Connecting Detroit Youth to a Brighter Future

We would like to thank all of our GlobalGiving donors for your support in 2016! What a blessing you have been to our kids and their families. We appreciate your donations and wanted to let you know how our programming has impacted the youth we served in the past year.

There are a lot of youth programs that talk about how many kids they serve and how many hours of work they do, but here at The Youth Connection we approach our youth development programs differently – with a keen eye on outcome data. It is one thing to say you served 116 kids this summer, but quite another to say that of the 116 kids in your summer job program, 93% completed an Employability Skills Training and 100% of those kids walked away with resume and cover-letter writing skills and at least three job interviews under their belts.

In addition, our I2D2 nutrition and exercise program has seen fantastic results in 2016 while educating our youth on the importance of proper nutrition and exercise. This program has been evaluated by Wayne State University School of Medicine Michigan Public Health Department and shown to produce statistically significant outcomes that make our children healthier.

Other Returns on Your Investment:

• The youth who have graduated from The Youth Connection Career Academies (TYCCA) have been offered over $2 million dollars in college scholarships.

• Over the last five years TYCCA youth have been accepted to over 41 colleges and Universities.

• Over 80% of the youth who participate in our Academic Development program improve their reading scores one to two grade levels.

• One hundred percent (100%) of youth expected to graduate high school did so on time and 100% of them enrolled in post-secondary or advanced training programs, the armed forces or entered employment.

• One hundred percent (100%) of youth participants that started job certification training completed the training and earned the credential with at least 80% or higher on their certification exams.

• Ninety-nine percent (99%) of the youth found the career development and work readiness training and experience they received valuable.

• Ninety-eight percent (98%) of the parents felt the program helped their children develop life skills (i.e. financial literacy, etc.), work readiness/employability skills (i.e. resume writing, interviewing skills, etc.), and college preparation.

But the ultimate measures of our success as an agency are the kids who put in the work all through high school and college to forge a better future. We are extremely pleased to report that one of our youth who started our program during her sophomore year of high school is now on the verge of graduating Summa Cum Laude from Alcorn State University with a degree in Criminal Justice this May!

Margaret Scott joined The Youth Connection Career Academies (TYCCA) in 2011 and graduated high school in 2013 with a 4.0 GPA. Our program helped to shape her outlook on careers and college and, according to Margaret, was invaluable to her current success.

“I love everybody at The Youth Connection…I really do. You helped me get to where I am today. I’m going to graduate with my degree in Criminal Justice in May and then I’m coming home to work for the Detroit Police Department. While I am working, I will be attending Wayne State University law school on a full scholarship where I hope to graduate in three years with my law degree.”

“My internship with the 3^rd Circuit Court last summer really showed me how all of the various courts (family court, civil court, etc.) operate and the mentorship I received from (TYC Board Member) Judge Ewell was invaluable in sharpening my career focus and learning how lawyers and judges in a real courtroom operate. I really can’t say enough how much I appreciate everything that The Youth Connection has taught me.”

We are very proud of Margaret and all of the hundreds of graduating students that our program has helped in the past few years. We would also like to thank our donors who have helped make Margaret’s dream a reality.

Thank you again for helping us connect our youth to brighter futures!  Your past support has meant the world to our students, and your future support will ensure that we help a lot more young men and women like Margaret in the years to come.

Links:

• The Youth Connection Website
• The Youth Connection Facebook Page
• The Youth Connection Twitter Page