The Future Is Looking Up

Saline County is growing by leaps and bounds with construction and business opportunities, but what about opportunities for our youth?

I am not referring to growth for our youth in relation to the need for arcades and amusement parks, but rather intangible opportunities for Saline County youth to receive potentially life altering experiences. Rather than focusing on an entire youth population, I would like to focus this article on the youth who live with various disabilities that justify receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) from the Social Security Administration. Those youth may be overlooked for life-altering experiences, such as work experiences, because of negative stigmas associated with the word “disability.”

Recently, Saline County became one of the many counties in Arkansas to participate in enrolling teens who receive SSI for paid work experiences through the federally funded grant research program, Arkansas PROMISE.

In September 2013, the U.S. Department of Education awarded a $32.4 million, five-year grant to the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas and the Arkansas Department of Education to fund the Arkansas PROMISE project. The project is aimed at improving the career and education outcomes of low-income Arkansas teenagers with disabilities who receive Supplemental Security Income by providing training and paid work experiences for them.

PROMISE believes it is important to demonstrate to the youth SSI recipients that they have choices, and that they can determine their own future.

Please allow me to introduce myself before I go further, get on my soap box, and yell from the roof top about the amazing opportunity that PROMISE is extending to the youth of Saline County. My name is Jaclyn Billins and I was recently hired as a Saline County Connector. I am a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) and was thrilled at the opportunity to be part of such an amazing program. The tagline for the program is “Educating- Employing- Empowering” and that is exactly what it is doing for the youth SSI recipients in Arkansas.

Arkansas PROMISE is enrolling youth between the ages of 14 and 16 who receive SSI benefits. Those youth will participate in monthly outreach events on various topics and two paid work experiences. Case managers will also work with youth and their families to coordinate services provided by various state agencies.

PROMISE will enroll 2,000 youth across the state. For 1,000 of those youth, PROMISE will provide educational and employment support to the youth and their adult family members. PROMISE will connect families to needed services. PROMISE will help youth set goals to be connected, included and successful in their communities. PROMISE is a research program, which means participation is based upon random assignment. Those youth not placed in the Arkansas PROMISE group will be placed in a usual services group, which will provide commonly used services in their community and occasional gift cards for the completion of surveys during the duration of the grant.

There is no cost to be in the PROMISE program. Enrolling in PROMISE will not affect the SSI benefit. PROMISE will provide benefits counseling to help families understand how their life choices, specifically regarding work and employment, will affect the SSI benefits. Students can earn money under a student earned income exclusion.

Arkansas PROMISE is giving the youth SSI recipients in Saline County the opportunity to identify their own self-worth and their worth to their community. They are being challenged to go beyond their comfort level and show those around them what they can achieve in school and also in the workplace.

Helen Keller was quoted in saying, “Never bend your head. Hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.” And, that is what PROMISE is challenging each and every youth participant to do.

So, this is where I challenge you, as a community. Promotion of the Arkansas PROMISE program is a grassroots effort, and requires a community that wants to participate in the betterment of our youth. I need your help to make sure the youth in Saline County know about PROMISE and the opportunities the program provides. So, if you are reading this article and you are not a parent or a guardian of a youth SSI recipient in Arkansas, that is okay. Maybe you are an educator, counselor, physician, developmental therapist or family friend. Just spread the word.

To learn more about the program or to enroll, please call 501-249-2819. More information and enrollment forms are available online at promise.uark.edu. Arkansas PROMISE welcomes the opportunity to staff tables or present at community based events when appropriate.