These 4 Organizations Empower Youth

Many youth across the country and worldwide do not have the resources and support to reach their full potential. These organizations are some of the many that help to bring stability and support where it is needed most. 

Udayan Care

New Delhi, India

Named for the Sanskrit word meaning “eternal sunshine,” Udayan Care has been working to empower women, children, and youth in 23 cities across India since 1996. It does so through education programs, long-term residential homes for orphaned or abandoned children, and technology and vocational training centers.

I had an extremely fruitful learning experience through my internship at Udayan Care.

Though the global pandemic rendered all our work to be online, I was able to utilize my resources fully to create online resources for the organization.

The managers and authorities are extremely kind and approachable and also provide constant feedback and suggestions on the work completed. This aids greatly in the learning process.

I hope Udayan Care benefited from the work I have contributed just as much as I benefited from this internship experience!

Kids ’n Kinship

Apple Valley, MN

Kids ’n Kinship empowers and strengthens youth through mentoring. Designed for children who need additional positive adult role models, mentors spend time on a weekly basis with children for a minimum of one year. Kinship fosters supportive relationships and school work assistance between mentors and children.

While volunteering and working with the team at Kids ’n Kinship, I can see their passion for working with the youth and mentors. The work the team and mentors both accomplish with the youth they serve can be seen with the personal growth among all members (staff, mentors, and youth) of this program.

Their mission generates lasting connections, increases self-awareness and self-confidence, and embraces community.

WriteGirl

Los Angeles, CA

WriteGirl is a creative writing and mentoring organization that promotes critical thinking, creativity, and leadership skills to empower teen girls. Serving the downtown Los Angeles area, WriteGirl hosts monthly workshops, assists girls to enroll in college, and equips teens with leadership skills. 

Being a WriteGirl mentee changed my life! I joined WriteGirl when I was 14, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I was a shy, awkward teenager who hid behind my books and writing, unwilling to socialize and share my writing in fear of judgment, but WriteGirl changed that! Now I’m a published author and college student who has participated in social and political marches because I now realize that my voice matters and deserves to be heard! Joining WriteGirl gave me the confidence to share my writing, empowered me to make friends, and stand up for what I believe in! WriteGirl has taught me to live my life by the ABCs: Adventure, Bravery, Courage. Every girl should be a WriteGirl! WriteGirl is so much more than a writing program, it’s a community of women empowering teen girls to change the world!

Reading Partners

Oakland, CA

Reaching more than 11,000 students per year, Reading Partners is committed to helping children become lifelong readers. Reading Partners recruits and trains community volunteers to work one-on-one with students by following a structured, research-based curriculum.

This will be my sixth year volunteering with Reading Partners, and I hope I have many more. One cannot underestimate the impact this organization and its staff and volunteers have on children. The one-on-one instruction is invaluable to kids who may otherwise get lost in the shuffle in a regular classroom.

The enthusiasm I continually see as they choose their books to read in class, or take home, warms the heart, and is evidence that Reading Partners is making a difference. The structure of the lessons provides me and the kids with goals every week. One year I had a boy who was very fidgety, and could not keep still. He was very smart, and loved coming to class. At times, he would be break dancing on the floor, but never missed a beat in answering a question. He was a delight!

Thanks to these great organizations and many others, youth and communities can get the support they need.