AYA Youth Collective

Our 2024 volunteer sign up is now active (January-March)! If you are new to volunteering at AYA, please go to ayayouth.org/volunteer to learn more. Please reach out to [email protected] if you have any questions.

We love our volunteers and we couldn't do this work without them.

Want to make an impact this year? Recurring or one time donations of $5, $25, or $150 can help us end the year strong.

With your support, we are able to assist youth with navigating housing, employment, education, and more!

Go to ayayouth.kindful.com to make a donation today!

Every year we throw a holiday party for the youth that come our drop-in center. At this party, youth get to pick out holiday gifts. We've complied a registry of wish list items that the youth have asked for. We would love your help with purchasing these items!

You can order these items to be directly shipped to AYA or you can drop them off during our donation drop off times (M/T from 9-11:30am!).

Here is the list:
https://tinyurl.com/2023AYARegistry

It's International Day of Persons with Disabilities!

To celebrate, support a local group that is advocating for folks with disabilities - such as DisArt or the Disability Advocates of Kent County.

Also, did you know making spaces more accessible to folks with disabilities, allows for dignity and inclusion but often has the added effect of improving the lives of everyone (not just those with a disability)? This effect is called the Curb-Cut Effect.

According to the Stanford Social Innovation Review, "'The Curb-Cut Effect' describes how addressing disadvantages or exclusions experienced by one group of people creates an environment that enables everyone to participate and contribute fully."

Some examples include curb-cuts, text-to-speech, speech-to-text, closed captioning, electric toothbrushes, and audiobooks!

Illustration provided by Sketchplantations

We need your help with restocking our basic needs bins! Order online OR shop and drop off at our Drop-In Center.

Drop off hours and location:
Mondays and Thursdays from 9-11:30am
320 State St
Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Amazon Urgent Needs List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1WMZAEMKBT1SD/ref=hz_ls_biz_ex?

Thank you SO much to the students at for donating a delicious meal to our drop-in center yesterday! They put together an incredible taco bar, paired with fresh fruit and amazing desserts.

We love seeing our community come together for such an important thing, like a delicious hot meal!

Thank you so much to our incredible community for supporting us this Giving Tuesday! We hit our goal - We raised $30,000.

At AYA Youth Collective we create communities, rooted in belonging, for youth experiencing instability to own their future. Impact matters, not only for the youth we have the honor of working with but also to our larger community. We don’t just believe that our resources are making an impact, we know they are!

Thank you for the impact you have made!

We are overjoyed to share that our Drop-In center recently got a beautiful mural from local artist, Dave Battjes! Thank you so much for creating this and brightening up our space.

Looking for a way to make an impact this holiday season? A generous donor has offered to match $15,000 this Giving Tuesday and we need your help to get there!

Whether it's $5, $50, or $250 - you are making a huge impact. Your donation is going to directly support youth experiencing homelessness right here in Grand Rapids.

Go to ayayouth.kindful.com to make a donation!

Today is Giving Tuesday!

At AYA Youth Collective we create communities, rooted in belonging, for youth experiencing instability to own their future. Impact matters, not only for the youth we have the honor of working with but also to our larger community. We don’t just believe that our resources are making an impact, we know they are!

A generous donor has offered to match up to $15,000 and we need your help to get there. Go to ayayouth.kindful.com to make a donation this Giving Tuesday!

Please share this post with your friends and family!

AYA Youth Collective | Kindful

Giving Tuesday is tomorrow! Over the last week we have been sharing different barriers that youth experiencing homeless face and the resources that AYA offer!

Housing is our #1. Our Advocates work hard to meet youth where they are and support them in finding housing stability.

Click this link to donate from now through tomorrow:
https://ayayouth.kindful.com

Shop our Holiday Wishlist this Cyber Monday!

Our Holiday Wishlist contains a list of all the items our youth have asked for, for Christmas! Every year we do a gifting suite for our youth to come in an pick out special gifts. Consider adding a few of these to your carts this Cyber Monday!

https://tinyurl.com/2023AYARegistry

Giving Tuesday is only 2 days away and we are trying to raise $30,000! A generous donor has pledged to match the first $15,000 and we need your help to get to our goal.

For the last few days we’ve been sharing barriers youth face and the resources that AYA offer. Housing is our #1. Everything we do goes into supporting youth experiencing homelessness.

Support us this Giving Tuesday by going to this link: https://ayayouth.kindful.com

Giving Tuesday is only 3 days away and we are trying to raise $30,000! A generous donor has pledged to match the first $15,000 and we need your help to get to our goal!

We’ve been sharing barriers youth face and the resources that AYA offers. Today we are sharing how we support youth with getting access to basic healthcare needs.

Support out Giving Tuesday campaign here:
https://ayayouth.kindful.com

Giving Tuesday is only 4 days away! On each day leading up to 11/28 we will be sharing how AYA Youth Collective is serving youth experiencing homelessness in the Grand Rapids community.

Access to mental health support is so important!

Learn more about AYA Youth Collective by going to our website: ayayouth.org

Happy Thanksgiving! We celebrated Thanksgiving with our youth last Tuesday with an incredible meal from Kuntry Cookin'!

Thank you to our awesome volunteers, Kim and Elena, who came to serve the meal!

We hope you have a wonderful holiday!

Giving Tuesday is only 6 days away! On each day leading up to 11/28 we will be sharing how AYA Youth Collective is serving youth experiencing homelessness in the Grand Rapids community.

Vital documents, like ID's and birth certificates, are required for employment, eduction, and housing. Our Youth Advocates at our Drop-In Center help youth navigate the process for accessing those documents as well as providing them a place to store those vital pieces of information.

Learn more about AYA Youth Collective by going to our website: ayayouth.org

Giving Tuesday is 7 days away. On each day leading up to 11/28 we will be sharing how AYA Youth Collective is serving youth experiencing homelessness in the Grand Rapids community.

Housing instability can disrupt continued education and hinder job preparedness, cutting youth at greater risk of dropout and unsteady employment. Our Advocates and community partners work hard with the youth that come into our Drop-In Center (and our supportive housing program!) to assist them with keeping and maintaining employment and/or continuing education!

Learn more about AYA Youth Collective by going to our website: ayayouth.org

Thank you WGVU!

Giving Tuesday is right around the corner.

The first $15,000 will be matched by a generous donor - help us reach our goal! Stay tuned for more information on how to support us, and the youth of Grand Rapids, this Giving Tuesday!

Update: All of our meals are now sponsored! ❤️

Thank you SO much to our incredible community for supporting us this holiday season! If you are still looking to donate, we are are working on gathering our holiday gifts for our youth in housing and at our drop in center! Check out the link in the post below to sponsor those gifts! Stay tuned for more information and please share with your friends and family.

EDIT: all meals are now sponsored!

Thanksgiving is a little over a week away and we need your help. Sponsor a Thanksgiving meal for our youth in AYA housing!

Help us reach our goal of providing a meal to each of our 9 homes! Go to tinyurl.com/ayaholidaymeals to sponsor a meal!

EDIT: all meals are now sponsored!

Thanksgiving is a little over a week away and we need your help. Sponsor a Thanksgiving meal for our youth in AYA housing!

Help us reach our goal of providing a meal to each of our 9 homes! Go to tinyurl.com/ayaholidaymeals to sponsor a meal!

November is National Runaway and Homeless Youth Prevention Month. Our wonderful staff + community partners wore green today (11/14) to spread awareness and support for runaway and homeless youth in our community.

🟢 We wear green for the 200+ youth that are sleeping on the street every night in Kent county.

🟢 We wear green for the hundreds and hundreds of youth that come through our doors every year.

🟢 We wear green to spread awareness of all the unique challenges that homeless and runaway youth face every day.

Join us in wearing green today and for the rest of November!

Don’t forget to wear GREEN tomorrow, 11/14!

November is Runaway and Homeless Youth Prevention Month. This is the core of what AYA Youth Collective is and why we serve the community around us. Runaway and homeless youth experience a variety of different things that are often invisible. We tell our members that they are the author of their story and we aim to be a place to support them in their journey of finding stability to own their future.

Join us in wearing your favorite green items on 11/14 to spread awareness and support for youth experiencing homelessness.

Last week we have an awesome group of volunteers from Corewell Health! They made sandwiches, organized donations, and deep cleaned our drop-in center.

We love our volunteers!

Make an impact this holiday season at AYA Youth Collective! By supporting AYA, you are providing the means to purchase meals and gifts for the youth who use our services.

We've only got a few weeks until Thanksgiving and we want to make sure we can provide our youth with a delicious meal this season! $450 will provide our Drop-In Center with a Thanksgiving meal and $85 will provide each of our homes with a meal!

Learn more on our website (ayayouth.org) or through this link:
https://ayayouth.kindful.com/e/sponsor-an-aya-house-for-the-holidays-

Tonight is our Mentor Information Night and there are still a few tickets available!

The success of AYA's Supportive Housing Program is largely dependent on Housing Mentors! Have you been noticing the impacts of the housing crisis and youth homelessness in Grand Rapids and want to get more involved? Consider becoming a house mentor!

Register here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/aya-mentor-information-night-tickets-744249860367?aff=erelexpmlt

Housing instability looks different for everyone - but it is exceptionally more challenging for those who identify as LGBTQ+. Of the youth we have supported, 37% identify as LGBTQ+.

At AYA, we recognize and are committed to combating this stark disproportionate representation of q***r youth amongst the homeless population.

Have you considered being an AYA House Mentor? Or do you know someone who is perfect for the role?

AYA is hosting a House Mentor Information Night (11/8) where we share all the ins and outs of what it takes to be an AYA House Mentor. The cost is free to attend and the goal of the evening is to simply give potential mentors the essential information they need to move forward.

Register here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/aya-mentor-information-night-tickets-744249860367?aff=oddtdtcreator&fbclid=IwAR21bjxjyJuMt0kMB4zCR5TNKYMvAB6Lmepiji22scFTRPj_1e6dedagyN0

We need your help!

Drop off M/Th from 9-11:30am at our Drop-In center! You can also order through our Amazon wishlist or your favorite grocery delivery service.

320 State St SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1WMZAEMKBT1SD/ref=hz_ls_biz_ex?fbclid=IwAR1EN2cmSQvFpbv7ixGVraIZALKChCgKn_uGa6NSS8HeiyKyBA465bDshPM

November is Runaway and Homeless Youth Prevention Month. This is the core of what AYA Youth Collective is and why we serve the community around us. Runaway and homeless youth experience a variety of different things that are often invisible. We tell our members that they are the author of their story and we aim to be a place to support them in their journey of finding stability to own their future.

Join us in wearing your favorite green items on 11/14 to spread awareness and support for youth experiencing homelessness.

Our Halloween party was so fun! Thank you so much to all of our community partners for the incredible donations that made today possible for our youth!

Pizza: Uccellos Ristorante
Snacks: Good Judy's Market & Juice Bar
Candy: Sticky Fingers and Mars Candy!
Ice Cream: Furniture City Creamery
Spooky Treats: Just Enjoy Bakery
Pop and Decorations: Meijer

Over the last 6-weeks many of our youth have been taking part in a financial literacy class through Young Money Finances. Last Thursday, Kenny Jones of Motor Mitten brought over a car to our Drop-In Center for our youth to take part in a car buying simulation!

This was a fantastic way for our members to learn more about the ins and outs of purchasing a car so that they can be prepared to go off and do it on their own.

Thank you Young Money Finances for providing our youth with this knowledge and making the car buying experience less intimidating.

Have you considered being an AYA House Mentor? Or do you know someone who is perfect for the role?

AYA is hosting a House Mentor Information Night where we share all the ins and outs of what it takes to be an AYA House Mentor. The cost is free to attend and the goal of the evening is to simply give potential mentors the essential information they need to move forward. Register here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/aya-mentor-information-night-tickets-744249860367?aff=oddtdtcreator

Housing is su***de prevention.

The battles that come from inconsistency and instability are intense. We value the importance of mental health support and understand the role that housing plays in that.

We are throwing a Halloween party for our youth and we need help from our community to make it happen! If you have any of the following items, please drop them off next Monday (10/23) or Thursday (10/26) from 9-11:30am at our Drop-In Center!

Email [email protected] if you have any questions!

Housing instability looks different for everyone. We meet youth as they are and work with them to find stability and safety.

Thank you so much to the Steelcase Foundation for your continued support of AYA Youth Collective and our Comprehensive Health Initiative (or CHI)!

It is imperative that we can provide youth with access to health providers. In fact, the top three barriers for youth accessing these resources are stigma, fear of the system, and transportation. With help from Steelcase and other community partners, we're able to meet those needs at AYA's Drop-in Center, where it's accessible and they feel safe, respected, and dignified.

Check out this video that the Steelcase Foundation created about our partnership and the Comprehensive Health Initiative:
https://www.steelcasefoundation.org/2023/09/a-comprehensive-health-initiative-for-youth/

Happy Wednesday!

We need your help - Help us stock our basic needs hallway and pantry!

Drop off M/Th from 9-11:30am at our Drop-In center! You can also order through our Amazon wishlist or your favorite grocery delivery service.

320 State St SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1WMZAEMKBT1SD/ref=hz_ls_biz_ex?fbclid=IwAR07ju9EAL6HvuDS7OgZPXB_61khts0w5fXIkb-lL0e3nQcq7qwmfNp4yKc