 |
|
|
|
A B O U T Y E S
About Youth Eastside Services
Our Mission: Youth Eastside Services is a lifeline for kids and families coping with challenges such as emotional distress, substance abuse and violence. Through intervention, outreach and prevention, YES builds confidence and responsibility, strengthens family relationships, and advocates for a safer community that cares for its youth.
What we do: For 40 years, YES has helped young people and their families deal with emotional issues, drug and alcohol abuse, sexual abuse, dating violence, gang activity and discrimination. Each year, tens of thousands of kids and family members discover the inner strength to overcome emotional problems and painful crises as they learn to make the right decisions that lead them toward happy, healthy lives.
How we do it: Through the efforts of 73 employees, nearly 20,000 annual hours of volunteer service and a $3.2 million yearly budget, we provide individual and family counseling; substance abuse education, prevention and treatment; community- and school-based violence prevention, family support, consultation and training. Contributions from individuals, businesses, foundations and public agencies help fund our work and, on average, more than 86 cents of every dollar go directly to providing services to kids and their families. At YES, a family's inability to pay for services never stands in the way of their finding the help they need.
Who leads the way: A 30-member Board of Directors sets the direction and policies for YES. Patti Skelton-McGougan is the agency's Executive Director.
How we got here: YES was founded in 1968 as a grassroots movement by local volunteers concerned about the emergence of drug abuse among teenagers. In those early years, troubled youth found a drop-in center they could "rap" with sympathetic adult volunteers. Today, our approach has broadened to deal with the escalation of violence, substance abuse, teen alienation and family stress, along with a focus on the issues affecting young children aged six to 12, the dynamics of counseling whole families, and the unique challenges faced by culturally diverse communities living on the Eastside.
Back to top |
|
| |
|
|
