Moving Beyond Incentives: A Community Involvement Plan for the City of St. Louis
Presented by: Margaret Lampe, Operation SafeStreet-Team Sweep Model Citizen Program

What kid doesn’t love going to an amusement park, the roller rink, or to see the circus? Even kids about to turn sixty? The Team Sweep Model Citizens Program has been sending people of all ages on these types of outings for nearly seven years. Why? To reward them for the volunteer service they provide to the City of St. Louis by cleaning up their neighborhoods. Team Sweep began in one neighborhood as a collaboration among residents, police and Operation SafeStreet (Team Sweep’s parent organization). The purpose of the program was to reduce litter and crime perpetrated by youth. Adult volunteers were matched with youth from their neighborhood to clean up the streets and alleys on a regular basis. Team Sweep then worked with various organizations to donate fun activities to reward youth and adults for their service and to encourage them to continue their efforts. The program has been so successful that it is now available city-wide and has had as many as 300 youth enrolled in the program at one time. Most important of all, participating neighborhoods are remaining cleaner!
During this 60-minute case study, the presenter will share the Team Sweep Model Citizens approach for bringing youth and adults together to improve their environment, revitalize their communities, and build an educated and involved citizenry. The challenges of involving at-risk youth and sustaining them in the program will be discussed, as well as methods for building collaborative relationships. The program’s EPA-sponsored guidebook will be presented.