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Youth
Assistance
1000 N.
Lafayette, South Lyon, MI 48178
Office :
(248) 573-8189
Fax
:
(248) 573-8192
South Lyon Area Youth
Assistance is a non-profit community service organization committed
to strengthening youth and families by preventing and reducing
juvenile delinquency, child neglect and child abuse.
Volunteers work with professional staff to
plan and implement enriching programs for young people and families
in the South Lyon area.
Casework Services
Services are provided by a
licensed social work professional at the Youth Assistance office
located at South Lyon High School. Nancy Minckler works with
children and families to reduce behavior problems and find effective
solutions for the family. Through early intervention, more serious
problems can be prevented and family harmony can be restored.
Evening appointments are available.
Casework services are voluntary, confidential
and free of charge. Caseworkers also provide information about other
resources and refer families to other helping agencies.
Referrals to Youth Assistance are made by
parents, police, schools and other agencies. Reasons for referrals
include emotional or behavioral difficulties at home, at school or
in the community. The police may divert teens from official court to
Youth Assistance for alcohol or other drug involvement, home or
school incorrigibility, larceny, retail fraud, or malicious
destruction of property. Youth Assistance also works closely with
the schools in matters of educational neglect and school truancy.
Homework Centers
Our Homework Centers
at Millennium and Centennial Middle Schools, and at
Dolsen, Kent Lake and Salem
Elementary Schools, will operate through the end of the school year. Click
on the appropriate link (below and left) to print out the
registration form and turn it in at the school office!
The Homework Centers provide homework
assistance to elementary and middle school students who are referred
by school personnel or Youth Assistance staff. The Homework Center
has a low staff-to-child ratio and is a quiet, safe place for
children to do schoolwork.
Students meet after school for two hours each
day on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at Millennium and Centennial
Middle Schools, and on Monday and Thursday at Dolsen. During the
first quarter-hour, students snack and wind down. The remaining time
is spent quietly doing homework or reading with the help of staff.
There is a $10 registration fee for this program, after which,
participation is free.
Summer Enrichment
Summer Enrichment is a
six-week program offered every summer for elementary and middle
school children. The main focus of this program is to prepare
students for a play performance held the last night of the program.
Elementary children meet for two hours Monday
through Thursday mornings. Middle school children meet for three
hours each afternoon on those same days. Each group has their own
full production night followed by a social.
Besides preparing for a performance, the
children take part in a community outreach project, an arts and
craft project and a simple fund-raiser for a cause or charity. They
also participate in cardiovascular activities.
All children are welcome from first grade
through 8th grade. There is a nominal fee for this program. No child
is turned away because of a disability or because of an inability to
pay. Information about dates and times is sent home with students
during the month of May.
This program is funded by South Lyon Area
Youth Assistance with other funding by local businesses and
organizations.
Summer Camp
Each summer, Youth Assistance provides an
opportunity for children entering the third grade through the 8th
grade to attend camp for five days. Teachers, counselors,
administrators, Youth Assistance staff, and parents refer children
for the camp experience.
Youth Assistance pays for the majority of the camp cost. Families
are asked to pay a small deposit, however, no child will be turned
away due to an inability to pay.
The children are bused to Camp Michawana by a South Lyon
Community Schools bus. Camp Michawana is a non-denominational YMCA
camp in Hasting, Michigan. The children enjoy swimming, canoeing,
skateboarding, crafts, songs and campfires.
Youth
Recognition
Each year Youth
Assistance sponsors a Youth Recognition Event to honor students who
are nominated for volunteer service through their church, school, or
community. Students are nominated by school personnel, members of
the clergy, parents and community members. Nominators are asked to
consider children who go “above and beyond” to help others in their
community.
This event, which will take place in May,
focuses on young people as volunteers and change agents in the South
Lyon community. Nominees, nominators, family and community members
are invited to a light buffet supper, at which nominees are
presented awards by representatives from the Oakland County Circuit
Court-Family Division, City of South Lyon, Lyon Township, South Lyon
Community Schools and South Lyon Area Youth Assistance.
Volunteers are needed to help with the event.
Please call Lynnae Lowe at 248.573.8189 to learn more.
Skill
Building Scholarships
Helping children stay active in
positive, enriching, but costly, activities is out of reach for some
of our South Lyon area families. South Lyon Area Youth Assistance
has made available limited scholarships to help these families keep
their children active and involved.
To apply for a scholarship, a simple, one-page
form is filled out and submitted to the Youth Assistance Board of
Directors for approval (family names are not identified). Parents
are notified by a letter if their request is approved, and a check
is made out for the activity fees. The application can be accessed
through this page and returned to the Youth assistance office.
Approval takes 10 to 14 days, so please allow enough time before the
registration deadline. |