Section 32-4s - Characteristics of plans to establish a local Youth Service Corps programEach municipality of a priority school district, as described in section 10-266p of the general statutes, selected to receive a Youth Service Corps program grant pursuant to section 60 of this act shall operate, establish or demonstrate plans to establish a local Youth Service Corps program that has the following characteristics:
(1) Youth participation in the local Youth Service Corps program shall be by referral only. Such referral shall be made by a school official, juvenile probation officer, the Commissioner of Children and Families, or the commissioner's designee, or an employee of a community organization designated by the municipality or the municipality's Youth Service Corps program administrator to make such referrals. Participants in a local Youth Service Corps program shall be youths or young adults between the ages of sixteen and twenty-four, inclusive, who are showing signs of disengagement or disconnection from school, the workplace or the community;(2) The local Youth Service Corps program shall focus on youth or young adults who are involved with the justice system, involved with the Department of Children and Families, in foster care or experiencing homelessness;(3) The local Youth Service Corps program shall be administered by a local community-based organization with expertise in providing youth or young adult services and workforce development programs. Such organization shall work with local municipal officials to identify potential local service project opportunities for such program;(4) Each youth or young adult participant in a local Youth Service Corps program shall develop an individual success plan in which such participant shall identify goals relating to education, workforce or behavioral development. In support of such goals, the local Youth Service Corps program shall provide (A) year-long, part-time employment with flexible hours with public or private employers screened and approved by the administrator of the program, (B) community-based service learning projects selected by the administrator of the program, (C) a transition plan for such participant detailing such goals and steps to be taken to accomplish such goals, and (D) other activities approved by the administrator of the program; and(5) Each Youth Service Corps program administrator shall evaluate each youth and young adult participant using performance indicators applicable to such participant, including, but not limited to, education outcomes, career competency development, training completion and positive behavior changes to measure whether the goals for such participant are being achieved.Added by P.A. 22-0047, S. 61 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2022 Regular Session, eff. 7/1/2022.