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Services to Youth

Services To Youth

The Links, Incorporated created its first program facet, Services to Youth, to equip black youth to use their intellect and spirit of achievement to become successful and productive citizens in the global workforce and to promote healthy lifestyles within families and communities.

 

The Services to Youth facet of the San Fernando Valley (CA) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated are committed to leading the way as a champion of change, ensuring that youth are academically successful and engaged in healthy lifestyles by implementing transformational programs that use an integrated approach and are responsive to the academic, health, cultural, social awareness, career development, and mentoring needs of youth.

 

The primary goals of this facet are to:

 

  • Introduce, expand and support science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education and career readiness

  • Award college scholarships 

  • Promote and contribute to the sustainability of HBCU institutions

  • Encourage mentoring relationships to focus on closing the academic achievement gap, workforce readiness and healthy lifestyles

  • Establish partnerships with local agencies to provide mentor training

  • Identify and recruit more local black mentors

  • Stress competence and character building as core values in a mentoring relationship

 

 The San Fernando Valley (CA) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated has held many successful fundraisers that have allowed the chapter to raise money for scholarships. Since 1973, the Services to Youth facet has awarded over $700,000 of scholarships to more than than 200 deserving African American students to attend colleges and universities of their choice. Annually, we contribute to the Charles Drew University and Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA to support our local HBCU.

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We seek to intervene and serve children who are growing up without the guidance and support of a caring, responsible adult. Research shows that mentoring decreases the likelihood that young people will engage in harmful behaviors, while improving the chances that they will attend school regularly, improve academically, increase self-esteem, and engage in healthier lifestyles.

 

The Services to Youth facet of the San Fernando Valley (CA) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated supports our national initiative of S.T.E.M. Education and Career Readiness by conducting workshops in interactive programs on video game designing, computer software engineering, electrical and thermal engineering for the Penny Lane Center students and chartering a LINKS-NSBE Jr. (National Society of Black Engineers) chapter at Maclay Middle School in Pacoima, CA to ensure quality STEM education for underrepresented minority students at all grade levels. This exposure will prepare students for STEM related careers.

 

In addition, we have partnered with Hands4Hope after school program that provides S.T.E.A.M.-based (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education to at-risk youth ages 8 to 18 from low-income, predominantly minority households and 100 Black Men of Los Angeles’ Young Black Scholars, which is a comprehensive college preparatory program for African American and other minority high school students. We provide college tours at Moorpark Community College regarding animal husbandry presentations and at Los Angeles Community College regarding college fairs.  

 

Many of these and other programming activities are delivered through hands on training and mentoring from our membership.

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