Executive Director’s Report As 2012 marks YOU’s 30th anniversary it is a time to reflect and look ahead. YOU was created in 1982 to respond to the needs of youth in helping them find and maintain employment. The agency’s initial programs were limited to employment counselling, job search workshops and job placement. While those programs were successful in achieving their goals, the issues affecting youth employment were complex and required a dynamic program mix. By 1986, a housing loan fund, educational programs and a social enterprise were added. In the early 1990s YOU worked with partner organizations and the City of London to create services designed to address the growing “street youth” population. This lead to the formation of the Youth Action Centre in 1992. Milestone programs such as Reuse It Recycling (1996), Market Quality Preserves (2004), and the Next Wave Youth Centre (2007) followed. Our most recent development, The Cornerstone, officially opened in November 2011. Earlier this year, YOU was awarded the national Eva’s Initiatives Award for Ending Youth Homelessness in recognition of our success in creating innovative and comprehensive programs addressing youth homelessness. Throughout the past 30 years two elements have strengthened YOU’s development. First, is the staff’s commitment to the success of young people seeking YOU’s support. Each member of the staff team brings a creative and caring approach to helping young people discover their strengths, develop their skills and build plans towards their futures. Second is community. Community has been at the heart of YOU since its inception. A coalition of local partners in education, community service and local business has today grown to more than 20 partnerships, planning groups and networks creating collective impacts that no one could achieve individually. The programs and services at YOU have evolved into a unique and integrated service mix that supports more than 3,600 youth each year. The community support of Breakfast for YOU, and other special events including The Cornerstone opening, Reach the Beach Races and our Annual Celebrations speak to the heartfelt support for the agency and its youth participants. There are exciting plans in the year ahead. Projects to unfold include new dual credit programs in partnership with Fanshawe College and the Thames Valley District School Board, a rooftop gardening project, continued development of the YOU Made It Café and its catering offerings and growth of sustainable earned revenues through our Enterprise Services. In each case the goal is to enhance employment and transitional supports for youth. Together, YOU staff, volunteers, partners, funders and donors have supported life-changing development of many youth and built a stronger community. On behalf of the youth we serve, thank you!
Respectfully submitted, Steve Cordes, Executive Director 6
Photographed at the Community Meeting Room 2011 - 2012 Youth Opportunities Unlimited