Youth Involvement

Program History | Target Population | Program Description

Program participants regularly volunteer shifts at both the drop-in and needle exchange. They also help facilitate workshops, participate in our monthly clean-ups and sit on the hiring committees.

HYA’s diverse services provide a host of options for youth to engage with their peers and staff in ways that are comfortable and empowering. New clients who engage in our services often display low self-esteem and an extreme sense of disenfranchisement. This is arguably due to larger societal issues of poverty, neglect, and abuse, but also to lack of access to culturally appropriate services and an overall lack of support (social, emotional and mental). Due to these experiences, these youth are often extremely distrustful of authority and organizations, and much of the work that HYA strives to do is building healthy relationships with clients to combat this alienation. HYA provides a safe space and low-threshold service provision as a means to open up lines of communication. Creating healthy relationships and getting youth temporarily off the street will create the foundation for life changing steps, when HYA clients are ready to make them. HYA’s emphasis on respect at the individual level and community building inspires participants to take better care of themselves and each other in their present lives and in the long term. Healthy relationship building increases a sense of self-esteem and empowerment. We find that program participants develop a newfound ability to take care of their emotional and health needs and the needs of their fellow community members.