The results of our 5-year study evaluating the effects of the YES program are in! Participation in the YES curriculum improved youth's psychological empowerment. This, in turn, was associated with increased prosocial outcomes. Prosocial outcomes included: readiness to help others, academic effort, … [Read more...]
Second edition of the YES Curriculum now available
We are excited to announce the release the 2nd Edition of the Youth Empowerment Solutions Curriculum, Adaptation Guide, and Evaluation Guide. The new editions are freely available for download. The new edition of the curriculum includes: Updated sessions to reflect today's technology and … [Read more...]
Rosa Parks Peace Park
The Rosa Parks Peace Park was created by participants in the Youth Empowerment Solutions for Peaceful Communities Project in 2006, 2007 and 2008 over the course of three summers. YES youth, assisted by neighborhood advocates, cleared two heavily overgrown vacant lots, planted gardens, installed … [Read more...]
Rap Song
In 2007, the YES for Peaceful Communities youth wrote and recorded a rap song, entitled: "We are the YES". The idea to do a rap song as a project was generated in 2008 during the “Hip-hop for social change” unit of the curriculum. The youth really liked the idea of creating music for their final … [Read more...]
Tulip Garden
The Tulip Garden was a mini-project completed in the fall of 2007. At the start of a YES meeting, the students expressed concern that no one was taking care of the raised beds in front of their school. After discussion, the group decided to adopt the raised bed. The youth decided that they would … [Read more...]
Hands for Peace Mural
The Hands for Peace mural was created by participants in the Youth Empowerment Solutions for Peaceful Communities at Holmes Middle School in 2005 and 2006. In 2005, the students wanted to get the word out about YES. After getting the owners’ permission, the participants whitewashed the wall of a … [Read more...]
Boat Mural
The YES youth in Flint identified the graffiti on the sides of locally-owned stores as a community liability. They felt that the graffiti was a symbol of violence and they wanted to paint a mural over the graffiti as a way to communicate the importance of non-violence. The Boat Mural, which was … [Read more...]
