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Community Corner

Community Outreach Program Aims to Empower Youth

Youth Empowerment Services offers a number of low-cost programs to city youth, including camps and tutoring.

If Barry Smith can do what he aims to do for children in the New Brunswick area, they will be guided toward making good decisions in their lives.

That is why, in 2003, he and his son-in-law founded Youth Empowerment Services, or Y.E.S., a non-prophet organization currently hosting 27 children through a summer camp each weekday.

The community outreach program, Y.E.S., began only with visits to school assemblies. Fitted with the slogan “my future, my choice,” the program aims to empower local youth to make good decisions for their future by serving both adults and children, ages five to 18 years old.

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“We can direct the kids as much as we possibly can and give them good living habits, but they stay in a home until they're 18,” said Smith. “We’ve seen a lot of lives changed and that’s what it’s all about; directing the kids onto the right path, helping them make good choices.”

Smith’s son-in-law and co-founder, Jeff Hayes, died suddenly from meningitis in 2007, but Y.E.S. has since continued to grow, offer tutoring, mentoring, financial classes, resume writing and summer camp, among other services.

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Smith said that Hayes laid much of the program’s groundwork in his final years and also provided a big push for the program when he decided he wanted to start a summer camp in 2005.

Hayes felt so compelled after an assembly. Smith told of that time, when Hayes had asked children to raise their hands if they had a friend who with one or both parents in prison. All 136 children raised their hands. When he asked how many of them had one or both parents in prison, 62 of them put their hands up.

“He came home that night and he was in tears,” said Smith.

He remembers his son-in-law sharing his thoughts during the program’s first summer camp, and Smith still carries those ideas forward.

“He was talking about freedoms and how easily we can be taken away by our bad choices,” Smith said. “We try and teach kids each one you make has an impact on your future and what you become.”

Smith said he’s optimistic for the future of the program. Despite limited funding, most money is received through donations. As the only staff member, Smith receives limited assistance for no salary. But he reports that the program is never short on volunteers, whose service is paid for by AmeriCorps.

Sarah Cahill began volunteering her time to the program last February, as a tutor during the school year and as a camp mentor during the summer.

“I love the idea of being able to help kids and just teach them how to make the right decisions,” said Cahill, who hopes to begin a career in social service. “We tutor the kids everyday and I’ve gotten to know those kids the best because you’re more one on one with them.”

In addition to volunteer assistance, Smith’s wife and daughter offer help.

“We have a lot of kids who live with grandparents and uncles and aunts that don’t have children…and the relationships are on the fringe because they don’t know how to deal with children,” he explained. “They don’t know what the child is going through so my wife sits down with them, occasionally…to help them relate to the child.”

His daughter, he said, is “very active and involved” with the program and even served on the organization’s bored of directors for three years. Her children, too, are involved.

“My grandchildren are in every program we do,” he said. “As by my choice, I want them to see what they’re father wanted them to be a part of.”

Sometime soon, Smith hopes to gain greater financial support to provide the program with another staff member, a larger facility for educational use and lower costs for events like summer camp, which already lowered from $100 to $70 with increased participation.

As of now Smith said he is thankful for all who’ve been involved with Y.E.S.

“This wouldn’t survive if it weren’t for people interested in giving their participation, partnering with us, praying for us.”

Program and donation information is available at Y.E.S.'s website, www.youthempowerment.us.

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