On June 7, YouthQuest employees and friends will join afterschool and summer enrichment programs from across the country in speaking out against President Donald Trump’s budget proposal for 2018. Specifically, the proposal calls for the elimination of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers, which provides federal funding for more than 9,500 school-based and community centers – including YouthQuest. As part of… Read More 

STUDYING SELF-DISCIPLINE Before kicking off their karate lessons, students at Dye Elementary first learned about the importance of self-discipline, or the control over their own body and mind. They participated in multiple exercises that focused on meditation and understanding the karate did not, and was not, to promote violence. As the students transitioned into learning multiple moves – including a… Read More 

Nickoy Edwards always knew that he wanted to help people in his community, but it wasn’t until he attended Mott Community College that he decided to join the police force. “I was working in the college’s office of public safety, where I met a lot of police officers,” says Edwards, an alum of Mott Middle College, TeenQuest and Summer Youth… Read More 

Every year, YouthQuest employees complete 40 to 60 hours of professional development focused on the latest developments in afterschool best practices, strategies and techniques. Professional development sessions are held monthly and are led by a variety of experts, such as Dr. Gale Gorke, who specializes in providing training for afterschool employees and Dr. Lauren Czechowski, a pediatric psychology fellow, just… Read More 

Did you know that students from low-income families lose about two months of reading and math skills every summer? Those losses can begin to add up. By the time a student is in fifth grade, summer learning loss can leave students from low-income families two to three years behind their peers, according to the National Summer Learning Association, NSLA. Locally,… Read More