Exit

SUPPORTING MANCHESTER MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS 

Middle school is a major time of change, physically and emotionally.  Couple that with the transition to a new school with new expectations and possibly less oversight.  Add in peer relationships, budding curiosity, and a desire for independence.  And now a pandemic and over a year of remote or hybrid learning.   

Many Manchester youth face additional hardships, like poverty, substance use exposure, gang influence, and crime, that make the middle school years even more turbulent. These adverse childhood experiences can interfere with their positive growth and leave youth in danger of falling behind academically and more vulnerable to engaging in risky behaviors. 

Cost, travel, accessibility, and stigma are often barriers to getting youth the help they need. That is why the Youth Enrichment Partnership (YEP) brings mental health services, academic supports, and enrichment opportunities - free of charge - to the places where youth feel safe and connected, like schools, after-school centers, and summer programs.

Click here to learn more about the Youth Enrichment Partnership.

 

 

           
           

   

 

This unique collaboration of funders, schools, and 14 different community organizations has revolutionized
the youth-serving field and eased the transition during this critical stage of development.

 

 

Granite United Way is pleased to announce a $200,000 Challenge Match
to support the Youth Enrichment Partnership.

Every gift made to YEP will be matched dollar for dollar. This means your gift today will be maximized to support
Manchester’s most at-risk middle school youth.

 

  

 

 

CHANGING THE LANDSCAPE FOR THE YOUTH-SERVING FIELD 

The Youth Enrichment Partnership has revolutionized how Manchester’s youth-serving organizations support middle school youth. Before the partnership, agencies worked in their respective silos, despite serving many of the same clients.

Now, agency leaders sit at the same table to identify service gaps and duplication, with a common goal of holistically supporting youth. Agencies with specialized skills bring their services directly to the places where youth already go and feel comfortable. This partnership has exposed youth to experiences they might never have had. YEP not only improves outcomes for youth but raises the standard for the youth-serving field as a whole.

 

A COMMUNITY OF PARTNERS

YEP has fostered a sense of community amongst the partners. Through regular meetings and communications, partners have built trusted relationships and a referral network. They have discovered new opportunities, exchanged ideas, and collaborated on projects. It has provided the space for vulnerability and authenticity so that partners can focus on solutions. By encouraging partners to work as a team, YEP has created a safety net to support our youth.

 

THE GLUE THAT HOLDS THE PARTNERSHIP TOGETHER

Granite United Way serves as the convener, capacity-builder, facilitator, and funder of YEP. It coordinates and schedules services among the partnered agencies, facilitates training, and monitors progress to ensure program integrity. Granite United Way keeps the work of the partnership moving forward by supporting the integration and innovation of its services.

 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Over the past 3 years, YEP partners, Granite United Way staff, and experts throughout the country have facilitated over 3,900 hours of training and professional development focused on our youth. Topics cover a variety of areas from suicide prevention to working with marginalized populations and are offered to educators, youth-serving staff, and community members.

These trainings benefit the youth-serving field by creating a common language around problems and solutions that impact youth, expanding access to a broader audience through virtual presentations, and providing tools to cope with a variety of situations.

 

                    

 

Thank you for being an integral part of what we do!

Thanks to our donors, Granite United Way has provided free mental health services, academic supports,
and enrichment opportunities to a third of Manchester's middle school youth. 

 

 

For additional information, contact us at info@graniteuw.org.