Connecting Detroit Youth to a Brighter Future

First, thank you.

To every donor who has invested in The Youth Connection and the Love Detroit Prevention Coalition, please know that your generosity is changing lives every day. Because of you, young people and families in our community have received opportunities that might otherwise have been out of reach.

Your support has helped us celebrate students graduating from high school and college, recognize young adults earning industry-recognized certifications, and prepare youth for their next steps by providing college dorm essentials, safety equipment and tools for construction careers, transportation assistance through bus cards, and emergency food support for families facing difficult times. These are often the small but critical resources that determine whether a young person succeeds. Many of these needs fall outside the scope of grant funding, making your donations especially meaningful.

Your investment is doing more than meeting immediate needs…it is creating lasting community change.

At The Youth Connection, we believe that real change happens when communities work together. Through the Love Detroit Prevention Coalition, we bring together law enforcement, schools, healthcare providers, treatment and recovery organizations, parents, youth, faith leaders, businesses, and government agencies to address the challenges facing our neighborhoods.

One example is our long-standing partnerships with the Detroit Police Department, Ecorse Police Department, Detroit Public Schools Community District Police, Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network, and the DEA. After eight years of collaboration and advocacy, we achieved an important milestone: permanent prescription drug Take Back boxes are now located in every Detroit Police Precinct, along with additional locations throughout our community. What was once a community event held only twice a year (through National Prescription Drug Take Back Day) has become an everyday opportunity for residents to safely dispose of unused medications, reducing access to prescription drugs that too often lead to misuse, addiction, or accidental poisoning.

Advocacy has also strengthened youth protection throughout our city. Working alongside the Detroit Police Department, community leaders, and elected officials, our efforts helped establish stronger enforcement against tobacco and liquor retailers who illegally sell to minors, including penalties that can lead to the loss of their business licenses. By providing research, community data, and testimony to policymakers, we also helped advance legislation prohibiting marijuana dispensaries and vapes from advertising within 1,000 feet of child-sensitive locations such as schools, playgrounds, churches, childcare centers, and other places where children gather.

Our youth continue to benefit from opportunities that many never imagined possible.

Because of relationships built through years of trusted community engagement, the FBI Detroit Field Office created a special Teen Academy experience for youth participating in our programs. Students met Special Agents, Assistant Special Agents in Charge, forensic specialists, and members of the Counterterrorism Division. They experienced fingerprint analysis, learned about investigative techniques, explored career opportunities within federal law enforcement, and gained a firsthand understanding of the dedication required to protect our communities. For many, this experience transformed their perception of what their future could look like.

Our role has increasingly become that of a community connector.

Federal agencies such as the FBI and DEA regularly turn to The Youth Connection and the Love Detroit Prevention Coalition to help engage neighborhoods, schools, parents, and community organizations. Together we have organized community awareness efforts recognizing International Human Trafficking Awareness Day, National Fentanyl Awareness initiatives, DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, and Walk for Lives events honoring those lost to opioid overdoses while educating families about prevention and hope.

Advocacy also extends beyond our local community.

Earlier this year, organizations across the country received notice that critical funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) had been terminated effective immediately. Within hours, we joined coalitions and partners nationwide to raise our collective voices, communicate the impact these cuts would have on communities, and advocate for the continuation of essential prevention services. Thanks to the unified efforts of organizations across the country, funding was restored within 48 hours, allowing critical work to continue.

One of the most important lessons we teach our youth is simple:

Your voice matters.

We encourage them to speak with courage, advocate for what they believe in, and understand that respectful, informed conversations can create meaningful change. Whether advocating for themselves, their schools, or their communities, they learn that one voice…supported by others…can make a lasting difference.

Thank you for believing in our mission, investing in our youth, and helping us build safer, healthier, and more hopeful communities. Every success we celebrate is possible because partners like you chose to make a difference.

With sincere gratitude,

Grenae Dudley, Ph.D.
President & CEO
The Youth Connection, Inc.

Links:

• The Youth Connection's Website!
• TYCDetroit on Facebook!
• TYCDetroit on Instagram!

As we step into 2026, we want to extend our deepest gratitude to every community member, partner, and supporter who has helped us connect Detroit’s youth to brighter futures. Everything we accomplished in 2025 — from expanding youth development programs to strengthening substance use prevention efforts — was possible because our community showed up, stood with us, and invested in our young people.

Last year, our students in The Youth Connection Career Academies launched into new careers, enrolled in colleges across the country, and earned national recognition for their innovative projects. These achievements weren’t just organizational milestones — they were community victories, made possible by the collective support, mentorship, and encouragement surrounding our youth.

This sense of community became even more important earlier this year when we received unexpected news: at 10 p.m. one January night, we were informed that critical federal funding for our substance use prevention coalition was being cut immediately. Within hours, our community rallied. Nonprofit partners, advocates, and supporters joined forces to make sure Washington understood the real impact this cut would have on Detroit families. Because of this united response, our funding was restored within a day and a half.

The experience reminded us that while federal grants are helpful, it is our community — people like you — who ultimately sustain this work. Your support ensures that no matter what happens at the national level, Detroit’s youth will continue to have access to the programs, guidance, and opportunities they deserve. For that, we thank you.

Your donations have been more than financial contributions; they have been acts of protection, advocacy, and love for the young people and families we serve. You have helped us keep our mission strong and our youth safe.

This spring, we invite the entire community to come together for our largest annual fundraiser — the 2026 Chiefs Cooking for Kids, happening May 7th in Detroit. Twentyone (21) Chiefs from Fire, Police, and local corporations and agencies will share their favorite dishes as attendees vote for the next “Chief Chef.” With music, a silent auction, and unique experiences up for bid, this event is a celebration of community spirit and collective support for our youth. Every dollar raised goes directly back into programs that uplift young people across Detroit. More details are available at www.theyouthconnection.org.

Our community’s impact continues through our summer programming as well. Students in The Youth Connection Career Academies are preparing for paid summer internships — a cornerstone of our yearround development efforts. Thanks to support from Grow Detroit’s Young Talent and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, youth will gain handson work experience, learn time management and job skills, and explore Michigan’s outdoor recreation and career opportunities. For many, this summer will bring first time experiences: boating on the river, earning a boater’s safety license, camping overnight, and discovering the joy of hiking Michigan’s wilderness.

Our youth will also travel to an international substance use prevention conference, where they’ll learn new strategies, share Detroit-based projects, and bring home ideas that can strengthen prevention efforts across our city. Their voices — shaped by their lived experiences and community support — will help guide the next generation of prevention work.

As we close, we want to thank you for being part of the village that lifts our young people and shapes the future of Detroit. What our youth learn this spring and summer will stay with them for years, helping them imagine what is possible and giving them the confidence to pursue it. We are grateful for your partnership and excited for all that lies ahead at The Youth Connection.

Links:

• The Youth Connection's Website!
• TYCDetroit on Facebook!
• TYCDetroit on Instagram!