The R.O.Y. Project

Re-structuring Oregon Youth

THE R.O.Y. PROJECT
Recipe for Progress

Ingredients to be a successful
productive member of the community:

2 cups Self-Esteem
½ cup Work Skills
3 tsp Leadership
A dash of Team Work
2 tbls Work Ethic
1 cup Support
¼ cup Problem Solving Skills

The R.O.Y. (Re-structuring Oregon Youth) Project is a sheltered workshop that has been incorporated into the agency’s highly successful Workateer Program. The name comes from our first contributors, Roy and Kathy Marvin. The project is designed to help lower-functioning youth gain work experience and practice social skills in a supportive environment, easing the transition into a volunteer position outside of YPA. By taking ownership in all aspects of the creation of “soup in a tube” from recipes they have created, youth learn responsibility, and take pride in their work.

The Project’s most unique innovation is that the “student-managers” participate in running every aspect of the business. The “student-managers” design, develop and create products; make marketing decisions, review financials and run the daily business. The R.O.Y. Project will work in collaboration with several community-based agencies by providing a venue to market their product.

Creating sustainainable change

Sustainability is a core tenet of the ROY Project. Revenues generated from the goods produced in the sheltered workshop are reinvested into the the Project to pay the youth and cover production costs.