YA! Program

The YA! program is a college access and mentorship program for Latinx high school students residing in the Twin Cities; current 8th graders and 9th-10th graders are eligible to apply. The YA! program strives to empower future first-generation college students to become leaders in their communities by equipping them with a network of peers, mentors, and parents to support and guide their achievement of academic goals, educational aspirations, and professional potential. Our program follows the academic year and runs September-June. All new students are matched with a volunteer mentor.  What to expect!

• • Every month we host Leadership Institutes for our cohort of students and their mentors to come together and discuss various topics related to their academic, professional, and holistic growth (e.g. identity and culture and how to show my authentic self in an elevator speech, professional interviews, college application process). 
• • We visit and tour colleges and universities as well as local companies and organizations. 
• • Civic engagement in the community is encouraged through volunteer opportunities. (e.g. Feed My Starving Children, park clean-ups)
• • There are various leadership opportunities for our students, one being our Youth Advisory Board. 
• • Graduates of YA! qualify for scholarships; every year that a student participates in our program, they accumulate a $250 scholarship amount to be used toward college fees (e.g. students in the program from 9-12th grade can receive $1000!). 

• • Cada mes hay un Instituto de Liderazgo para el grupo de estudiantes y mentores donde se reúnen y discuten varios temas en cuanto a su desarrollo académico, profesional y holístico (ej. la identidad y la cultura y como reflejarlas en mi introducción profesional, las entrevistas profesionales, y el proceso de aplicar a la universidad).
• • Visitamos colegios y universidades y también empresas y organizaciones locales.
• • Animamos a la participación cívica en la comunidad a través de trabajos voluntarios (ej. Feed My Starving Children, limpieza de parques)
• • Hay varias oportunidades de liderazgo para los estudiantes, como nuestro gabinete de asesores de YA!.
• • Los graduados de YA! califican para becas: por cada año de participación en el programa, acumulan $250 de una beca para usar en pagos a la universidad (ej. estudiantes que participan de grado 9-12 puedan recibir $1000).

 YA! Minneapolis contact:
Briana Garcia-Saldana (She/Her/Ella) | Youth in Action (YA!) Program Coordinator CLUES - Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio 
YA! St. Paul contact:
Bianet Diaz (She/Her/Ella) | Youth in Action (YA!) Program Coordinator
CLUES - Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio