Overview
The YMCA Youth Institute is a youth development program that utilizing technology as an engagement tool to increase social, academic and workforce skills.
Tags
- Education
- Nonprofit Organization
- Youth Organization
Description
The Youth Institute
In 2010, the Weingart Y renovated its ‘Teen Center,’ complete with a homework, tutoring,
and college entrance exam and application area; activity and game room; community
service space; and computer lab. This renovation was part of the pilot phase for the Youth
Institute, which began in 2011. Now in full force, the Youth Institute in South LA begins
during summer break with participants attending a wilderness retreat at Y camp. There,
youth develop the collaborative and problem-solving skills they will need in the Institute.
They focus on team building, cultural diversity training, and decision-making. When school
reconvenes, the Institute begins a 20-hour per week program. There, project-based
learning provides Digital Media Arts skills using the latest software and hardware. Literacy is
an important aspect of the program, with all projects incorporating creative writing,
scripting, storyboarding, and oral presentations.
