OCY Family Fun Festival
News
On Saturday October 25th the Office on Children and Youth (OCY) hosted a Fall Fun Day at the Mosby Heights Apartment complex in Harrisonburg. Representatives from the Gus Bus, the Shenandoah Valley Migrant Education Program (SVMEP), Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP), and Teen Outreach Program (TOP) offered games and activities to spread the word about their programs in order to increase parent/child participation. The day kicked off with delicious donuts supplied by The Baker’s Dozen Donuts Bakery, and was kept alive with Moon bounces, slides, an obstacle course, and a cameo by the ever so charismatic Chik Fil A cow.
Gus Bus, or the library on wheels, routinely visits the Mosby Heights community to promote literacy and allow children to check out books, listen to stories, do arts and crafts and play games. The event enabled Gus Bus staff to meet more parents and invite children to visit the bus during its weekly stop.
When they weren’t racing children through the obstacle course, the Migrant Education Program was recruiting families for enrollment. MEP seeks to enhance learning for preschool and school age children of migrant workers through the use of tutors, resources, connections, and support for those recently relocated to the area to work in agriculture or raw food processing plants.
Teen Pregnancy Prevention was out in full force as well, to publicize “Let’s Talk Month,” an effort to help initiate the conversation with teens about sex by offering tips, guides, and contact information. They were also recruiting “askable adults,” which involves signing a pledge to be a willing, non-judgmental listener who will respect the confidentiality of a young person seeking information about sex or other difficult topics.
Lastly TOP, or Teen Outreach Program, which organizes community service youth groups, sought to increase its numbers by advertising and recruiting for its newest Fall group. TOP is a program for young people grades 7-12, which meets every week to plan projects, play games, and offer a support system that builds character and community awareness to advance healthy youth development.
For more information on the Office on Youth, contact information and resources visit http://www.theocy.org/
