Welcome!
Young people involved with
The Detroit Helping our Youth Development Mission
To engage and develop diverse young people to positively impact their lives, their communities and the world. We accomplish that mission through programs that help young people ages 13 to 19 to use their voices for positive change.
Young people involved with the Detroit Helping our Youth Development:
- Write and perform their own positive message music, dance and dramatic material.
- Get their voices heard through youth-driven interactive workshops, grassroots community programs, television appearances, videotapes, books and more.
- Increase self respect and develop leadership skills through after school mentoring programs.
The Detroit Helping our Youth Development differentiates itself from other youth service organizations in five substantive ways:
- Our programs are youth-driven. Youth help to design, operate and evaluate each program.
- Our programs are youth-relevant. Involving youth in the decision-making process allows them to identify the content that will keep them engaged in meaningful ways.
- Our programs are evidence-based. Designing youth-driven programs requires extensive field testing and continuous improvement to guarantee success.
- Our programs employ multi-dimensional perspectives of social justice, arts and culture, community organizing, social and emotional development, and workforce development, among others.
- Our programs are effective. Internal program evaluations demonstrate DHYD youth improve their educational outcomes, reduce behavioral issues, address emotional and family issues with help from support services, and reach their personal, short-term goals for school and work.
Our Kids uses the arts to engage and train young people to create positive and powerful solutions to issues impacting their lives. Young people learn to improve their own educational status, become agents for social change, take action in community projects, and carry positive messages to their peers, and they have a great time doing it! and perform their own positive message music, dance and dramatic material.
