The Empowering Youth Program (EYP) provides an outlet for personal and social development as a preventative mechanism to deter unproductive decision-making processes, unlawful acts and incarceration among many others. EYP serves youth ages 8 – 18. The purpose of this program is to increase self-awareness/self-esteem, junior high and high school graduation rates, leadership qualities, community involvement, etc. Our purpose is achieved through four components of mentorship, social development, life skills, and community involvement. At present, EYP consists of the College Bound and Leading Ladies initiatives.
All participants engage in a scheduled weekly individual mentoring session for a minimum of 45 minutes. This gives the participant an opportunity to discuss with their mentor core issues they are dealing with personally, at school, home, or within their community. Participants also engage in a weekly peer group session to discuss issues based on their day to day challenges and concerns. The weekly group sessions will also contain life skills training in the areas of anger management, cultural diversity, health & fitness, sex, sexuality, and leadership, along with job readiness, basic computer training, financial literacy, and community outreach.