Youth Empowered Solutions (Yes)

Filing Period

Jul 1, 2012 to Jun 30, 2013

Signed

Nov 15, 2013

Return Version

2012v2.3

Gross Receipts

$1,077,244

Mission

Major Activities

Activity 2

The yes youth empowerment model is a three-pronged approach that effectively engages young people in work that challenges them to: - develop skills - gain critical awareness - participate in opportunities that create community change. Yes youth leader trainings are youth-led and adult-assisted. Yes offers training and consulting to adults and organizations to help them be better allies to empowered youth. Yes provides networking opportunities, encourages partnerships, and assesses organizations' youth empowerment capacity. The yes real food active living (rfal) initiative is a youth-led advocacy program that works to address childhood obesity by partnering with youth and adults to create policies and transform systems so that youth have increased access to fresh, healthy foods and safe places to play and be active. The rfal team consists of 1 team lead, 2 program coordinators and 8 youth staff. From 7/1/12 to 6/30/13, the yes real food active living team provided 12 youth and adult leader trainings for 170 people, in conjunction with workshop and conference presentations, and received 18 earned media hits through letters-to-the-editor, local news stations, and newspaper stories. Yes real food active living team accomplished 3 policy or environmental changes: - smarter lunchroom redesign was implemented at myers park high school in charlotte, nc. - youth involved in future farmers of america (ffa) in ware county, ga have started a school garden for summer use by the school and community. - wellness policy strategies were implemented at yes including: monthly group exercise, walking meetings, physical activity breaks, no junk food dumping, meatless mondays, half of snacks are produce, and gratitude whiteboards for each office. Yes real food active living team accomplished 4 systemic movement-building changes: - the mooresville rotary club developed a system to have the rock-n-learn youth actively involved in their cascade neighborhood community garden. - ashe county high school has put together a group of students to do advocacy and prevention work around the topic of bullying after receiving a training from yes the students created bulletin boards on bullying, and fruit and exercise of the month. - 4-h hired 6 teens as peer youth education volunteers who provide peer education, plan community events, and update social media. - yes rfal team created scalable toolkits for smarter lunchroom redesign and healthy vending to be applied in other communities. The rfal team lead joined the nc state alliance of ymcas' state action team to implement the grant funds to address childhood obesity through state level policy change. The rfal program coordinator was invited to join the appalachian foodshed project (afp), a partnership concept between north carolina, virginia and west virginia aimed at facilitating a network of organizations and individuals working to address community issues including social justice, health, nutrition and food access. The seed20 class of 2013 (social venture partners) included youth empowered solutions (yes): www.seed20.org/ideas/ yes real food active living team participated in 3 national events: - clinton global initiative in new york city, where yes rfal youth staff presented at a topic dinner on the importance of youth as leaders today. - 2012 democratic national convention hosted in charlotte, nc to support youth engagement and employment legacy. - 6th annual southern obesity summit hosted in charlotte, nc, where the rfal team facilitated the comprehensive youth track, sat on expert panels and helped with the overall planning of the event, exposing 300+ individuals to youth empowered solutions (yes). Http://triad.news14.com/content/news/665300/obesity-summit-equips-youth- with-resources-to-lead-healthier-lifestyles

Activity 3

At yes, our work has proven that youth have the capacity to become leaders and champion the issues that are important to them. Yes envisions communities where the valued standard is that empowered young leaders can have an extraordinary impact, working alongside adults to create positive change. In fiscal year 2013, a total of 1,285 adults and 847 youth were exposed to the yes youth empowerment model through conferences, panels, webinars or trainings. Of the 153 adults and 559 youth who attended full trainings with yes staff members, 96% indicated that they learned new skills, and 64% reported going on to take action. The yes access to health care initiative works to ensure that youth can access the care they need through school-based health centers (sbhcs) and opportunities to have a more active role in their own health care. The team consists of 1 team lead and 4 youth staff. From 7/1/12 to 6/30/13, the yes access to health care team provided 6 training opportunities for 63 youth and adults, as well as a national conference workshop session. Yes access to health care team created 3 new resources, including: - paving the way to access toolkit - southern high school wellness center portfolio - wake county community needs assessment yes access to health care team led 8 awareness and education events including: - tweet-a-thon to support school-based health centers - strategy sessions with the wake county public school system - organizing a state-wide youth council - advocating through and to the wake school health advisory committee (shac) - presenting multiple times to the wake county board of education yes access to health care team accomplishments include: - the wake shac voted to recommend to the wake co. School board to establish a school-based health center the yes access to health care team presented at the 2013 national convention on school-based health care in washington, dc. Yes youth staff led a media literacy training as part of the youth track for the conference. During the conference, youth staff visited their senators and congressional representatives on capitol hill to ask for support for the appropriation of funding for school-based health centers. Yes access to health care team was hired as consultants by a major health care provider in new york to implement the youth empowerment model in their 20+ school-based health clinics. The ny company had seen the team present at a national convention on school-based health care in chicago, il in 2011. Yes access to health care team had 22 pieces of earned media published and/or aired on youth empowerment or school-based health care including: - yes staff were interviewed about school based health centers on upfront, a live, call-in radio program on wsha 88.9 fm. Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gdbrnoyi8y - 2013 independent weekly citizens award (for the access team) www.indyweek.com/indyweek/the-yes-team-lobbying-for-a-school-health- center/content?oid=3255489 yes youth staff member, jhana parikh was selected to be an inaugural member of the school-based health alliance (sbha) national youth advisory board. She is one of six youth selected nationally.

Filer

EIN

06-1813332