May 16, 2007

OKLAHOMA CITY - INTEGRIS Health’s Basic Educational Empowerment Program, known as BEEP, is an intervention program that helps gang members and former juvenile offenders leave their violent lifestyles behind so they may become productive citizens. The goal of BEEP is to provide a forum for youth to engage in activities that strengthen their leadership and organizational skills as an alternative to anti-social behavior.

In March 1995 INTEGRIS Health initiated BEEP as a project to further serve the community and to help youth ages 16 to 22 overcome a negative lifestyle and a deprived background in order to continue their education and gain and retain employment. Fifteen young people initially participated in the program. All had dropped out of school, some were in dead-end jobs, most had been associated with gangs and others had been recently released from state institutions.

Today, the program continues to change the lives of at-risk teens by helping them exit the violent life of gangs. At of a cost of only $2,000 per student per year, BEEP’s education and outreach programs are an effective and efficient way to change the lives of these young people and to help curb the growing problem of gangs and gang crimes.

Several “graduates” of this program subsequently completed their high school education. Many have gone on to college and six have now graduated from college, and more than 25 hold some kind of advanced education or certification. Ninety-five percent have completed the program and now live productive, successful, crime-free lives.

Fourteen more success stories are just waiting to be told. A new class of BEEP students is set to graduate Tuesday, May 22, at 6 p.m. on the OKCCC campus. (Use parking lot D, entrance 6, on the northwest side of campus.)

This year’s graduates are listed below. Eight of them are currently enrolled at OSU in OKC thanks to a partnership with the school.

Virginia Brooks	Angelica Villalobos
Devon Johnson	Lauren Wilson
Laura Bonilia	Sean Wilson
Sarah Hayes	Sandra Sylvester
Joseph Jones	Noah Sefcik
Charnell Reid	Lauren Pharoh
Michelle Stevens	Freddy Gomez

To obtain more information regarding the Basic Educational Empowerment Program, please contact INTEGRIS Community Services at (405) 951-4710 or (405) 636-7474.