With the holidays approaching, many young adults around Ithaca are counting the days till they get to go home to see their family and friends. However, many youth around Ithaca face the uncertainty of not actually having a permanent place to call home. To help combat this uncertainty, The Learning Web's Youth Outreach Program, a non-profit organization, offers support to independent youth in any way possible.
The Learning Web's Youth Outreach Program got its start in 1990 with the help of Larry Farbman. The program started with the desire to help youth that found themselves in transient, with no stable place to live, going from couch to couch. These youths have left home for many reasons, and have found comfort in the services of Youth Outreach.
The program aims to help these independent youths, ages 16-25 get on a healthy, successful path in order to fully reach their own goals. The program has case managers that currently provide services to about 20 clients each. When trust is built between case managers and their clients, that is when the real work starts happening.
Case managers help to set up apprenticeships with local businesses for these young adults in order to learn the skills they are going to need to obtain a job in the future. Along with this, the program helps youth to find stable housing, have the ability to afford food, manage and budget their money, and at times form friendships with other clients in the program.
The Youth Outreach offices provides these services through a variety of programs. Group meetings are held at their office weekly, as a chance for the youths to get together and share in common interests. Dinner club is another program in which youths that have obtained their own apartment invite some other program participants, as well the case managers, over to their apartment to cook dinner. Youth Outreach provides the food and helps to cook, as a way of showing their support.
Also, for those youth struggling with the uncertainty of parenthood, Youth Outreach provides programs on learning how your child will grow and develop, and how to healthily progress as a parent.
During the holiday season, Youth Outreach operates like any other time of the year, providing any service they can to help youths feel like they have a support system. Of course, the stresses of the season are present just like any where else, but Youth Outreach does all they can to calm this anxiety.
On December 22nd, Youth Outreach plans to hold a walk-in celebration of the holidays by keeping their door open all day, inviting anyone who might want to come in and celebrate. Youth Outreach also provides gifts to their client's children, making the holiday season one for them to actually look forward to.
All in all, the Youth Outreach program has had unmeasurable accomplishments, citing every type of success story imaginable. This program is getting young adults back on their feet, finding places to live, to work, and to reach their potential.
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