Young Life Brooklyn, a nonprofit organization that pairs Christian adults with underprivileged youth in Brooklyn to serve as mentors and allies, will be holding a benefit this Thursday, September 20 to help raise funds for programming, camp attendance and youth support for next year.
Studies show that adolescents need three or more caring adults in their lives in order to have healthy adolescent growth.Teens in Brooklyn are desperate to know that they are loved and that they are not alone.
Photo: Young Life
"We know that in the communities we serve, students don't always get that," saidGenevieve Smith, associate regional director of Young Life Brooklyn. "I was a student growing up in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn and I desperately needed caring adults to surround me in support. I experienced that when I first met my Young Life mentor.
"She helped me cultivate vision for my life. She helped me dream big. I've accomplished a lot since being a teen in this program. But, one of the most important things I think she helped me do was to carry hope for my life."
"Most of our kids would never have the opportunity to attend a camp program due to their parents' finances," said Smith, "so every year, we aim to fundraise more and more money to offset the cost for our Young Life Brooklyn parents.
The program has set a fundraising goal of $10,000.
