One hundred percent of the surveyed graduating Youth Leadership Academy (YLA) youth in 2020 reported that the 5 year programme contributed to: their sense of self-worth, ability to make choices based on what is important to them, their accountability for their academic success, challenged their growth, exposed them to opportunities and pushed them to be at their best.
YLA has been a major blessing in my son and daughter’s lives. It has kept them out of trouble and on the right track in school. Having the extra support from someone who is encouraging them to set goals and follow through with their work has helped more than I think you will ever know. I cannot do it all by myself and Family Centre has been that village that has provided the caring adults that go above and beyond for my child. At the beginning of the school year, my son set academic goals. However, not having a laptop and having to adjust to all the new COVID-19 rules affected him emotionally. I have seen so much improvement since Family Centre provided a laptop. My son’s confidence has increased, and he is more driven. His ability to communicate has also improved. My daughter had the opportunities to explore multiple careers she was interested in and got her current job due to the YLA Building My Future programme. There truly are no words I can use to express my gratitude for your programmes; they offer eye-opening experiences, teach youth how to and gain confidence in expressing themselves and they expose them to subjects that they do not learn about in school.