A new non-profit is hoping to turn the tables for at-risk youths and not only help them achieve their dreams, but help better communities as a whole.
The new non-profit, Youth Advancement Through Investment, is run by a small group of Michigan State University graduate students, and are seeking to “Create a Lasting Legacy,” through its mission to provide under-resourced and court-involved minority adolescents with financial and interpersonal support needed to aid in the pursuit of their academic and professional goals.
According to a press release from the organization, access to physical and social resources lead to better life outcomes for kids. It continues to state that the National Center for Education Statistics reports students who come from low income families are seven times more likely to drop out of school than those from families with higher incomes, and that the Kids Count report showed nearly a quarter of Ingham County children were living in poverty in 2014.
YATI states this has a significant, immediate and lasting impact on children, families and the communities, which can contribute to a cycle of poverty and delinquency.
“As a student in the School of Criminal Justice, I’ve worked with a lot of court-involved and under-resourced kids in Ingham County,” said Marva Goodson, a doctoral student at MSU’s School of Criminal Justice and founder of YATI. “I’m painfully aware of the terrible cycles that can trap under-resourced, minority youth in America. We hope YATI serve as one way to break that cycle.”
To learn more about YATI and how it serves the community, or to learn ways to help support the recently launched non-profit, click here.
