Community enCompass -Youth

Our neighbor Mike is a Big Red who joined the Youth Empowerment Program (YEP!) when one of the YEPs knocked on his door a few summers ago and invited him. “I thought it might be a good way to kill some time.  Didn’t have much to do, so why not?” he remembers thinking. Little did he know, that YEP would embrace him like family and become family.

Community enCompass believes that our youth are our future, but we also believe that youth are our TODAY. Over 10 years ago, in a series of “listening conversations”, neighbors told us that they felt there was little opportunity for youth in the city. Youth were feeling lost and forgotten, their talent and potential unrealized.

That's why Community enCompass partnered with neighbors to create the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP!). Through paid internships, weekly leadership development classes, college preparation, and civic volunteerism, YEP! provides high school youth like Mike opportunities to learn and exercise leadership skills.

YEPs then model and pass on what they learn by becoming academic coaches (paid internships) for younger youth in core city elementary schools.  In the summer, YEPs lead and mentor younger youth as camp counselors at our neighborhood day-camp, CATCH Camp. Many YEPs like Mike had their first-ever paid job as a YEP Intern. YEPs are leaders today in core-city Muskegon!

VOLUNTEER NOW and join us in this neighboring movement in the City!  Partner with Community enCompass and support our work with neighbors in core-city Muskegon.