Teen Programs focus on personal development, life skills and leadership qualities in our young people. One of the best examples is our Teen Leaders Club for middle-school children where youth, with the input of Y staff, plan social activities, fundraisers, service learning projects, field trips and more. We’ve found that once they start volunteering, it’s hard to stop some of these kids! They like giving back to the community and seek more and more ways to help.
Education & Leadership
Youth and Government Program
Youth and Government is a national YMCA group that involves thousands of teenagers worldwide in programs that model their state government. The New Haven YMCA has been participating in the Youth and Government program since 2006. Between October and March of each year, the teens in the Youth Center meet once to twice a week to discuss and debate issues in their state and to learn how to draft legislation concerning these issues.
The objective of the program is to teach leadership training, public speaking, critical thinking, community activism, political knowledge, and the development of research, reading and writing skills for academic enhancement. The youth’s hard work and dedication is rewarded in a weekend conference at the Legislative Office Buildings in Hartford where they present their bills to other YMCA teens across the state.
Youth Caring in the Community (YCC)
In September 2009, a core group of 10 youths at the New Haven YMCA Youth Center gathered with Youth and Teen Director Maggie Scalzo and Executive Director Terry McCarthy to work on developing new programs geared towards positively engaging youth in the community.
The result? A series of new initiatives organized by Youth Caring for the Community (YCC).
A key goal of this Center initiative is to have the planning and execution of programs driven by youth—youth who know the ins and outs of their community and are committed to working towards positive change. The initiative is not only a learning/community building experience for participants, it is a way to bring the voices of youth to the fore on important community issues.
Highlights of youth-driven YCC programs:
“If you could ask a police officer anything, what would it be?”
As part of a community service project funded by the State of CT, Office of Policy Management, YCC youth organized a panel discussion with New Haven Police officers and documented the discussion on video to share. The conversations helped inspire the next project—educating other youth about the dangers of gun violence.
The Campaign Trail…“If you find a gun, TELL SOMEONE, Call 911!!!”
Geared towards children 3-12, the campaign urges children to call 911 to report a gun. 25,000 cards bearing the logo have been distributed throughout New Haven Public Schools and public housing complexes as well as 200 posters, 200 buttons, 2500 pencils and 2500 magnets. The campaign has been heavily supported by NHPS Superintendent Reginald Mayo, who says, “We have a gun issue in New Haven and need to teach children at an earlier age what to do if they find a gun.” Read the New Haven Independent article featuring NHYMCA youths Denzel Walker and Jashonnae Rollins.
For information on some of our projects and how you can get involved, contact Terry McCarthy at tmccarthy@cccymca.org or Maggie Scalzo at mscalzo@cccymca.org.