As we draw close to the end of 2021, The Youth Connection would like to thank every one of our supporters for a fantastic year of connecting youth to brighter futures! As we continue to move forward through the pandemic, TYC programs that support youth and their families are even more important to help those in need. We are also taking time this holiday season to celebrate the tremendous accomplishments of our students.
Your support of our kids this fall allowed us to take the lead in three important substance abuse prevention events – Red Ribbon Week, our annual Fall drug takeback in partnership with the DEA, and providing Narcan training to members of our community.
Red Ribbon Week is our nation’s oldest and largest drug prevention awareness campaign held every year in late October. This year, The Youth Connection celebrated substance use prevention in three schools in Detroit – Dove Academy, Pershing High School, and Detroit Public Schools Academy. We also shared the event with the Detroit Police Department (DPD) Explorers, DPD’s youth program. We held pandemic-appropriate rallies, asked students to sign pledges to be drug-free, and distributed “Drug Free Zone” mats and masks to all the schools and students. Overall, over 1,000 students participated in our program!
We also partnered this fall with the DEA and with that our national reputation continues to grow! The DEA reached out to us to help facilitate a crew to pack the DEA take back boxes for Michigan and Ohio. Members of our coalition (the Love Detroit Prevention Coalition) participated and packed thousands of boxes. The DEA wishes to recognize our efforts and the efforts and invited TYC to the DEA headquarters in Detroit on November 23rd to receive special recognition for our efforts to keep prescription drugs our of our community!
In partnership with the Detroit Health Department and the Detroit Police Department we worked to coordinate the October DEA drug take back for residents to dispose of their unwanted/unused/expired medications. It is so critical that we dispose of medication properly, instead of flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away in the garbage. The take back in October netted over 150 lbs. of pills! This brought the total pounds of pills taken back this year in April and October to over 600 lbs.! We have been cited by numerous partners for our efforts to improve the take back in Detroit.
Finally, to further help combat the opioid overdose crisis, we trained and distributed 1,020 Narcan kits to individuals including over 400 youth this year. Since 2018 we have trained over 4,550 individuals including every Detroit Police Precinct and several graduating classes from the Police Academy. One of the youths that participated in our Narcan Training at the 11th Precinct shared what she learned with her mother after the training. She told us that while she was in school her mother called and indicated that a neighbor appeared to be experiencing and opioid overdose. She talked her mother through what she was taught including placing the neighbor in the recovery position until help arrived. They were successfully able to reverse the overdose! We are so proud of our student and her mother and feel so strongly about providing Narcan training to the community to help save lives!
As we wrap up 2021 and look forward to 2022, we want to say thank you one last time for your support. With your help, we will continue to provide the best future for our youth and their families. Thank you!
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Summertime at The Youth Connection is one of our busiest times of the year. While we are still maintaining all CDC guidelines for gatherings during this pandemic, we have over 200 youth currently working in PAID summer internships through our partners at Connect Detroit and the Michigan DNR. These internships are a mix of virtual and in-person (socially distanced) jobs that youth can complete. These first work experiences are so crucial to our teenagers’ development and understanding of financial literacy, work ethic, responsibility, and community that we are very excited to say that over 1,500 young people in our community got their “first job” through The Youth Connection over the years. Do you remember your first job? Do you remember finally getting that first paycheck? Because of your support, the young men and women in The Youth Connection Career Academies are experiencing that right now and will continue to learn, grow, and have fun while making a few bucks the rest of the summer.
But there’s another side to The Youth Connection summer programming that we think is at the heart of every youth’s summer – Fun and Family!
To that end, this summer TYC hosted a series of events to kick-off and promote a “Safe, Fit, and Fun Summer” for families in our community. In May we hosted a Kickoff event that featured our partners from the Detroit Police and Health Departments, the Detroit Pistons, Aberdeen Bike, and the Love Detroit Prevention Coalition.
At this event we featured bike safety information, information about all our youth summer employment opportunities, basketballs featuring the Detroit Pistons logo, gun locks (for home safety), and we also gave away (or sold for $25) over 60 bikes for youth who currently didn’t own a bike of their own. The bikes, which were donated from one of our partners and Board of Directors Mike Casey of Aberdeen Bikes, included mountain bikes from Trek, Specialized, and Cannondale that usually retail between $200 and $500. All the youth were so excited that they were now able to cruise around their neighborhood on their bikes and participate in a healthy, free, and effective form of exercise while enjoying their summer with their friends. We also promoted a community bike ride through our neighborhood and a great day at a local City Recreation Center this summer.
“Enjoying the beautiful weather, we have in Michigan during the summer while finding a healthy, safe, and free form of exercise for youth and their families is a win-win for our families and for our obesity prevention efforts,” said Dr. Grenae Dudley, President and CEO of The Youth Connection. “We cannot thank our partner agencies and departments along with our GlobalGiving family enough for their support that makes these events possible!”
In addition to the fun, we are also focusing on family during the summer through the launch of our Strengthening Families 10-14 program. Over 25 families have attended our trainings this summer that focus on family communication, setting rules and goals, peer pressure refusal, parenting skills, reducing stress in families, and decreasing conflict. The sessions (held one evening per week for 7 weeks), cover all of these topics and more while providing time for a family meal, separate parent and youth sessions with trained facilitators, and plenty of time for both parents and their kids to come together at the end and talk about what they’ve learned and their personal experiences.
Through a discussion with parents and youth that have been through the program and a desire to provide the best programming in Michigan for families, The Youth Connection recently hosted a listening session facilitated by The Detroit Health Department where we spoke with parents and their children who have been through the program to see how we can improve and what they thought would make the session even better.
During the session, The Youth Connection learned so much about what the participants really thought was valuable about our Strengthening Families 10-14 sessions and where we could improve. This feedback is critical to TYC as it falls directly in our philosophy of “Nothing About Us, Without Us!” that guides our programming decisions. After all, who would know best about what is really helpful than the people whom you are trying to help?
The Listening session, and the lessons we learned from it, are all part of a continuous cycle of Quality Improvement that help make our programs the best programs for youth and their families in metropolitan Detroit!
Again, we cannot thank you enough for your support that makes all of our activities possible – whether it’s purchasing a bike helmet for a youth who needs it or providing dollars to support staff training and development that allows us to host cutting-edge trainings like the Strengthening Families 10-14 program. We appreciate your donation that allows us to go the extra mile for the families in our community and change lives, one very important young person at a time, in our neighborhood!
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In the midst of this pandemic the challenges are real and at times seem overwhelming. It’s like running the marathon in a hail storm and wondering will you even see the finish line. Our youth are in this race to win despite it all. Thanks to the amazing support we receive from our GlobalGiving Family and allies like KBP Foods our youth are crossing the finish line in glorious fashion. We have shared the amazing journey on one of our youth who was part of The Youth Connection Career Academies, Laronta. This exceptional young man continues to beat the odds and make us proud. In 2016 we told you about Laronta a 17 year old young man who walked into our lobby after seeing a sign that said The Youth Connection. The Youth Connection Career Academies Director, Ms. Hill was in the lobby when he arrived and he asked her about the program. Sheepishly, he asked if he could volunteer with us. When asked why he wanted to volunteer he confessed that he was ordered by the courts to complete community service. He stated he did not live far from our office and if we would please help him. Of course you know we did.
Laronta came every day and we fell in love with his tenacity and commitment. We had just launched our Ticket to Float program and recommended him to be one of four youth to be hired by the National Park Service River Raisin National Battlefield Park through their youth conservation corps. Over 45 miles from Detroit he was terrified. Laronta was uncomfortable being out of his element and surroundings and begged to stay at The Youth Connection for his summer internship. We said no!
Laronta learned to kayak and taught kayaking to urban youth on the Huron River. He earned certifications in water rescue, CPR and First Aid. He was trained as an interpreter for the Ticket to Float program and helped design the curriculum. He presented to over 1,000 youth and their chaperones on the War of 1812, the fur trade, the use of silicone in the automotive industry and the history of the Wyandotte Indians of the Anderdon Nation. As a result of our work with him and his engagement in the program, he was featured on a Time Warner special regarding the program and water quality.
Near the end of his summer internship he had to return to court. The Judge was so impressed with how he spent his summer he received early release from his probation and was given accolades for his accomplishments. We worked with him to reach out to his brother in Maine who could provide him with more guidance and support. The challenge was to get him there. The money he earned over the summer allowed him to pay back his court ordered restitution and purchase a bus ticket to Maine. Our GlobalGiving donations helped us to send him off with a bang. TYC staff surprised him at our office with luggage, a new winter coat, a camera, snacks to eat on the bus and a lot of love. Staff that did not make it to the office sendoff were at the bus station when he arrived and we all shared a tearful heartfelt goodbye.
Laronta’s dream was to get his high school diploma. He had dropped out of school at 15 and never graduated. He said, “I don’t want a GED. I want to graduate with a diploma. I want to be somebody.” He graduated from High School receving his High School Diploma and subsequently enrolled in Job Corp for electrical engineering.
Fast forward to today five years later to the rest of the story. Laronta is the proud father of a baby girl and now owns his own electrical company.
The good news does not end here. COVID-19 has altered many of our plans and we had to find new ways to stay connected to our youth and families. Addressing their anxieties and depression, cheering them on virtually as they zone out of the zoom meetings. Dropping off food and PPE on their porches and celebrating their graduation milestone in a drive by caravan of TYC staff. But wait it gets better! Did you hear the shouts of excitement coming from Detroit when Ms. Hill announced that 16 of our youth in the midst of the Pandemic completed a 12 week Pre Apprentice Carpentry training program earning their OSHA 30 certification and are waiting to hear confirmation of their State of Michigan Contractor/Supervisor Asbestos Abatement License? As students of continuous learning they are gearing up for the next leg of the race to earn their NCCER (National Center for Construction Education & Research) certification. Above it all they crossed the finish line as full time employees!
Thank you to our GlobalGiving Family for keeping the faith with us. Each of your donations serve as a beacon in the storm showing our youth that they can cross that finish line in the face of incredible odds and can honestly say “I AM Somebody!”
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With your amazing support and thanks to the strength of our partnerships, The Youth Connection is full of hope as we get ready to start a brand-new year. 2020 has been a year of extreme change, as we transitioned our youth programming to the virtual world and learned quickly that zoom wasn’t just a sound effect made during cartoons. We lost one of our young people to senseless gun violence and had to stand in with the family to cover the cost of the funeral. But, in the midst of all the change, tragedy, and hard work, we constantly felt the virtual love from our supporters, partners, and friends. For that we would like to say thank you!
Your support helped our youth to attend virtual conferences where they presented in front of hundreds of people and received an award from Youth United for their hard work helping prevent substance abuse in our communities.
Your support also provided the funding necessary for our Strengthening Families program to continue helping parents and youth in Detroit after one of our partners could no longer support the program expenses despite excellent outcomes and an outpouring of support from current and former participants.
Finally, many of our friends, donors, and youth who graduated from our programs in the past called, emailed, or contacted us on social media to make sure our staff and our kids were doing ok during the pandemic. These simple gestures mean the world to us and our kids and give us the strength to continue our work and to reach our goals despite tremendous obstacles. We can’t thank you enough to everybody who checked in on us like we were family this past year.
Looking forward to 2021, though, fills us with optimism and hope for a brighter future for our young men and women. All our current programs, from The Youth Connection Career Academies that helps students launch their careers or get into college, to our RISE program that helps foster youth who recently were exited from the foster care system find stable housing, employment, and other supports are continuing through the help of our funding partners. We helped over 175 youth gain virtual summer jobs this summer to give them that “first job” experience despite the restrictions of COVID-19.
We are seeing rates of substance use decrease amongst youth and adults who participate in our prevention programming. We are making a difference in the fight against opioid overdoses and deaths in our community through our FREE Narcan training (If you’re interested in attending a virtual Narcan training to learn how to save a life, visit http://www.theyouthconnection.org/narcan-trainings). In the past year, everyday people trained to use Narcan by The Youth Connection helped save 13 people from dying from opioid overdoses! We ARE making a huge difference in our community and, on top of that, in the lives of the young men and women that we serve.
Because of the hard work by our Prevention programming team, The Youth Connection is the ONLY agency in the United States that is certified to deliver our Strengthening Families Program 10-14 virtually! As you browse some of the pictures of families who graduated from this program below, know that your support made all the difference in the world to helping families become stronger, communicate better, and support each other in a lasting way during this tumultuous pandemic.
Finally, as we wrap up 2020 and look forward to 2021, we want to say thank you one last time for your support. With your help, we will continue to provide the best future for our youth and their families. Thank you!
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Like many of you we are experiencing difficult and challenging times. The Covid-19 pandemic, racial tension, and the disparities that dramatically impact the population that we serve are overwhelming. We do not have the option to close our eyes and hope things will blow over and get better. Our youth and families have needs and concerns that go beyond our traditional services. But if we are to stay true to our mantra of connecting youth to brighter futures we do not have the choice to opt out and say its’s not our job. When our state shut down we had to rethink how we would be able to stay the course and connect youth to futures that were being compromised by the rise of the pandemic in their communities, school closings, and having their basic needs threatened. We also had to remain solvent and see how, when, and where to provide the funded services we knew our youth and families needed.
It was evident that our GlobalGiving Family had faith in us because we saw your donations continue. Your encouragement helped us to persevere. Quitting nor failure were not options. Our staff was sent home to work and we provided them with the tools needed to work remotely. We reviewed each of our grants and determined how we would continue to provide the work and alerted our funders that we were still operating. We reached out to the families we serve and provided them with information on where to obtain food, medical services, and community resources.
The Health, Wellness and Prevention Division is providing resource information to over 200 families. Staff are making calls to check on our families and were a comfort and resource to families trying to cope with unprecedented circumstances. They continued program services and YOU CAN BE PROUD because they worked with the developer of the Strengthening Families 10 -14 at Iowa State University, Catheryn Hockaday, to develop and implement the Strengthening Families 10 -14 virtual program which we piloted implementing all of the sessions with fidelity and resounding results. Hats off to Deb ‘O Rah Mitchell, Frederick Smith, and Adrema Price for a job well done.
Our youth stepped up to the plate and not only showed up but showed out. The Youth Committee for the Love Detroit Prevention Coalition worked with our Drug Free Communities Community Organizer Charise Johnson to implement a virtual Photo voice project, conduct a virtual environmental scan for marijuana dispensaries sign compliance, prepare a zoom presentation for our City Councilman Scott Benson, and present at the National CADCA (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America) Mid-Year virtual conference in July. They received positive feedback from Councilman Benson (who vowed to follow up on their findings) and rave reviews from many of the over 250 virtual participants at CADCA! A high five to our youth DeAndra, DeAna, Denzell, Justin, David, Mya, Kendell, and Duwan!
The Youth Connection Career Academies was once again asked to serve as a lead agency for the Grow Detroit’s Young Talent summer youth employment program. We were tasked with providing virtual work experiences for over 200 youth. Our staff, led by Nicole Hill, scrambled to create virtual trainings and job sharing opportunities and ensure our youth had the equipment and IT to participate. We have zoomed into homes throughout Detroit and have made a difference. The summer culminated with a drive-by celebration. Staying in their cars we tossed them backpacks full of school supplies, hard cover award winning books from First Books, PPE masks, hand sanitizers, TYC logo stuff, portfolios, award certificates, and more. We also celebrated our graduates and delivered off to college supplies and resources. Staff drove to their homes honking horns, waving banners, wearing mask and feeling proud.
Nicole’s staff continue to provide services to over 100 youth aging out of Foster Care. Our foster care youth already have the odds stacked against them are now having to face a devastating pandemic with the opportunities to gain footing slowly eroding. One of our youth died during this pandemic and, with the support of the United Way, KBP Foods and GlobalGiving, we were able to cover the bulk of the funeral expenses for his home going. TYCCA has been able to help youth who are vulnerable and frightened with limited resources.
As you can see, no one has rested and we will not quit. Each time an email comes that says we received another donation from GlobalGiving we are so excited and above all encouraged. It tells us that we have your support. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for believing in us especially in this time of crisis.
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