U-Care Sioux City
The Sioux City U-CARE program is located at the Central High School Campus located at 1121 Jackson Street. The U-CARE program has relied on the investment of the Sioux City Community School District and other community leaders’ buy-in to facilitate this project. The community’s goal for the Sioux City program is to improve minority student’s success in school through a 10% reduction in detention and suspension rates compared to the previous funding year.
The Sioux City U-CARE program will work to reduce disproportionate minority detention/suspension rates through individualized student support, community capacity development, and cultural competency training. U-CARE works in conjunction with the Woodbury County DMC committee to reduce the rates of disproportionate minority contact with the juvenile justice system.
The Sioux City U-CARE Coordinator provides individualized supportive services to students identified by school personnel as being at-risk for juvenile delinquency. The School Community Liaison works one-on-one with these students to identify barriers and access local services.
The U-CARE Coordinator is currently developing a Youth Advisory Group (YAG) to provide a forum for student feedback. The YAG allows students to openly discuss community issues and begin developing action strategies to address these issues. The YAG will develop programming that is student-centered and addresses needs identified by the group.
The second measure utilized by the Sioux City U-CARE program is cultural competency training for community professionals. The U-CARE Coordinator works with the Iowa DMC Resource Center and the University of Iowa School of Social Work to develop cultural competency curricula for school personnel, law enforcement officials, juvenile court services, and other local professionals. The program is marketed to these targeted groups in order to lower the cultural barriers that often contribute to disproportionate suspension/confinement rates.
An additional service of the Sioux City U-CARE program is community capacity development. The U-CARE Coordinator participates in a variety of community planning groups and committees. The Coordinator works closely with the Woodbury County DMC committee on its projects and will assist with the annual Siouxland conference. The program provides technical assistance for planning initiatives and community-based programs.
The Sioux City U-CARE program is currently sponsoring two youth basketball teams that will compete in local leagues. These teams not only provide positive recreational opportunities, but also serve as a platform for the U-CARE Coordinator to discuss prevention issues with at-risk students.
The Sioux City U-CARE program has greatly benefited from the community buy-in that has occurred throughout the implementation of the project. Some of the most active partners in Sioux City are the Sioux City Community School District, Department of Human Services – Tribal Liaison Division, Juvenile Court Services, Judge Todd Hensley, University of Iowa School of Social Work, local public officials, and other interested community leaders.
For information regarding the Sioux City U-CARE program, please contact Toni Johnikin, U-CARE School Community Liaison, at 712-224-7475 or toni.johnikin@urbandreams.org.For additional information about Urban Dreams’ statewide U-CARE program, please contact Zachary Wilson, State U-CARE Program Director, at 515-288-4742 or zachary.wilson@urbandreams.org.
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