Volunteers for Youth aims to prevent juvenile delinquency by providing community support and guidance. Susan Worley, the executive director, has been working there since she graduated from the UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work in 1988. During her studies she focused on youth and worked with an adolescent parenting program, so Volunteers for Youth was a natural fit.
Volunteers for Youth fulfills their mission by offering a variety of programs including one-on-one mentoring between at-risk youth and community adults or UNC students, court-ordered community service placement, a Teen Court run by teens, and a group mentoring program for middle-school girls.
Ms. Worley grew up in Chapel Hill and states, “I want every kid who grows up in Orange County to have the same sort of experience that I had and that my kids had by making sure that all the resources we have are available to make that possible.” UNC Bonner Leaders have been involved at Volunteers for Youth by serving as mentors to local kids and planning the middle-school group mentoring sessions.
In the future, the organization hopes to expand their mentoring program, reach out to older youth through a group-mentoring program, and collaborate with other local non-profits.
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