Youth Empowerment Through Learning Leading and Serving Inc

The YELLS Afterschool Program provides positive youth development, including leadership, art, recreation, character building, service learning, and academic support for elementary youth daily. The YELLS model engages the entire family through parent volunteering and participation in educational and community-building workshops. Of the 53 elementary youth served, 51 (96%) achieved academic success by promotion on grade level. Parents also reported that after participating in YELLS, 92% of children demonstrated improved behavior, 89% possessed excellent or very good self-esteem, and 96% have shown more care and kindness toward others. Additionally, YELLS provided an all-day (8:30am - 5:30pm) Summer Camp to provide learning experiences for youth while allowing parents to retain employment over the summer break. 89% of parents reported that their family's involvement in YELLS has increased their success as a parent.

The YELLS Community Action Café equips teens with real-world business and leadership skills as they manage a real coffee shop that serves as a hub for community-wide education, engagement, and empowerment. YELLS teens have become career-ready, developing resumes and going through a series of interview rounds before being selected to serve on Apprenticeship Teams (Marketing, Operations, Financial Management, Hospitality and Service, Community Planning, and Culinary Arts). YELLS teens have demonstrated their phenomenal leadership by applying business and life skills as they engaged hundreds of neighbors in youth-led events and community-building. While serving their community, YELLS teens have grown personally, with 96% (25/26 with survey data) of teens reporting high levels of self-efficacy, 92% making better choices, 79% improving their grades or maintaining an A or B in Math or Language Arts, and 91% of seniors graduating in 2019. Additionally, 86% of parents reported that YELLS helps them feel more connected to their community. Over 70 teens and adult community members of the Franklin Gateway community have also achieved SMART goals while building a network of support to improve their lives through our YELLS Achievement Club.