highest, demand is greater than ever before and 11.3 million children are unsupervised after the last school bell rings, during the hours when juvenile crime and victimization peak. 1 0 11 Partnerships with law enforcement are valuable opportunities to expand access to programs and pro-

YOUTH PROGRAMMING SUBCOMMITTEE

mote the mutual goal of keeping kids and communities safe. As evidenced by the examples shared here, these partnerships can be as simple or as wide-reaching as resources and time allow— what counts more than anything is making the effort to bridge that connection with youth. For more examples of partnerships and resources to help you create a partnership that supports youth and contributes to community success, visit the After- school Alliance’s afterschool and law enforcement partnership guide. (https://afterschoolalliance.org/documents/Partnership- BetweenLawEnforcement_FINAL.pdf). Chair Deputy Chief Ken Kanger , Omaha Police Dept. (NE) Major Darren Grimshaw , Burlington Police Dept. (IA) Erin Hegarty , Afterschool Alliance Jennifer Rinehart, Afterschool Alliance Captain Jamie Fields , Fayetteville Police Dept. (AR) Elizabeth Fowlkes , Senior Vice President Program, Training, & Youth Development Boys and Girls Club of America Commander James Gallagher , Phoenix Police Dept. (AZ) Dr. Kimberly Miller , Kimberly A. Miller & Associates, LLC

References 1 This is Afterschool one pager

2 Afterschool & Law Enforcement: Motivations for partnerships 3 Afterschool & Law Enforcement: Building relationships and trust 4 Kids Klub article 5 http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/documents/AA3PM-2015/National-AA3PM- Summer-Fact-Sheet-6.11.15.pdf

6 LRVR Home 7 About LRVR 8 About LRVR 9 LA's Best Study 10 AA3 Key Findings 11 This is Afterschool one pager

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