About Us

History
Youth Empowerment Services (YES) Network was established in February of 2007 in an effort to reduce duplication of services by recruiting financial partners and community partners to provide administrative support to small non-profits (direct service partners) and to coordinate services to at-risk youth, parents and neighborhoods. As an intermediary agency, YES-Network’s effort is to deliver better collaborative services more cost-effectively than individual agencies could provide alone.

The direct service partners of YES-Network average 12 years of direct youth service experience. In its first year of operation, YES-Network was able to secure funding for all youth service providers through public funding sources, private foundations, and individual and corporate donors. To ensure the integrity of funder support, YES Network heavily invests in capacity building and accreditation programming for direct service partners in order to build and maintain a healthy network of youth serving agencies.

Vision Statement
We envision empowered Tucson and Pima County youth making positive choices and building a successful future for themselves, their families and the community.

Mission Statement
Our mission is to create and support a coalition of strategic partnerships with community-based youth empowerment service agencies in order to empower positive change in at-risk youth through experienced leadership, quality management and effective programming.

Value Statement
We believe that our organizational values are inextricably tied to the effectiveness of our services, and that they inevitably drive the level of success we will achieve. Therefore, we wholeheartedly hold to the following values and believe they will consistently lead us to unmatched levels of positive youth development.

• Adequate sponsorship (financial and advocacy) from federal and local governments, community businesses and residents, and neighborhood leaders
• Strategic-alliance partnerships (for program service delivery) with community-based youth empowerment service agencies
• Strategic planning to include solutions for the Tucson and Pima County neighborhoods
• Management and board training for strategic partners
• Efficient and effective fiscal management
• Appropriate levels of cost per child support

Advisory Board

• Guy Kuawu
• Jake Wycoff
• Chris Paterson
• Erica Koerber
• John Lombardi
• Tim Ryan
• Suzanne Ashby

Board of Directors

• Sara Kuropatkin
• Luis Manriquez
• Dan Ranieri
• Anthony Simms
• Brandon White

Staff

• Anthony Simms
  Executive Director
• Sue Kiley White
  Deputy Director
• Maria R. Harvey
  Director of Neighborhood Network Programs
• Jennifer Spencer
  Program Manager
• Teresa Westhoff
  Office Manager
  

Programs

1. Leadership Training Institute (LTI) Program - The mission of the LTI program is to empower non-profit and community leaders with current and relevant information about the Tucson and Pima County communities and empowerment skills so they may provide 1) experienced leadership, 2) quality management and 3) effective programming to at-risk youth, ages 6-17, in Tucson and Pima County communities.

Goal 1: Provide the participant (community and non-profit leaders) with information in the areas of:

• Leadership Development
• Organizational Development
• Program Development
• Revenue Development
• Community Engagement

Goal 2: Build the participants understanding of the Tucson and Pima County communities and his/her skills in collaborating and creating strategic relationships with other community-based agencies or community leaders throughout Tucson and Pima County.

2. Neighborhood Network Program - The mission of the Neighborhood Network program is to recruit, coordinate, and create collaborative support services for existing and new direct service partners that provide 1) experienced leadership, 2) quality management and 3) effective programming to at-risk youth, ages 6-17, in Tucson and Pima County communities.

Goal 1: Provide community partners and direct service partners with opportunities to run fundraisers to support neighborhood youth programs

Goal 2: Provide community partners and direct service partners with opportunities to write joint grants to support neighborhood youth programs

Goal 3: Implement at least one of the program areas in a designated middle school or neighborhood/community area

• Creative Expression Training
• Drug Education and Violence Prevention Training
• Educational Assistance and Training
• Health Awareness and Activity Training
• Job Readiness Training
• Mentoring

3. Marketing Program - The mission of the Marketing program is to influence positive attitudes toward strategic collaborative partnerships and reshape misconceptions concerning the capabilities of at-risk youth, ages 6-17, in the Tucson and Pima County communities.

Goal 1: Perform accurate market research in order to identify social, economic, and political issues associated with specific community partner’s neighborhoods

Goal 2: Provide the community and direct service partners with opportunities to communicate with financial partners about the work being done in neighborhoods

a. YES Network Magazine “Empowering…” (Quarterly)
b. Online newsletter

Goal 3: Provide the Tucson and Pima County community the opportunity to directly participate with youth through financial giving, volunteerism, and/or advocacy