Statements

Mission

The mission of Youth Encouragement Services (YES) is to enrich the lives of Nashville's youth by providing opportunities that encourage them to reach their full potential spiritually, academically, socially, and physically through daily programming in a Christ-centered community.

Background

Youth Encouragement Services is a nonprofit 501c3 organization formed in 1956. Originally called "Youth Hobby Shop", YES was founded by Judge Sam Davis Tatum, a long time Nashville juvenile court judge, and a group of visionary businessmen. Their purpose was to prevent juvenile delinquency by providing an alternative to the streets for inner-city children. In the beginning, YES offered crafts and hobbies to kids in downtown Nashville after school. Over the past 60 years, YES has grown in response to the needs of young people in the community. We now offer much more than just "hobbies." We provide tutoring, summer camp, basketball leagues, and other recreational and cultural activities to low-income children. Our programs are offered after school, all day during the summer, and occasionally on weekends.

Impact

More than 750 economically disadvantaged children, ages 6-18, are served through our programs each year. Each of our two youth centers is equipped with a gymnasium, kitchen and classrooms. Because all of our programs are accomplished with a full-time staff of only four and an average workforce of over 600 volunteers, we are able to keep overhead to a minimum. Scope of Programs: - After School/Summer Programs: Offered at all locations weekday afternoons during the school year and all day during the summer months, Youth Encouragement Services' organized programs provide a safe place to play, relax, do schoolwork, participate in sports, develop relational skills and learn moral values. - Tutoring Program: Utilizing hundreds of volunteers from the business community and area colleges, approximately 130 children receive one-on-one homework assistance and tutoring in basic literacy, math and English. After each session, children enjoy a nutritious meal and are provided transportation home. - Back to School Help: When Metro schools discontinued providing basic school materials to children, YES began its 'Back to School' program to provide pencils, notebooks, paper, workbooks, etc. to children. Last year, we dispensed school supplies to 200 children from under resourced communities. - Summer Camp: Many children who grow up in public housing have never had the opportunity to explore outside their own neighborhood. Most have never built a campfire or gone hiking in the woods. Each year over 300 children participate in one of our week long sessions, to experience the wonders of nature. - The Christmas Store: Provides clothes/toys for over 750 children.

Needs

YES has several critical needs. We need volunteers to serve as mentors for our children, to assist with our Reading Program or homework, to coach basketball or soccer, to speak during our Life Skills and Career Opportunities sessions, and/or to participate in other center activities. Our youth centers are aging and are in need of constant refurbishing and repairs.

CEO Statement

For over 65 years, YES has provided a setting for kids to develop individually, have an established community to which they belong, and experience opportunities that will change their life's trajectory. More than than 12,800 youth sessions were attended by the nearly 150 children in the after-school and summer programs and more than 25,000 meals were distributed to participants in 2020.

Our team is honored to share love each day, guiding students through comprehensive development programs. With the help of over 50 community partners, churches, businesses, and a host of individuals, we're able to provide over 1,500 direct service hours that truly impact our children's lives. We welcome you to join our kids journey: invest in their success by sharing your personal skills, service, or financial support. We're building brighter futures for Nashville's youth, one child at a time.

Board Chair Statement

YES is truly special. Leading with hope and love, our team helps remove the barriers to success. We help shed the light of Christ through meeting the needs of our most vulnerable neighbors. The average family served by YES is severely low income and has an average of 4-5 kids to support. More than 9 in 10 households have an annual income that is less than $20k (in a city that requires 4 times that amount to live comfortably), 7 in 10 students reside in single-parent households, and 1 in 3 youth have a parent that is or has been incarcerated. YES partners with 50 local agencies to provide over 1,200 direct program service hours annually.

YES understands how important nutrition is for child development, and it recognizes the complex issues families in poverty encounter. As urban sprawl and rapid gentrification converge on racial and ethnic minorities living in the city, the chasm of health inequity and disparities experienced by these families swells. Nashville's pockets of poverty are enshrouded in food deserts with no viable public transit. Parents have limited transportation, are financially overextended, and are in a chronic state of crisis. Grocery delivery service is unavailable to individuals who do not own bank accounts, which is the experience of a number of our families.

This year, YES has adjusted operations and established an emergency food program. Donations help address food insecurity, leads an awareness, campaign exposing challenges to access quality food, and increase opportunities for racial and ethnic minority children residing in high-poverty neighborhoods to have equitable access to healthy meals. Over 15,000 were distributed from April-July 2020.

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Youth Development  - Youth Centers and Clubs (includes Boys/Girls Clubs)- Multipurpose
Secondary Category:	Education  - Remedial Reading & Encouragement
Tertiary Category:	Youth Development  - Youth Development Programs

Areas Served

South Nashville: J.C. Napier & Tony Sudekum Public Housing Development, Woodbine, Radnor, & Paragon Mills Communities

TN - Davidson