YWCA of Silicon Valley

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New Options

"New Options" is the YWCA of Silicon Valley's multilingual (English, Spanish), school-based program. It is a research-based, holistic, long-term youth empowerment program, that also focus' on the needs of the whole family. New Options is open to both males and females (parents and students) at school-site locations listed below. We are proud to expand our partnership with the East Side and San Jose Union High School District to a total of seven High Schools and one Middle School for the 2008-2009 school year.

New Options program components include:

Building Developmental Assets
This component conveys the essential building blocks of healthy youth development, cultivating support, empowerment, boundaries and expectations, social competency, positive values, commitment to learning, constructive use of time, positive identity, and understanding human rights.
Career Guidance
Preparation for entering the working world is offered to our youth. Job skills workshops and role play create an understanding of the employment process. Topics include: communicating with prospective employers, interviews, resume and cover letters, post application/interview follow-up, and how to conduct oneself in the workplace.
Nutrition
Daily healthy snacks are provided to our students, and an educational component is provided to teach our youth healthy nutritional habits.
Family Life/Sex Education
We present culturally sensitive information to parents and teens (in Spanish, English, and Vietnamese) about making healthy lifestyle choices. Topics discussed include: sexual/reproductive anatomy, abstinence, HIV/AIDs, contraceptives, pregnancy, STD's, body image, date rape and violence, and healthy and unhealthy relationships.
Parent Workshops
These workshops are to reinforce what is being taught to the students. It gives the parents information on how to communicate with their teens on a variety of issues and will help strengthen the bond between families.

New Options programs are offered during the school year at the following locations:

Andrew Hill High School (map)
3200 Senter Rd..
San Jose, CA 95111

James Lick High School (map)
57 N. White Rd
San Jose, CA 95127

William C. Overfelt High School (map)
1835 Cunningham Ave.
San Jose, CA 95122

Apollo High (map)
1835 Cunningham Ave.
San Jose, CA 95122

Yerba Buena High School (map)
1855 Lucretia Ave.
San Jose, CA 95122

Willow Glen High School (map)
2001 Cottle Avenue
San Jose, CA 95125

Willow Glen Middle School (map)
2105 Cottle Avenue
San Jose, CA 95125

Broadway High School (map)
4825 Speak Lane
San Jose, CA 95118

For more information on New Options, please e-mail Helene Ehrlich , Director, Youth Services, or call her at (408) 295-4011 ext. 228.


	New Options

Call (408) 295-4011 ext. 228 to speak to
Helene Ehrlich ,
Director, Youth Services.

Our after-school program is currently hiring facilitators for the upcoming school year. Click here for more information.

The goal of New Options is to empower youth by building developmental assets, promoting healthy lifestyles, explaining positive life options, and creating a sense of hope for young people.

More than 1,200 students have participated in this program since the year 2000

Program Impact: At one local San Jose high school, the 1997 pregnancy rate was one in four. In 2005, that same school's pregnancy rate was one in 60. New Options creates new opportunities, new choices, new habits for our youth.