There are four key programmatic strategies that FACES programs utilize to ensure successful outcomes.
Working together these four key elements provide a unifying framework for our coalition’s programs.
FACES programs include:
1. Health Careers Exploration
We believe youth need to imagine pathways to success and be given the opportunity to envision themselves in a productive career in the health professions. We accomplish this by connecting students to health professionals who serve as supervisors and mentors in work-based internships. We expose them to professional expectations, field trips to training environments up the pipeline, and connect them to alumni who have led the way.
2. Academic Enrichment
We know that students cannot enter the health professions until they are academically prepared. While California’s public education system remains consistently underfunded, FACES seeks to fill in some of the academic gaps through tutoring, working in close conjunction with teachers and school leaders, providing SAT support and counseling to begin the college admissions process.
We also offer enrichment activities – field trips, ROP-based learning and skills workshops, an open forum for dialogue about issues ranging from ethics to analyzing case studies. Positioning itself squarely in the education reform movement, FACES commits to providing academic support to all of its students, regardless of prior performance.
3. Wellness Support
Our focus on the well-being of the whole child is what sets FACES apart from most youth pipeline programs. We know that youth require support to navigate the challenges which influence them. We specialize in providing psycho-social interventions when needed, referrals to outside services and partners when appropriate, programs that teach a myriad of life skills, and a safe, supportive environment populated with adult role models who embody the core values of the program.
4. Youth Leadership Development
We are preparing the young people of today to become the leaders of tomorrow. FACES devotes itself to training young people to be advocates, culturally competent members of society and strong voices for the underserved. We meet this goal through many venues such as enrichment activities designed to highlight policy issues, exposure to diverse patient populations, tools to help them learn oral and written communication and by training them to be peer health educators.
Working together, each element of a FACES program creates a sound, effective and transformative experience for each student.
Read about FACES academic year programs:
California:
National: