Youth Development

Over the past 15 years, we have built a reputation as the premier provider of neighborhood-based youth services in Allegheny West.

In 2002, we began a program to combine community resources from area programs to increase reading achievement among elementary school children. In addition to our work with elementary students, we’ve provided both year-round and summer job training to over 200 high school students through our Summer Career Exploration Program.

In the summer of 2004, we also offered a Summer Youth Service Corps program, which served 75 students and produced one of the city’s most notable service projects: A set of completed murals at 22^nd Street and Lehigh Avenue, 29th Street and Chalmers Avenue, and 22^nd Street and Clearfield Avenue.

Youth Council: The AWF Youth Council is an after-school program created to get young people involved in neighborhood redevelopment and community advocacy. Local youth come together twice a week to learn to voice their concerns and hopes as young Allegheny West residents. As Youth Council participants, these young people are more than residents—they are actors of social change, transforming their community for the better.

Under the supervision of our director of youth development, the Youth Council serves as a leadership group to other community residents, and a critical voice in AWF’s development of positive youth activities in the Allegheny West area.

Our efforts to form a youth council build upon our existing network of partnerships in the community to create more organized after-school, leadership and cultural opportunities for local teens and children. Through our recent neighborhood strategic planning process, we were able to identify civic organizations ready to offer organized youth activities in various community locations, including city playgrounds and church facilities.

One of the primary objectives of the Youth Council is to conduct a peer-to-peer survey to collect information on the needs and desires of the young Allegheny West residents. Members will question more than 300 fellow youths, ranging in age from eight to 22 years old, capturing the thoughts and opinions of young people, and asking about issues such as child abuse and neglect, sexual activity, adolescent conflict, violence, substance abuse, tobacco use, academic problems and self-worth.

The study, scheduled to be completed this June, will be a critical source for community based organizations and city agencies in identifying the needs to better serve the young people of Allegheny West.

Youth Committee: Thanks to a generous grant from the William Penn Foundation, the AWF Youth Committee brings together community based youth organizations, youth group leaders, educators and other community stakeholders to create a better understanding between groups in the Allegheny West neighborhood.

The group provides a forum where residents can share ideas and resources and discuss issues affecting them, and is an organized voice of people who care deeply for the young residents of Allegheny West. The AWF Youth Committee convenes monthly, usually in the third week of the month. If you are a youth service provider in the Allegheny West neighborhood, please contact us and become part of the youth solution to ensure Allegheny West is strong and vibrant.