Youth-LED Justice

🎉Over the weekend, 19 young people participated in YLJ programming during non-traditional hours! 🎉

With our rented 12-passenger van, we brought our vision of “no one gets left behind” to life.💙

On Saturday, 9 young men from our Move Different crew and a YLJ Peer Mentor traveled to Limington for a barbecue and lake adventure with our friends from mpacmaine and breakingbread_207 🚐🌿 For some, it was their first time boating! ☀️

Taking advantage of our spacious van, 7 young ladies ventured out for pizza on Saturday evening and an impromptu Girls Talk group. 🍕💬

Naturally, three younger siblings experienced a case of FOMO. A Sunday trip to McDonald’s was a must! 🙌🏼

💪🏾

🔥 MOVE DIFFERENT really MOVED DIFFERENT last week! 🔥

Our crew stepped outside their comfort zones, tried new things, and showed up for each other.

💪 We volunteered with Healthy Neighborhoods, helping remove large trash from our communities.

🥾 We climbed Mount Pisgah in Winthrop, pushing ourselves and encouraging each other along the way.

🎶 We recorded TWO songs at a recording studio!

❤️ And most importantly, we supported friends who are struggling, reminding each other that nobody has to face challenges alone.

Different choices. Different experiences. Different future.

When you’re this cool, sometimes small problems arise. 😎

We’re seeing more youth participating in some of our groups and programs than we currently have transportation capacity for. We’re working on securing funding for a van so no young person gets left behind.

In the meantime, we walk, make second trips, and lean on our amazing community partners to help get youth where they need to be.

So, keep your eyes out for a van! 👀🚐

If you know of a potential vehicle, funding opportunity, or someone who might be able to help, we’d love to hear from you!

Signs the hard work pays off. 🙌🏼
And somehow, it all happened on one Wednesday:
🚗 A brand-new driver’s license.
🎶 Two youth recording two songs at a recording studio.
💻 Five youth building PCs and taking home their very first computers.
🎉Different goals. Different accomplishments. One thing in common: our youth are putting in the work, and we’re proud to be there cheering them on. ❤️ Huge shout out to breakingbread_207 !

Task: Work together to make a list of supplies for next week.

For me, it’s giving “we are locked in and staying a while” vibes. 💙😂

💙Building knowledge, skills, learning resources and making connections. 💙
We spent the day getting out into the communityour public library, Maine Family Planning, and our local Congressman’s office. We also stopped to celebrate democracy and connect with some of our older community members. 🫶🏽🇺🇸

📢This summer was a busy one! As we transition into the next season, will you help us celebrate these fellas and remind them just how awesome they are? 💙

These young men were surprised with a trip to Funtown and we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate their growth. ❤️

Just a few months ago, some of these accomplishments may have felt out of reach. Today, they’re becoming reality:

✨ Gaining employment
📚 Working toward education goals
🤝 Consistently engaging with YLJ several days a week
🌱 Showing up for themselves
💪🏾Showing up for their families and communities
🕊️Giving back through community service

YouthLEDJustice

Our dream is that every young person gets the chance to grow up, while also having the safety, support, and freedom to simply be a kid for a little longer.
💙Let them be little💙