Youth Empowered Leadership Community (YELC)
Our Flagship Program
The Department of Education reports that youth who spend one to four hours per week in an after-school program are 49% less likely to use drugs, and 37% less likely to become teen parents.
The YELC is a gender-specific in and after-school program where youth experience personal growth and identity development through the power of sharing with peers, building community and engaging in behaviors that lead to success in school and beyond.
Throughout the school year, starting in September, program participants meet twice per week: a lunch meeting that focuses on informal communication and relationship building, coupled with a 90-minute after-school meeting that follows a structured agenda. This is the core of the work done with YELC students. However, it is essential to note that the success of the YELC comes from multiple touch points with students outside of the meetings (via phone calls, e-mails, texts, etc.) and the integration of other CofU programming.
