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HISTORY OF ASD

EIN # 51-020-5038

ASD began in 1971 as a pilot project of the Central City Mental Health Center in Los Angeles County. The Pilot Projects were operated in Los Angeles and the Compton Unified School Districts.

In 1974, ASD spun off from the Central City Mental Health Center with grant funds from the Community Services Administration. On June 7, 1976 ASD became incorporated.

Within the first ten years of its existence, ASD Inc. accomplished the following:

Employed 81 staff members
Accounted for over $ 5 Million dollars.

Serviced over 3,500 young people in the Los Angeles and Compton Unified School Districts.

Some of the projects operated by ASD Inc. were:

221 Versatile (CSA) Counselor active on LAUSD and CUSD School Campuses (CETA) Title IV in School Work Experience Program
1976 Law Enforcement Administration Association (LEAA)
(Long Table Project a the first City-wide Youth Gang Truce)
Southern California Long Table Peace Awards
Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention program, funded by the Charles Drew School of Medicine
S.A.T. Preparation
Financial AID & Collage Admission Assistance
Educational Community Outings
Annual ASD Youth Summit at Camp Oak Grove

MISSION STATEMENT

The ASD Mission is to assist youth in making the transition from adolescence to adulthood.

PROGRAM STATEMENT

Anti-Self Destruction's present focus is upon pre-teens and teens who are "Persons In Need of Supervision" (PINS). Intensive Intervention is the primary modality for effecting self-assessment, attitudinal change, personal development and behavior modification.

The ASD program provides an organizational base from which the youth participant derives a sense of belonging. The need to be a part of a group motivates young people to associate and directly participate in unsupervised and sometimes violent behavior. However, if a structured positive opportunity presents itself, the choice between negative or positive peer and near-peer involvement in a group will follow classical cost benefit analysis. The principal strengths of the ASD concept provides as many of the things a teen or pre-teen would find satisfying in gang memberships, or "acting out negative behavior" without the hazards of direct involvement. To expose young people to as many new and non-traditional choices as possible, with guidance, and allow them to experience new career as well as personal choices. Through placing youth with mentors who have unusual occupations, and giving them hands on opportunities, keeps them focused. While merging them with international cultural exchange partnerships and near-peer groups providing reinforcement, youth learn through repetition and review to make educated, intelligent career and personal choices.

The principal components of the ASD concept are as follows:

Digital Imaging Academy Social Networking
Culinary Arts Academy Community Service
Individual Case Management Educational Needs Assessments
Peer Counseling and Mentoring Educational Remediation (if needed)
Youth Empowerment Academy 1999, 2000, 2001 Youth Empowerment Summit 1999, 2000, 2001

These components provide a mosaic of structure and positive associations with other young people that can replicate the basis for which a choice is made to join and participate in the positive structure. Each young person who completes the program will have an opportunity to build a cadre of pre-teens who will become his/her group through which human services will be delivered.

ASD has developed an International Youth Empowerment Movement (IYEM) model that will be formally launched upon being recognized as an NGO with ECOSOC status by the United Nations in New York. ASD invites other national and international organizations with similar interests to partner with ASD to develop programs designed to capture and hold the interest of youth as they pass over that vast river of impression.