The Youth Connection Association for Academic Excellence Inc. is a non-profit organization that provides a wide range of activities for children whenever school is out. Our program services are planned to provide fun with a purpose. We offer recreation, social interaction and educational programs to build confidence, independence, self-esteem and self-respect for individuals and families in need. The Youth Connection Association deals directly with the disadvantaged youth of our community. The association gives children and teens of all abilities a place where they can learn and play away from the worries of the street.
The association’s extended family has grown to include ANNUAL SPELLING BEE, when children and teens can receive practical training in English proficiency and job readiness. For more information please drop-in or call (519) 254-8145
Our Mission Statement
Our program services are planned to provide fun with a purpose. Using recreational, social, educational, and vocational programs, we develop self-esteem and self-respect for individuals and families in need.
We at the Youth Connection Association in partnership with volunteers, community organizations, and local government agencies and services, are dedicated to citizenship growth; training in individual leadership, cultural diversity, and race relations; the positive academics, social and intellectual development of individual young people and their families; enhanced community involvement; and increased global awareness and responsibility, through the development and implementation of effective quality programs for youth.
Our Movement
Today, Youth Connection Association is a leading provider of quality programs to children and youth that support the healthy physical, educational and social development of more than 2,000 young people and their families each year.
We offer programs and activities at 2 locations, with trained, dedicated staff and volunteers who support children and youth, ranging in age from pre-school to young adulthood. Programs are offered primarily during the after-school hours when studies have shown that young people are most vulnerable at becoming drawn into anti-social behaviors. Many clubs also offer programs during evenings and weekends.
Our Vision
We see an organization that celebrates and values young people
We see an organization in which the physical, emotional, cultural, and intellectual needs of young people are of utmost importance.
We see an organization dedicated to honoring the rights, dignity, and self-esteem of each individual child in our care.
We see an organization that is committed to policies that foster the individual and group development of good citizenship, of community involvement, and of global awareness and action, through positive interaction and programs, and effective fund raising efforts.
We see an organization that values a sense of responsibility in its exploration of personal and group options that celebrates wise decision-making, personal excellence, and meaningful contributions to the community, in its efforts to address the safety, needs, concerns, and priorities of the young people and their families who are considered a priority in the development of our policy-making.
We see an organization that promotes excellence in its goals and objectives, its actions and achievements, and in its interactions with young people, their families, other community organizations and local government agencies and services.
We see an organization that serves as a positive training ground for the leaders of tomorrow, who are committed to working within an established system but are conscious of the need for adaptability and flexibility, in order to meet the challenges of the future.
Our Slogan
A good place to learn, laugh and grow
Our Core Values
We Care About Children and Youth.
We Acknowledge a Sense of Self-Worth is Fundamental to Individual Dignity.
We Understand Children and Youth Need to be Heard.
We Believe a Sense of Belonging is Essential to Healthy Growth.
We Foster Cultural Understanding and Acceptance.
We Assist Youth to Attain Their Potential.
We Value Learning as a Life-Long Goal.
We Understand and Respond to Youth’s Sense of Adventure.
We Acknowledge the Importance of the Family.
We Acknowledge the Importance of Appropriate Role Models.
We are Committed to Volunteerism.
We Value and Practice Cooperative Approaches.
We Acknowledge our Role as Advocates for Children and Families.