Lake Highlands resident William Hill has devoted his life to troubled children with whom no one else wants to work.
“I’ve always had a love for those kind of youths,” Hill says. “What got me when I started working with those harder-to-serve youths, I noticed they all had something in common. They felt rejected. A caring person is going to put out that anger.”
Hill has worked in several alternative schools in Washington, D.C., and Dallas. Some local groups with which he has worked are the Dallas Can! Academy, the Dallas Street Academy and Dallas 7001.
But his most recent program is Solid Foundations, Inc., an alternative school he opened last fall in Lake Highlands.
Solid Foundations contracts with the Dallas County Juvenile Department to provide an education for teenagers on probation. The school’s services also are available to families who are having problems but aren’t involved with the juvenile department. Fees are on a sliding scale, ranging from $75 to $300 a month, Hill says.
“Our whole focus is empowering the youths and their families,” Hill says.
When teenagers come to the school, their needs are assessed by the organization’s staff, and a tailor-made program is designed for each youth to get him or her back on track.
“We want them to see we’re doing this together,” Hill says. “If you don’t do your part, we can’t do ours.”
The program is based on fear, reward and self-motivation, Hill says. The curriculum is self-paced, and the teenagers work with the teacher to develop good study skills and habits. Each week, there is a winner’s circle, which Hill says is a combination of the Oscars and the Arsenio Hall show, and students are recognized for their achievements and exemplary behavior.
The school meets weekdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. After school, students either go to a job, do homework or participate in recreational activities with staff members until 4 p.m.
The goal is to get the teenagers back into the mainstream at school or get them their high-school equivalency diploma, Hill says. The program lasts six months and includes a 90-day follow-up period.
“I have a dream to build an outreach center for the rejected and dejected youths,” Hill says. “I look at this as a step towards that dream.”
Sixteen-year-old Norman Roberts, a participant in Solid Foundations, is on probation. But through Solid Foundations, Roberts is preparing to take the high-school equivalency diploma test and says he wants to study engineering in college.
In addition to working with teenagers, the staff at Solid Foundations also works with parents on parenting skills and developing positive relationships with their children.
“I really want to focus on developing the family,” Hill says.
So far, seven teenagers have come to Solid Foundations, Hill says. The biggest obstacle is funding, which comes mainly from the county contract, but doesn’t meet all of the organization’s needs, Hill says.
“I know if we do things that we need to do and believe and stay consistent, we will make a difference,” Hill says.
For more information, call Solid Foundations at 553-5359.
