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Let’s spotlight the second oldest program at YES, Youth Mentoring Program (YMP)!
Volunteers of this program establish one-on-one mentorship relationships with elementary and middle school youth in Humboldt County. Volunteers mentor youth for one year, and they often volunteer for multiple years in order to continue these mentorships. This experience is extremely valuable for both youth participants and YMP volunteers! YMP currently has seven volunteers and two directors, Diana Rodriguez and Andrea Torres, that mentor youth at Pacific Union Elementary School.
Spotlight on the great things that YES Programs are up to this semester!
This poster from the 1970’s encourages students at Cal Poly Humboldt to volunteer with Tutorial.
What’s New at Y.E.S.!?!?!?!
Welcome to YES House’s New Blog!
Many changes have come to the YES House since it was started in 1968, almost five decades ago. Most have been to improve and strengthen the programs offered by enthusiastic youth volunteers. You are witnessing first-hand the transition from a yearly paper newsletter to an online blog! The YES House’s long-lived newsletter has served its purpose for a timely 47 years, and is now retiring to the technological advancements of the internet.
ART Inspires Big Changes; In Majors, Friends and Perspectives
When Marissa Sanchez first started her academic career at Humboldt, she thought she wanted to do science, but like many other students at Humboldt, eventually changed her major to something that truly serves her heart. However, her transition from Zoology to Theatre came only after she started volunteering as a director of Art Recreation Theatre (ART), a program that offers after school activities to children in elementary schools around Humboldt County.
The Health of the Latino Community, Supported by Puentes
The “hidden” nature of the Latino community in Humboldt can sometimes make those members feel lonely or separated from their culture, but young volunteers from Puentes truly care to make a difference in their lives. As volunteers, we know in our hearts that one person can make a huge impact on someone else’s life, but the enigma is that the effects are rarely seen by the person making the change.
Juvenile Hall Recreation Program’s Slam Dunk Volunteer
All the kids always ask for Jon, “Where’s Jon? Is he here... He’s on my team!!” A humble guy by nature, Jon is modest when we acknowledge him for his contributions to JHRP. A basketball enthusiast, Jon’s favorite activity is to play and practice honing skills alongside the eager teens. He says that all he does is, “Just play basketball,” when in reality he does more than dribble the ball and shoot hoops. He mentors and encourages the youth to participate, and (seemingly unknowingly) appoints himself as a positive role model to those who may have not formally had a reliable guide.
New Mentors Feel the Beat
Those of us who don’t play an instrument might not consider ourselves musically gifted, or be inclined to lend a hand to teach others, but volunteers like Julianna Salinas cross those boundaries without a second thought. Although Julianna may not be a music major at Humboldt, she has shown talent in other areas like mentoring kids with North Coast Music Mentors, a newer YES program she recently took over. As a mentor, she has seen children become more interested in music and has personally guided groups of children (and herself) into becoming more rhythmic people.
Serve-A-Thon 2015 Brings Color and Light
New Volunteers Find Their Voice by Speaking for The Environment
STEPping UPP to Serve
BEST Director Steps Up to Lead
Louis transformed from being someone who seemed to always want to be alone into a charismatic friend who now brings hand-made jewelry to Golden Years volunteers after spending just a short time with director Erik Wright. As a social work major, Erik says he is familiar with people changing when they become involved in service with the YES House, especially himself.
Gold-Hearted Volunteers Brighten Old Souls
Louis transformed from being someone who seemed to always want to be alone into a charismatic friend who now brings hand-made jewelry to Golden Years volunteers after spending just a short time with director Erik Wright. As a social work major, Erik says he is familiar with people changing when they become involved in service with the YES House, especially himself.
Connecting With Her Inner Child
When Youth Mentoring Program’s director Ana Lucila Monjras started to work with children, she began to realize that like most people do, she forgot that she too was once a child. After having the opportunity to be a mentor to an elementary school student, Ana was able to see that children are little people who have feelings and real emotions. “When they throw a tantrum, most people will just brush it off, telling them, ‘You’re okay’,” Ana explained as she recounts how adults sometimes treat kids.
Studying with Buddies Changes Lives
Freshman Amanda Ramirez-Sebree has worked with children since she was 12 years old teaching environmental education, and knew even before attending Humboldt she was going to work with kids, but did not know how. She was heartbroken when she had to leave her students on the East Coast, but after she started volunteering, and later directing her own program at the YES House, she discovered she wanted to stay involved and become a teacher.
New Games Make Everyone a Winner
“Left foot, right foot!” Children shout in unison when they play Team Skis with the Leadership Education Adventure Program (LEAP), one of the YES House’s oldest programs. Throughout its history, LEAP has transformed many lives, allowing children to overcome their fears through rock climbing, backpacking and many other outdoor activities.
Y.E.S. Serve-a-thon 2016!
Every year, Y.E.S. volunteers gather on César Chávez Day (March 31st) to serve our local community in a big way, which also acts as an annual fundraiser to support our cause. Much like a Dance-a-thon the funds raised by Y.E.S. Serve-a-thon help to sustain our student-led volunteer programs. Past community organizations that have been served by this event include: Jefferson Community Center in Eureka, Miranda’s Animal Rescue in Fortuna, the Kikshari Trail in Eureka, and the Botanical Gardens at College of the Redwoods.
STEP UPP for Those in Need
STEP UPP, an acronym for Service Travel Encourage Progress for Underrepresented People in Poverty, serves both locally as well as in Sacramento and San Francisco. Their mission is just as their title states, to advocate for underrepresented people in poverty, with a focus on homelessness/houselessness.
Going For the Gold
Golden Years, unique for being the only program in YES House that works with the elderly, aims to “bridge the gap between the elderly and the youth”, says current director Marlene Medina. Marlene and her co-director Erik Wright hope Golden Years can serve to break stigmas and stereotypes about the elderly, and reconnect college-aged students with elders in a valuable and meaningful way.
Earthly Ambassadors
“...kids are literally by a redwood forest, and they don’t even know it...we kind of bring that to them”, remarks Alex Lewis from Environmental Education (EE). Directors Alex Lewis, Maya Morales and Toni Castillo have worked tirelessly this year to plan, structure, and implement Environmental Education programs in local schools. EE currently works with Arcata Elementary and collaborates with the SEEDs program at Jefferson Community Center.
New Games Brings Joy Without Competitiveness
- Every week directors Ashley Kniola and Valerie Gonzales meet at Library Circle to head out to after school programs at Alice Birney Elementary and Trillium Charter School. Volunteers in the program lead games that encourage kids to have fun without being competitive, so that they can learn to express themselves in a positive way. Valerie says, “the kids still find it fun and everyone wins!”.
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Serve-a-thon for Sustenance (2016) Photos
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Building Bridges
Serve-a-thon for Sustenance (2016)!
- Over one hundred and fifty volunteers from Youth Educational Services, as well as members from the surrounding community, gathered at Potawot Community Garden for this year’s celebration of César Chávez. The garden at Potawot is used to support and feed the UIHS community.
- Read more about Serve-a-thon for Sustenance (2016)!
Music Mentors Strike a Chord With Arcata Youth
- Trio of directors Ana Monjaras, Julissa Silva, and Kelsey Hebert head the YES House program North Coast Music Mentors, also known as NCMM. Along with their 8 volunteers, the directors take trips down to Arcata Elementary every Friday afternoon to facilitate music-related activities. Some of the games they might play include well-known activities like “Red Light, Green Light”, but replaced with musical terminology to get the students engaged and excited about music.
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