Let the Battle Begin

June 2016

Prodigy’s Annual

Dance Exhibition

Turns Up the

Competition

Got Data? How One Prodigy Team Keeps

Figures in Check

Prodigy S i t e s

Hillsborough County BGC Brandon Prodigy®

Boys & Girls Club of Tampa Bay, Inc. Bill Carey Brandon Unit 213 North Knights Avenue, Brandon, FL 33510 813-685-2006 abarrios@bgctampa.org

FICS Prodigy®

Florida Institute for Community Studies, Inc. 6704 Hanley Road, Tampa, FL 33634 813-249-8100 mercedesf@ficsinc.org

Prodigy Moves®

University Area CDC 14013 North 22nd Street, Tampa, FL 33613 813-558-5212 x 303 sdelbridge@uacdc.org

THA Prodigy®

Tampa Housing Authority 5301 West Cypress Street, Tampa, FL 33607 813-341-9101 diane.lindsay@thafl.com N

UACDC Tampa I Prodigy®

University Area CDC 14013 North 22nd Street, Tampa, FL 33613 813-558-5212 x 217 mvazquez@uacdc.org

Orange County ONIC Prodigy®

Orlando Neighborhood Improvement Corporation 101 South Terry Avenue, Orlando, FL 32805 407-648-1623 jennings@orlandoneighborhood.org

EF Prodigy®

The Foundation for Osceola Education, Inc. 2310 New Beginnings Road, Suite 118 Kissimmee, FL 34744 407-870-4855 mcosme@osceola.k12.fl.us

Pasco County Saint Leo Prodigy®

Saint Leo University Department of Social Work University Campus, MC2067, Saint Leo, FL 33574 352-588-7425 frances.ramos@saintleo.edu

BGC Lacoochee Prodigy®

Boys & Girls Club of Tampa Bay, Inc. 38724 Mudcat Grant Boulevard, Lacoochee, FL 33537 352-583-0642 mvictor@bgctampa.com

Pinellas County YMCA Prodigy® YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg, Inc. 600 1st Avenue North, Suite 201, St. Petersburg, FL 33701 727-895-9622 vbrimm@stpeteymca.org

Oasis Prodigy®

Oasis Community Church 3330 Winter Lake Road. Lakeland, FL 33803 863-667-2000 x 150 daguilar@oasischurch.org

Polk County Heartland Prodigy®

Heartland for Children 1239 East Main Street, Bartow, FL 33830 863-232-7036 mjones14@heartlandforchildren.org

Girls Inc. Prodigy®

Girls Inc. of Lakeland 1220 West Highland Street, Lakeland, FL 33815 863-682-3002 x 222 kayfields@girlsinclakeland.com P

Got Talent? We’ve got class-es! Call or visit a site to learn more!

In this Issue Listing of Prodigy Sites

In the Spotlight The Rewind

About Us On the Mic

Monthly Event Calendar Summer Class Sampler

… … … … … … … 2 … … … … … … … 4 … … … … … … … 5 … … … … … … … 7 … … … … … … … 7 … … … … … … … 7 … … … … … … … 8

Got a Story to Tell? For content suggestions, please send an email to Davida A. Bowen at dbowen@uacdc.org.

Prodigy’s Turn Up Dance Battle Returns

Last year, over 250 Prodigy students, friends and families gathered at the Boys &

Girls Club of Lacoochee to witness a spectacular display of b-boy/b-girl style and

breakdancing. The occasion was marked by the participation of 7 sites hailing all

the way from Orlando to St. Pete. This year, the event is back as Turn Up IV.

Attendees will be offered more dancing, live performances, and cool activities for

kids and families such as a photo booth, art station and game zone.

The Turn Up IV dance battle is free of charge and open for the community to

attend. The event will include complimentary refreshments for all Prodigy

students, a concession stand, raffle prizes, and fun giveaways such as last year’s

coveted Turn Up dog tags. To enter, students must be enrolled in the Prodigy

Cultural Arts Program and have written consent from a parent or guardian. They

also must be pre-registered through a Prodigy site. (Continued on page 8)

: Prodigy Cultural Arts Program

Pictured above and on the cover: a Prodigy student completes a power move during the 2015 Turn Up III Dance Battle.

Visit us online at www.TransformingYoungLives.org

A Special Farewell

As the Prodigy Cultural Arts Program

closes out a remarkable grant year,

staffers and students are bidding

farewell to the Florida Department of

Juvenile Justice (DJJ). For well over a

decade, DJJ has helped sustain the

success of Prodigy by providing

invaluable funding. Their support has

allowed Prodigy to reach students in

more broader and innovative ways

than ever before. Although the

program will transition to a new

contract with the Florida Department

of Education in July, Prodigy staffers

and supporters will always recall “the

good ole days of DJJ.”

Pictured above: FL DJJ Secretary Christy Daly poses with a Prodigy

Ambassador during 2016 Children’s Week, Assistant Secretary Alice Sims

addresses the crowd at the 2016 I Am Prodigy Music Festival.

Prodigy is a vast network of administrators, instructors, students and families, all serving the community through or being enriched by life skills infused arts. A lot of effort goes into assuring communities are served efficiently and program goals are met. One huge chunk of this responsibility belongs to the Prodigy Data Team. They are the diligent gate keepers of precious information collected by Prodigy and disseminated to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.

Since the Data Team is by the numbers, here’s a snapshot of their work by the numbers as well:

Team Members: 3 (1 data integrity manager and 2 data specialists)

Systems Used Daily to Collect/Analyze Data: 3

JJIS (Juvenile Justice Information System), Programs Online Database (POD), Microsoft Excel

YTD Students Admitted: 3,002

YTD 1st PAT Domain Entries: 36,024

YTD Youth Released: 1578

IN

Pictured above (l-r): Prodigy Data Team members- Data Specialist Tajuana Cox, Data Integrity Manager Ada Fernandez and Data Specialist Dharti Patel.

Data Team Prodigy Central’s

The role of Data Team is highly crucial to the integrity of the information collected from Prodigy sites. Here are some examples of the daily tasks undertaken by these phenomenal data crushers.

(Check for accuracy)* (Validate records) (Resolve discrepancies)

DOB School Address JJIS Duplications

Last day of attendance Release Date *Both entries must equal each other

Make sure PAT is reportable 1st Day of Attendance

Rewind The

Prodigy in Pictures Turn Up Dance Battle through the Years

Turn Up July 27, 2013

University Area CDC Tampa, FL

Turn Up II July 26, 2014

University Area CDC Tampa, FL

Shown above: Graffiti art from the first Prodigy dance battle held in 2013. Hosted by radio personality DJ Shizm, the event drew over 150 attendees.

Shown above: Students from various Prodigy sites participate in the second dance battle installment. Held in 2013, the event drew over 200 guests and featured special performances

by YMCA Prodigy’s dance class and the drum class of UACDC/Tampa I Prodigy.

Turn Up3 July 25, 2015

Boys & Girls Club of Lacoochee Lacoochee, FL

Shown above: Dancers exhibit power moves, top rocking and contemporary styles for Turn Up3. The event was held in the newly built Boys & Girls Club of Lacoochee, attracting over 250 guests.

17th Feliz Dia del Padre Florida Institute for Community Studies

(FICS)

6704 Hanley Rd.

Tampa, FL 33635

4:00 pm - 7:00 pm

30th THA Prodigy Mini-Showcase Oaks at Riverview Community Center

202 E. Broad St.

Tampa, FL 33604

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Summer Fun: Let’s Do it Right

Summer can have a profound impact on how kids grow up

Summer is here! Summer is here! Wow, can you believe it? Already half of the year is gone. Where does the time go? While for most kids summer is a time for exploring, relaxing, and traveling, the reality is that most kids are not doing much of anything. Their families cannot afford to. In fact, summer often puts a financial and a child care burden on most families. For working parents, the struggle to find affordable, reliable and meaningful summer enrichment activities is real (believe me, I have two kids).

Many have said summer is a western culture ideal – that most countries have year-round schooling or a very limited break or have such a web of school/community programs that families don’t have to struggle whether to leave their kids at home unsupervised or have them engaged in activities. I think kids need a break from formal schooling and there is something special about summer, that if done right, if experienced by all kids, it can have a profound impact on how kids grow up and the memories and friendships

that they create (I can tell you a few stories). Prodigy is a year-round program. However, we know we have kids that come to us just in the summer. We are that safe, meaningful, and affordable (free) place for families. Let’s relish in that. Let’s make all kids’ summers memorable, equipping them with new skills, talents, fun and most of all…let’s keep them coming back in the school year!

Have fun, be safe and enjoy summer!

- Mike Trepper

Prodigy Director

J U NE 2 016 22nd Site Manager Meeting

University Area CDC

14013 N. 22nd St,

Tampa, FL 33613

10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Networking 9:30 am

HA

PP

ENIN

GS &

EV

ENTS

Pictured right: Girls Inc. Prodigy dancers ready for a 2015 summer showcase performance, students from UACDC Tampa I Prodigy show off hula hoop skills during a 2014 summer activity; FICS drummers perform for their 2015 summer showcase.

About the Prodigy Cultural Arts Program

The purpose of the Prodigy program is to provide the instruction, tools and resources that will lead to transformed lives. Youth are encouraged to explore themes and ideas that develop a sense of self-worth, as well as appreciate the worth and value of others and the world in which they live. When youth have a better understanding of who they are and how they connect with their communities, they are better prepared to become productive and socially responsible adults.

For more information, visit www.transformingyounglives.org.

Live Step

Step up with Prodigy in Live Step! Discover creative movements and fast footwork as valuable life skills and the power of showmanship are explored.

BGC Brandon Prodigy Brandon, FL

Ages 7 - 9 813-685-2006

Girls Inc. Prodigy Lakeland, FL

Ages 7 - 9 863-682-3002 x 222

Music Production

Create cool beats and rhythms in Prodigy’s Music Production Class! Taught by an industry expert, young producers will grow as individuals while developing writing, production and performance skills.

BGC Brandon Prodigy Brandon, FL Ages 10 - 13

813-685-2006

ONIC Prodigy Orlando, FL Ages 14 - 17

407-648-1623

THA Prodigy Tampa, FL

Ages 10 - 13 813-341-9101

Theater Spoken Word

Words take on powerful meaning and come to life in Prodigy’s Theater Spoken Word Class! As students enhance communication skills, new sources of inspiration are drawn upon to create stage ready pieces.

EF Prodigy Kissimmee, FL Ages 14 - 17

407-870-4855

Girls Inc. Prodigy Lakeland, FL Ages 14 - 17

863-682-3002 x 222

Oasis Prodigy Lakeland, FL

Ages 7 - 9, 14 - 17 863-667-2000 x 150

Photography

Uncover an exciting, new lens on life! In Prodigy’s Photography Classes, students learn lessons in front of and from behind the camera.

ONIC Prodigy Orlando, FL Ages 14 - 17

407-648-1623

THA Prodigy Tampa, FL Ages 7 - 9

813-341-9101

*More classes available! Call or email a Prodigy site for a schedule. See inside front cover for a complete listing of sites.

*

(Continued from page 3)

Check out some important dates and the

amazing itinerary of this year’s installment

below:

Site RSVP

Friday, June 24, 2016

Registration Due Date

Friday, July 1, 2016

Event Location

Brandon Boys & Girls Club 213 N. Knights Ave. Brandon, FL 33510

Event Date/Time

Saturday, July 16, 2016 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm*

*Doors open at 12:00 pm

Event Itinerary

12:00 pm Check-in

12:30 pm The Cypher dance exhibition

1:00 pm Event kick-off

1:15 pm Special guest performance

1:30 pm The Battle begins - Round I {Preliminaries}

2:30 pm Turn Up Dance Team Challenge

3:15 pm The Cypher dance exhibition

3:30 pm The Battle continues - Round II

{Top 16}

3:45 pm Special guest performance

4:00 pm The Battle Continues - Round III

{Top 8}

4:15 pm Win Big Raffle

4:20 pm The Battle continues - Round IV {Top 4}

4:35 pm Turn Up IV Awards: Top Dance Team Top All Styles Competitor Cypher King and Queen Funk Fresh Dressed- kid, adult

4:45 pm The Final Battle - Round V {Top 2} Turn Up IV Trophies

Ongoing activities and the concession

stand will be available throughout the

course of the event. For more infor-

mation, contact Davida A. Bowen via email

at dbowen@uacdc.org or phone at 813-

558-5212 x 209.