Our Impact

We are committed to ongoing evaluation and continuous improvement of our programming. Our annual, third party evaluation consistently demonstrates that our services significantly improve the academic achievement, social skill development, and self-esteem of youth in our programs.  Parents overwhelmingly agree, affirming in surveys that Y.O.U. provides quality activities for their children, and thereby improves their behavior and academic performance.   

Here are just a few snapshots of our impact: 

• Educational success: By middle school, more than 80% of our assessed youth meet or exceed grade-level expectations in both math and reading. This far exceeds the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago’s best practice of 55%.

• Social and emotional success: In the last year, half of the assessed youth in our programs demonstrated significant improvement in their self-esteem with regard to their peers, as measured by the Hare Self-Esteem Scale.

• Parental involvement: Over the last year, more than two-thirds of our parents actively participated in family nights and workshops, which focused on building safe, nurturing, healthy home environments.

We believe these metrics of success tell a compelling story about the broader impact we are making in the lives of our youth, our families, and our community.

• Our youth: Y.O.U. supports all youth in gaining the skills, opportunity, and confidence to participate fully and responsibly in the community.

• Our families: Y.O.U. ensures that all families have access to social and economic mobility. Education can be a powerful ladder of opportunity to a better life. But the achievement gap is so large that few families have the chance to benefit from this ladder; indeed, in the U.S. today, only 20% of all black students and only 16% of all Hispanic students leave high school college-ready.  We provide tailored academic tutoring and social supports to ensure youth strive in school and go on to college. In this way, we help our families realize their dreams.

• Our community: Y.O.U. makes our community a happier and safer place to live. The hours between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. in the U.S. are the peak hours for juvenile crime, bullying, and experimentation with drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and sex. But for the youth in our after school programs, these hours are filled with education and recreational activities that improve their academic performance and enhance their self-esteem. We’re pioneers in transforming the “most dangerous hours in the lives” of youth into some of the most fun and productive hours.
  

Learn more about Y.O.U.’s mission, strategy, and leadership.

Learn more about Y.O.U.’s programs.