Arizona Youth Partnership

A nonprofit organization

222 donors

Arizona Youth Partnership (AzYP), was founded in 1990 by a group of concerned Pima County citizens who sought to provide rural communities in the county access to the services available in the Tucson metro area.  In 2006, AzYP expanded to serve rural communities across Arizona and seeks employ a root cause approach to fighting poverty builds healthy, self-sufficient youth and families through evidence-based prevention programs and community involvement.AzYP prevents and reduces generational poverty by addressing three major root causes: teen pregnancy, substance abuse, and family fragmentation.

AzYP employs a three pronged approach to fight poverty and build healthy, self-sufficient youth and families: 

1.) Cultivate Healthy Foundations for Youth: AzYP offers evidence-based relationship education, afterschool and youth leadership programs. Our programs equip youth to focus on life success goals, and work to prevent teen pregnancy, alcohol and substance abuse and anti social behaviors. 

2.) Promote Strong Families: AzYP family programs offer practical knowledge, strategies and tools to build and sustain healthy marriage, parenting and economic self sufficiency. 

3.) Mobilize Communities through Coalitions: AzYP assists community coalitions with resources that facilitate community-wide change focused on prevention of substance abuse and underage drinking. 

Stories of Impact

"It feels good knowing my parents are proud of me!" – “Bobby” a 15 year old youth from Mohave County

 Bobby started using Meth and prescription drug at the age of 13.  By the time Bobby was 15, he had moved on to using Heroine.  His mother, a single parent, contacted AzYP to enroll in the Strengthening Families Program 10-14 (SFP 10-14) in 2011.  Unfortunately, by the time the cycle started, Bobby had been arrested and incarcerated.  In 2012, history repeated itself and Bobby was incarcerated again just prior to the start of the program.  Bobby’s mother did not give up and in 2013 the family was able to attend the program together.

During the first session Bobby expressed his opinions on why drugs were okay for certain people. As the lesson continued, the Youth Facilitator talked about goals and the youth’s aspirations in life.  Bobby began to change his attitude. He talked about wanting to go to college and play sports.  Bobby disclosed the time when he found the man who gave him heroin dead with a needle in his arm. At that point he decided that was not where he wanted to end up. On the drive home that night Bobby apologized to his mother.

Over the following six sessions Bobby continued to open up and discussed the resentment he felt toward his father who lived with his new family.  During one session Bobby told the other youth that over the past week he called his father, and they spoke for hours. He said he realized that by starting to rebuild the relationship with his father, he could no longer use the lack of a male role model as an excuse for using drugs.  

Bobby is now attending the local high school, playing on the football team, and maintaining a new group of friends. He has not used drugs since attending SFP 10-14  . Bobby is proud to say that the program helped him to think outside his own world and see how important his future is. He talked about the significance of having better communication with mom and his father, and how it has helped him achieve more. He says,

"It feels good knowing my parents are proud of me!" 

 

Organization Data

Summary

Organization name

Arizona Youth Partnership

Tax id (EIN)

86-0669087

Categories

Children & Family

Address

7575 W TWIN PEAKS RD STE 165
TUCSON, AZ 85743

Phone

(520) 744-9595

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