Welcome to Youth Empowered Solutions (YES!).
Check out our most recent YES! Newsletter.
We believe this world needs the input of young people. As an organization, we provide youth with skills and critical awareness about the social norms and policies that affect them. We connect them to the issues and provide them with the opportunities to get involved in solutions. We also provide adults with training and technical assistance so that they can be better allies to empowered youth.
Mission:
YES! empowers youth, in partnership with adults, to create community change.
Basic Strategy:
We hire youth to be part of our staff. Most of our decisions are made with them at the table. When youth work on a specific topic, they first must understand and work on a solution themselves. Whether they make a presentation to a school board about tobacco free school policies or write a letter to the editor on the topic, our youth get first hand experience and then they present that knowledge to their peers. In a cycle of learning, acting and inspiring others, they create a force that ripples far beyond their own lives.
Organizational Values:
-We believe well-trained, empowered youth benefit from and add value to any organization promoting social change.
-We believe intergenerational power sharing is essential to creating solutions for the challenges of our world.
-We believe talent in a variety of forms should be respected and honored.
-We believe providing a safe place for youth and adults to be themselves is essential.
-We believe supporting and encouraging youth engagement within our organization is an integral part of what is necessary for communities to be healthy.
