Youth Empowerment Services (YES) is a three-year initiative designed to develop and promote leadership and self-advocacy skills to help young people prepare for their future.
Twenty-five young adults ages 16-22 with and without disabilities from the target areas of Concord, Manchester, and Peterborough, NH have be selected to participate in the YES project. Parents, guardians, and/or family members of YES project participants will also participate in a training series, Specific Planning Encourages Creative Solutions (SPECS), which is designed to assist individuals in achieving their life goals. Youth and their families involved in this project will participate in an intensive training series in the areas of leadership, self-advocacy, and futures planning and receive follow-up support to achieve identified goals.
Year One
Participants can expect to:
- Attend five interactive sessions presented by leaders in community organizing, leadership development, futures planning, and best practices in the inclusion of people with disabilities.
- Become connected to one another and promote and build relationship within their communities.
- Learn and be able to use effective strategies that promote and support change.
- Learn and practice specific strategies utilized by effective leaders.
- Identify and mentor emerging youth leaders across New Hampshire.
Years Two and Three
- Annual Youth Leadership Statewide Conference organized and mentored by YES participants.
- Ongoing technical assistance to emerging youth leadership self-advocacy groups.
- Follow along technical assistance to support YES participants and their families achieve their identified goals.
- Comprehensive evaluation of youth outcomes related to leadership and self-advocacy.
This project is funded by the Administration on Developmental Disabilities Grant - CFDA No.93.931.
