HYDE

HYDE

HYDE; Helping Youth Develop & Empower is a project of the St. Lawrence County Health Initiative. Our goal is to bring the aspects of a teens center to communities in St. Lawrence, Lewis & Jefferson counties. We want to establish a community where the youth are able to gather on a regular basis to become productive. We look at ways we can set examples, teach problem solving skills and build relationships with each other and those in the community. We want to serve all youth who are willing to participate and be active in the community.

This program is oriented towards providing young people ages 14-18 opportunities to positively impact their communities and their futures through personal development and collective involvement. Whether it’s exploring nature, establishing a youth government council or hearing from prospective colleges, youth will meet every two weeks and work together to influence change within their communities and themselves. Projects are supervised by the Health Initiative but the participants create and manage their own projects.

These activities are designed to work on asset development such as self-confidence and creative problem solving. Many of our educational or skill- building activities look more like games than a classroom lesson. Although we take this work very seriously, it’s important for the youth we serve to have fun.