The Iowa City Mayors Youth

Empowerment Program

2/13/2010

Yaye! A fantastic non-profit youth organization from Iowa City has chosen Planet X to host their next upcoming outing! They have chosen our ever popular Marathon Pass coupled with some food specials!

2 Hours of Fun, Laser Tag, 20 tokens and CRAZINESS!!!!!

Visit them online at http://www.myep.us/

About MYEP

MYEP has been in existence since 1968. It began as a federal initiative encouraging cities to provide summer employment opportunities for disadvantaged youth and young adults- primarily between the ages of 14-24.  Since that time, MYEP has been active in offering direct, supportive programs to individuals with disabilities and area at-risk youth. From 1968 through 1996, MYEP was considered a quasi-department of the City of Iowa City.  In 1996, MYEP filed for and became a 501(c) (3) private non-profit corporation.

MYEP was built around the concept of summer conservation projects, which emphasized working in small groups to complete projects, which benefit the entire community. Such projects have been completed in collaboration with the Army Corps of Engineers, Project Green, City of Iowa City, City of Coralville, the University of Iowa, and the MYEP Bicycle Repair Shop.

For many years, MYEP provided services funded by various local, state, and federal grants, as funding from grants dwindled, MYEP expanded to sales of services to agencies such as Department of Human Services (DHS), Mental Health and Disability Services (MH/DS), and the Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD).

In 2002, MYEP became an approved service provider under the State of Iowa  Medicaid  Waiver Home and Community Based Service (HCBS) through these contracts MYEP provides Individual, Group and Camp Respite Care, Supported Community Living both Hourly and Residential, Job Coaching and Job Placement, Prevocational Services, Adult Day- Habilitation  Services, Adult Day Care, Consumer Direct Attendant Care (CDAC) and continues to expand its services under the following Waivers: Intellectual Disability Waiver (formally known as Mental Retardation Waiver), Ill and Handicapped Waiver, Brain Injury Waiver, Physical Disability Waiver, Children Mental Health Waiver, and Residential Based Supported Community  Living Waiver

MYEP currently serves more than 150 families each year.  In addition to our Medicaid services, MYEP provides services to area at-risk youth through our Youth Leadership Program.

The MYEP Youth Leadership Program support area at-risk youth to become socially, morally, emotionally, physically and cognitively competent and contributing members of the community through our four main areas that have proven to fostered best results while working with youth, integration of family, peers and the community; positive adult and youth interaction; work-based learning with area businesses and community services.

The MYEP Youth Leadership Program provides an after school program for youth in elementary schools, junior high, and high schools at twice a week, some of the curriculum includes: money management, preventing, identifying, and reporting domestic, physical and sexual abuse, preventing bullies, on-line safety tips, community services, the importance of post secondary education, and many more.  The mission of the Youth Leadership Program is simply “Creating opportunities for today’s youth and securing the future of our community”

The program also offers the speakers’ bureau which invites speakers form various professions to talk to the youth. Community service which the youth participate in a community service project, some of the projects include sanding and painting the picnic benches at the local parks, collecting or packaging food for the Crisis Center, cleaning the parks and trails and more.   Field trips quarterly that is both educational and recreational. Include the Science Museum, Adventure land, the Aquarium, the Kernel’s game and more. 

The Program provides summer camps, a place where youth can go in the summer to participate in organized activities during the summer months.  The Youth Leadership Program also sponsors youth to attend various area sports camps and the summer employment program that provide summer paid employment program for youth between the ages of 14 to 18 years of ages with local businesses including the MYEP camps for individuals with disabilities, cleaning crews for several local organizations, clerical work, day cares, summer helpers with other businesses in the area and the stipend program for youth between the ages 12 to 14 who cannot work but can volunteers.

 In September 2008 Roger Lusala joined MYEP as the new Executive Director after the resignation of the previous Executive Director Cokie Ikerd.  Under Lusala’s ten month leadership, MYEP is once again amongst the strong and best organization serving the Iowa City area and the Johnson County Communities. Recently MYEP has doubled its budget, and revitalized some of the much needed services to the community.