PROGRAMS

Better Horizons

Better Horizons is Y-US’ longstanding program, which has been in existence since 1989. Better Horizons provides a long-term peer support program serving approximately 30 children, ages 8-15, from the southern half of Hartford. Participants attend the program two days per week from 4:30pm-7pm and two Saturdays per month from 10am-4pm. Activities include therapeutic play, peer support meetings, arts & crafts, educational activities, meals and outings. The program operates year round and features outdoor recreation and camping trips during the summer months.

Click here to read an outiside evaluation for this program (451K PDF)

Fee-For-Service

Fee-for-Service is Y-US’ custom program, which began in the summer of 2004. It provides individualized services as requested by DCF social workers in the Greater Hartford area. Services may be short or long term and may be various ages. Click here for our Referral Forms.

NEW! Project FLY (Forward Looking Youth)

Project FLY is Y-US' newest program, which began in the summer of 2008. It is a life-skills program that serves Hartford youth from ages 12 through early adulthood. Participants learn employment skills, receive career guidance, practice personal responsibility, and experience entrepreneurship.

Visit the Project FLY Online Store for items made or developed by our youth in this program.

Program Overview

Project FLY is a “work and learn” model designed to promote life skills. There are two primary components, a “learning” domain and a “working” domain. They are described in the following sections.

Learn

• Three-part learning program which builds upon skills learned during “work” component of program through:
• Delivery of information through curricula in classroom/meeting style format led by staff
• Workshops to reinforce lessons in-house utilizing guest speakers (local business people, etc.)
• Field trips to reinforce lessons at community sites (bank branches, grocery stores, etc.)

Work

Multiple small businesses are to be created which allow varied experiences in which youth can learn different skills, explore interests, receive some compensation (monetary and/or non-monetary), and provide leadership.

The first business being developed began in early 2009 creating gift baskets and selling them at trade shows in the area. Early results in the first couple months were encouraging. Further refinement of product line is needed, as well as streamlining product material acquisition, building of baskets, sales and marketing opportunities, and financial tracking.

Selecting Youth

Youth may be identified by Y-US staff, as well as referrals from other youth-serving agencies. In most cases, youth should reside in the southern half of Hartford to facilitate program transportation. Other nearby youth may be considered on an individual basis. A parental permission form (if the youth is under age 18) and intake package are to be completed and filed.

Work Skills Youth Would Learn

We believe that youth are more likely to succeed as productive members of society if they complete high school and possibly attend higher education. A recent study reports:

There are many employment related skills, including the soft skills of attendance, punctuality, team work, and customer service, that are highly valued by employers but can only be learned on the job…Youth who participate in work-based learning activities during high school are more likely to see the relevance of school work to career success and acquire stronger employability skills. There is a very strong path dependence in teen employment, i.e., the more teens work this year, the more likely they are to work next year. Work in high school also favorably increases the ability of youth to move smoothly to the labor market after graduation, especially among those graduates not enrolling full-time in four year colleges immediately after graduation… Among economically disadvantaged youth, including Black and Hispanic males, national research suggest that some work in high school can help promote school persistence and graduation.(1)

Some of the employability skills that we anticipate that our work program would teach include:

• Social Skills - learn how to interact with others and lessen fear of speaking to peers.
• Customer Service - learn how to greet customers and interact positively with others.
• Managing Money - learn how to count and be responsible for accuracy; build trustworthiness to not take what is not mine.
• Value of Money - learn that money is not just handed over; you have to work hard for it and provide something of value to customers; money does not grow on trees so spend it wisely.
• Inventory Control - learn how to maintain things in stock; communicating with other companies; keep things organized.
• Team Work - learn how to work with others; learn how to trust; and learn to ask for help when needed.
  
• Problem Solving - learn how to approach conflicts with peers and coworkers; learn how to deal with difficult customers.
• Independence - learn how to take care of oneself by getting a job and making money to buy whatever one needs without relying on someone else.
• Entrepreneurship - learn how to start your own business.

A recent report by the Youth Futures Committee states, “We [cannot] maintain Connecticut’s historically high quality of life by consigning many young people to a path that starts with surviving a mediocre education and ends with low-paying jobs with little chance to save for the future. To compete in the 21st century’s global economy, we must view all of our youth as contributors to community strength and must help them all realize their potential.” The report continues, “This [positive youth development framework] identifies the supports, or assets, that must be available in order for a young person to grow and prosper… If these assets are absent from a child’s environment, or if they are poor quality, the child is more likely to struggle in his/her development…While prevention and intervention remain important strategies, the key to a successful transition from childhood to adulthood is to focus on building assets and not simply on preventing or treating problem behaviors or negative outcomes.”(2)

It is the hope and expectation of Project FLY that participants will grow in the skills and competencies they have, recognize their talents and self-worth, and successfully move forward in life. For more information, please contact Louis Gilbert, Executive Director, at (860) 951-7268 ext. 101 or lgilbert@y-us.org

1. Andrew Sum, Ishwar Khatiwada, Joseph McLaughlin, and Sheila Palma, The Collapse of the National Teen Job Market and the Case for An Immediate Youth Jobs Creation Program, Center for Labor Market Studies, Northeastern University, Boston, 2008.

2. Connecticut’s Framework for Positive Youth Development; Youth Futures Committee; 2008 Vision for Action Report, page 5.

Junior Youth Workers

The Junior Youth Worker is a small employment training and mentoring program for several teenagers (former Y-US program participants) who provide general assistance with the agency’s programs and light housekeeping duties, two afternoons a week each. The youth are paid for their work, provide positive teenage role models for the younger children, and receive staff mentoring in career and financial matters.

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“I prefer to be here rather than on the streets; it’s my second home”

--14 year old boy

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