Description
Project Re-Direct is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that has been primarily site based at South Seventeenth Street School in the West Side Park neighborhood of Newark, New Jersey. Fifty-one percent of the children in this community live below the federal poverty level, and there is a high incidence of gang activity, drug abuse/sales, juvenile delinquency, HIV/AIDS, unemployment, and low standardized test scores.
Project Re-Direct's mission is to empower families to prevent child abuse/neglect, juvenile delinquency, and to facilitate the restoration of the family. In the 2005-2006 school year 125 boys and girls ages 4-13 were enrolled in the Saturday program, which is conducted at South Seventeenth Street School and is guided by "Education for the 21 st Century (EY2K)," a curriculum that is designed to be a bridge between the traditional educational curriculum and the needs of the students and families in this community. EY2K enhances the academic success of students in the areas of math, reading, writing, speaking, listening, and problem solving. In addition, there is a Healthy Minds/Healthy Bodies initiative that educates students and their families to prevent child abuse, gang violence, domestic violence, the abuse of drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and other negative behaviors. Project Re-Direct receives space and utilities in-kind from Newark Public Schools, but relies on private donations to provide teachers' pay, materials, field trips, and other programming costs.
