A new year means taking fresh steps to further our mission of leading our new cohorts of student leaders. However, we can’t help but reminisce on the impact we made in 2024. As we reflect on this past year, we’re excited to share how we’ve served our young leaders and how they are inspiring, leading, and serving their communities.
Youth Action has made immense strides in impacting our student leaders and our communities. In this past year alone, Youth Action has increased our cohort sizes by 94%. An increase this big means expanding our reach and partnerships within the Philadelphia area.
We doubled our programming and volunteer team, which not only enhanced our student leaders’ experience but also strengthened our internal processes and expanded our reach. With more hands on deck, Youth Action increased engagement across our social media platforms, streamlined operations, and delivered even more meaningful programming to our students. Let’s take a look.
Back to Basics: MLK Day 2024
In 2020, COVID-19 put a pause on our annual in-person MLK Day of Service, which is one of our largest projects. That all changed in 2024 once we were able to finally come back to our roots and successfully re-implemented our MLK Day of Service in partnership with various organizations under one roof.
Our 2024 MLK Day brought together seven outstanding organizations and businesses, over 60 amazing volunteers from Greater Philly, and resulted in 100 care packages packed with love and essential care items.
Special Commendation: Youth Action Recognized by Philadelphia City Council
This past year, The Philadelphia City Council recognized Youth Action’s dedication to inspiring leadership and fostering community service for twenty years.
Beginning with a $1,000 grant to address teenage pregnancy, Youth Action has evolved into a distinguished organization empowering students to lead and serve that has been able to engage over 5,000 students, complete 375 service projects, and award $60,000 in scholarships. We are grateful to be acknowledged and celebrated by Council Member Anthony Phillips and the entire City Council.
A New & Improved Look: Website Rebrand
Under the guidance of our new executive director, Kiyana Neil, Youth Action underwent a new rebrand of our website. After partnering with Hopeworks, a local nonprofit. The result? Youth Action was able to successfully launch a new user-friendly website just in time for our 20th anniversary. We are now able to virtually share all the amazing work we are doing right here in Philadelphia.
Leading by Example: Honoring Our Board Member Accomplishments
Behind every great organization is a greater group of people who help keep our mission alive. One of our board members, The Honorable A. Nicole Tate-Phillips, received the Justice Juanita Kidd Stout Woman of Distinction Award from The Barristers’ Association of Philadelphia this past year. The Honorable Tate-Phillips has been a board member since 2022, and this esteemed accolade shows how aligned she is with our three pillars of Inspire, Lead, and Serve here at Youth Action. Congratulations again to The Honorable A. Nicole Tate-Phillips!
We were also excited to hear about the accomplishments of board member and founding member of Youth Action, Ginene Lewis, who was named a Women of Influence 2024 (gated) by the Philadelphia Business Journal. This prestigious award is given to women who have accomplished significant milestones in their careers, and Ginene is more than deserving of it.
Youth Action is honored to cultivate a board that inspires us to continue pursuing our career goals.
New Partnerships, New Progress: How Philly Schools are Creating Pipelines to Youth Action
We launched the new service year with the goal of expanding on the work we did in 2023-24, which meant serving more students from more schools and zip codes throughout the city, and this past year we did that!
Thanks to partners like Simon Gratz High School, Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia, and Russell Byers Charter School, we are able to host both our Junior Youth Action and Inspiring Leaders Program under the same roof twice a month and provide our free programming to more youth. In the next year, we hope to create a pipeline of students from these and other inner-city schools directly into our programs.
Spreading Holiday Joy: Our Annual Toy Drive
Since the start of 2024, our team had been preparing for our annual Toy Drive, which resulted in collecting over 200 games, toys, and other fun items for children throughout Philadelphia. Now, for the second year in a row, Youth Action partnered with the Red Cross House in West Philadelphia to donate over 300 gifts!
During the holiday season, our student leaders, board members, and program staff came together to wrap gifts and host a stocking decorating activity that brought smiles to everyone involved. A huge thank you to Yaly Alvarez and the entire American Cross for collaborating with Youth Action to make this effort possible.
New Tools for Success: Changing the Way We Shape Our Students
One of our proudest accomplishments in 2024 was curating a new way to follow the growth of our student leaders. Through this new metric system, our program leads and program facilitators can find a better understanding of the areas in which our students are thriving or need extra support. By using this new system, we can serve our students better in sessions, mentorship, and throughout their entire programming experience.
Throughout 2024, Youth Action revamped all avenues of communication and impact and strengthened its service to students. Thank you all for your continuous support through community service projects and new partnerships or recognitions. Entering 2025 is another chance for us to inspire students to lead and equip them with the resources they need to serve their communities.
Learn how you can get involved and make a difference this year. Sign up for our newsletter for all YA updates, programming, and ways to serve.
