METROPOLITAN EDUCATION COMMISSION

EDUCATION ADVOCACY: GOAL ONE: GRADUATE! /META NUMERO UNO: GRADUAR! IN 1994, THE GOAL ONE: GRADUATE! / META NUMERO UNO: GRADUAR! INITIATIVE WAS ORIGINALLY DESIGNED TO PROMOTE AND INCREASE THE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATES IN PIMA COUNTY. THIS INITIATIVE HAS NOW BECOME THE OVERARCHING THEME FOR ALL MEC EDUCATIONAL ADVOCACY ACTIVITIES THAT PROMOTE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND GRADUATION AT ALL LEVELS OF THE EDUCATION CONTINUUM FROM PRE-SCHOOL TO POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION. GOAL ONE: GRADUATE!/META NUMERO UNO: GRADUAR! POSTER CONTEST STUDENTS FROM PIMA COUNTY ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS PARTICIPATE IN THIS CONTEST DESIGNED TO PROMOTE GRADUATION FROM HIGH SCHOOL AND PURSUIT OF A HIGHER EDUCATION. THE STUDENT WINNERS RECEIVE A $100 MONETARY AWARD AT THE CRYSTAL APPLE AWARDS LUNCHEON. YOUTH LEADERSHIP & CIVIC ENGAGEMENT: YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL/TUCSON TEEN CONGRESS (YAC/TTC) COMPOSED OF MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM PUBLIC, PRIVATE AND CHARTER SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT PIMA COUNTY, THE YAC/TTC SERVES AS A YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL AND SOUNDING BOARD TO THE MEC, COUNTY AND CITY ELECTED OFFICIALS, AND COMMUNITY LEADERS. TWO MEMBERS OF THE YAC/TTC SERVE AS MEC YOUTH COMMISSIONERS TO ENSURE THE YOUTH VOICE IS REPRESENTED ON THE 34-MEMBER COMMISSION. THIS ENERGETIC TEEN GROUP COLLABORATES WITH OTHER COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS BY PARTICIPATING IN THE PLANNING OF EVENTS SUCH AS THE CITY-WIDE YOUTH AND PEACE CONFERENCE, THE LEAGUE OF UNITED LATIN AMERICAN CITIZENS (LULAC) YOUTH LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE; AND THE ARE THE SELECTION COMMITTEE FOR THE OUTSTANDING TEEN CITIZEN AWARDS, AND THE GOAL ONE: GRADUATE! POSTER CONTEST. YAC/TTC MEMBERS REPRESENT THE CITY OF TUCSON AT THE ANNUAL ARIZONA LEAGUE OF CITIES & TOWNS; SPONSOR THE ANNUAL TEEN TOWN HALL; AND TRAVEL TO THE STATE CAPITOL IN PHOENIX TO MEET WITH STATE LEGISLATORS ON CIVIC ENGAGEMENT DAY. LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS AND SCHOOL DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES ALSO ATTEND YAC/TTC MEETINGS, TO PRESENT ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE AND ACTIVITIES AND TO LISTEN TO THE STUDENTS' IDEAS AND CONCERNS. YOUTH WORKFORCE: THE KEY TO EMPLOYMENT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY SYMPOSIUM HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM ACROSS PIMA COUNTY ATTEND THE ANNUAL KEY TO EMPLOYMENT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY SYMPOSIUM HELD AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA TO EXPLORE HIGH-TECH CAREER OPPORTUNITIES. THE EVENT IS A SIGNATURE EVENT OF THE ARIZONA SCI-TECH FESTIVAL AND IN 2017, RECEIVED THE ARIZONA COMMISSION FOR POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION'S LEGACY AWARD. TO DATE, OVER 7,000 STUDENTS HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE EVENT. HIGHER EDUCATION PATHWAYS PLANNING: REGIONAL COLLEGE ACCESS CENTER THE REGIONAL COLLEGE ACCESS CENTER (RCAC) IS AN INFORMATION AND REFERRAL CENTER DESIGNED TO SERVE ALL TUCSON AND PIMA COUNTY STUDENTS AND FAMILIES. RCAC STAFF PLAN AND PARTICIPATE IN SPECIAL OUTREACH ACTIVITIES DESIGNED FOR STUDENTS FROM LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS OR WHO ARE THE FIRST IN THEIR FAMILY TO ATTEND A POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION PROGRAM. THE RCAC OFFERS FREE ONE-ON-ONE ADVISING IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH ON VARIOUS HIGHER EDUCATION PATHWAY PLANNING. THE RCAC WEBSITE (WWW.METEDU.ORG/RCAC) OFFERS LOCAL AND NATIONAL INFORMATION ON COLLEGE AND CAREER PLANNING RESOURCES, COLLEGE TESTING RESOURCES, AND FINANCIAL AID AND SCHOLARSHIP SEARCHES. THE RCAC WEBSITE HAS HAD TENS OF THOUSANDS UNIQUE VISITORS TO THE WEBSITE SINCE ITS INCEPTION TEN YEARS AGO. COMMUNITY RECOGNITION: CRYSTAL APPLE AWARDS LUNCHEON EACH YEAR THE MEC HONORS INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS FOR THEIR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO EDUCATION. THIS IS TYPICALLY HELD AT THE ANNUAL CRYSTAL APPLE AWARDS LUNCHEON BUT DUE TO THE PANDEMIC AN AWARDS LUNCHEON WAS NOT HELD; AWARDS WERE INDIVIDUALLY PRESENTED TO THE AWARD RECIPIENTS. AWARD CATEGORIES INCLUDE THE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT, TEACHER, COUNSELOR, YOUTH, CORPORATE, EDUCATION ADVOCATE, AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY ADVOCATE.