"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I LEARN.”
-Benjamin Franklin
MISSION
The mission of Youth Empowerment Zone is to create a fun, safe caring environment and experience for each youth. We foster personal responsibility and accountability by empowering our youth to actualize their potential and productively contribute to society. We know that the youth are our future leaders. To help them reach their full potential we must inspire, motivate, train, mentor and empower them. The youth must learn new skills, assets and confidence; the value of education in their own life; their own values; a mission, purpose and direction for their future, how today’s choices create that future and how they can contribute to society.
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION
Youth Empowerment is a self-governing and self-supporting entity that follows the Christian Faith. We have a unique way of showing the foundations of christianity. These values and lessons can be applied throughout our lives regardless of where each person is in their faith journey. Youth Empowerment Zone is non-conversional and campers are not required to be Christian.
INCLUSIVITY STATEMENT
Youth Empowerment Zone (YEZ) strives to create a place where everyone can feel welcomed, safe, and respected. Diversity in the environment benefits everyone and YEZ believes everyone should be treated with dignity and feel like they can be themselves. YEZ recognizes and honors individual uniqueness by acknowledging human variations to create meaningful opportunities for personal connection that recognize, foster, value, and respect our similarities and differences.
Youth Empowerment Zone welcomes all persons, regardless of race, color, sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability (assuming the disability permits safe participation in the YEZ program), faith or religion, cultural observance, national or ethnic origin, family status, appearance, body type/size, educational background, and any other category people use to define themselves or others.
RESPECT/DISCRIMINATION/BULLYING POLICY
Respect: We create an atmosphere of mutual respect among staff and youth that is demonstrated through their actions and words. The only true way to create a fully open and supportive community is to be committed to values of equality and respect all the time, every day. We encourage our youth to develop self-confidence, embrace their creativity, explore their surroundings, and create relationships with those that may be different from them. By doing this we help prevent bullying by establishing and enforcing rules and policies that clearly describe how each youth are expected to treat each other.