YouthServe, Inc.

Youth Action Council is back in session! 🙌 2024-25 YAC members had their first meeting last night, where they decided on their "Declaration of YAC" before discussing areas of interest and potential fall service opportunities. We can already tell it's going to be a great year with these leaders!

Our newest Youth Leadership Councils had a fantastic day at their opening retreat this weekend! Members from Youth Action Council (YAC) and Youth Philanthropy Council (YPC) joined together to prepare for their upcoming year of service. Here's a little taste of what they experienced at the retreat: ⚖️ a "stand in someone else's shoes" activity and discussion about privilege 🕺 a YouthServe classic - the Youth Got Served dance-off! 🎓️ a panel of alumni who shared their advice and how YouthServe prepared them for life after graduation (Marques McKinney, Abigail Shepherd, Brooklyn Graham, & James Thornton) 🌎️ a community activity to discuss the pressing issues and needs they see 🧡 breakout sessions with their individual councils to prep for YAC & YPC We know it's going to be an incredible year with these young leaders! They are passionate, dedicated, and ready - we can't wait to see how they grow. Thanks to McWane Science Center for providing space for these youth to meet together!

Last night was YouthServe's annual board meeting to kick off the new program year, and we had the privilege of welcoming two new outstanding individuals onto our Board of Directors! We are thrilled to have Briana Patrias Morton, Ed.D. (Alabama Public Television) & Kathryn Holladay, CPA (StoneX Group Inc.) joining our team. We're confident that their contributions, along with the rest of our amazing board, will help make this year our most impactful one yet!

One of my favorite things to do is get out in communities just to meet people and tell them about YouthServe, Inc. What a wonderful day spent at the Roosevelt City Rec Center Back to School Celebration. I can’t wait to connect with all the new community partners and youth! Reach out if you would like us to visit your community.

We are SO PROUD of our Summer Service Ambassadors for embarking on a week-long backpacking trip across Cheaha State Park! These youth hiked 18 miles in 7 days, and showed resilience in the face of some pretty tough challenges, such as hours of rain, creepy critters, elevated hikes, etc. But through it all, they learned some important skills: ⛺️ how to put up a tent 🍳 how to cook meals for themselves 💧 how to source and filter water 🎒 how to live minimally By the end of the week, the youth were leading the group with confidence. Thanks to our partners at Big City Mountaineers for guiding these students on their leadership journey this summer!

Potatoes, and peppers, and peaches... oh my! 🥔🫑🍑 This weekend, we wrapped up our Summer Service Days program by serving with our friends at East Lake Market. Volunteers sorted fresh produce from local farmers into bags, then hand-delivered them to our neighbors residing in East Lake's senior living homes. Big thanks to Canterbury United Methodist Church for letting us borrow their van so we didn't have to walk in the heat! And thanks to Nawal from East Lake Market for being our expert bag-packer 😉

Shout out to our awesome staff member, Amber! 👏 She and the Summer Service Ambassadors have spent this past week backpacking across Cheaha State Park with our friends from Big City Mountaineers. The group has been learning important wilderness survival skills, as well as what it means to be a leader. We can't wait to hear more about their trip when they get back this weekend!

Did you know you can turn an old t-shirt into a cool reusable bag? ♻️👕 That's exactly what sustainable fashion designer Julie Maeseele showed these youth how to do at last week's Upcycling Workshop! It was so fun and impactful for the youth to learn how to reduce waste and create something with their own hands. Plus, we'll be donating the extra t-shirt bags to our friends at Full Circle! #sustainablefashion #youthservice

We love our friends at Community on the Rise, and we're such big fans of the work they are doing in our city! Yesterday, we spent a fun morning at a recycling workshop in their space downtown. ♻️ Youth participants got to learn more about how the organization is using #5 plastics to reduce waste, as well as to empower and employ people experiencing homelessness! We also learned they are working to create a Community on the Rise Junior Board, where interested youth can become more involved in their mission and lead advocacy efforts. Reach out to [email protected] to learn more.

These youth know how to make an impact! This weekend, they teamed up to clean up the Woodlawn neighborhood and removed over half a dozen bags of trash and litter from the streets. Thanks to Woodlawn United for providing all the materials we needed to help keep the community beautiful!