Alternatives, Inc.

Alternatives Inc., founded in 1973, is a nationally recognized youth development nonprofit whose vision is “Healthy, principled, and creative young people valued as members of the community.” Everything we do is designed to build the specific assets that support young people as they grow into creative, compassionate, and responsible adults. This means helping young people to: • Identify and manage their feelings, • Form positive friendships, • Make good decisions, • Creatively problem solve, • Discover their creativity and unique talents, and • Make a difference in their community. Alternatives annually impact approximately 3,700 children and young people in Hampton Roads. Rather than a center-based program, Alternatives embeds high-quality programs into child care centers and after-school programs in neighborhoods, schools, and community settings. In addition, all program activities have secondary benefits that are aligned with increasing critical thinking skills, pre-literacy skills, and children's intrinsic motivation to succeed academically. Alternatives use various programs and activities to inspire young people to discover their spark and achieve their inherent potential.

Who We Are

Alternatives Inc., founded in 1973, is a nationally recognized youth development nonprofit whose vision is, “Healthy, principled, and creative young people valued as members of the community.” Everything we do is designed to build the specific assets that support young people as they grow into creative, compassionate and responsible adults. This means helping young people to:

• identify and manage their feelings,
• form positive friendships,
• make good decisions,
• creatively problem solve,
• discover their creativity and unique talents, and
• make a difference in their community.

Alternatives annually impacts approximately 4,000 children and young people on the Virginia Peninsula. Rather than a center based program, Alternatives embeds high quality programs into child care centers and after school programs in neighborhoods, schools, and community settings. In addition all program activities have secondary benefits that are aligned with increasing critical thinking skills, pre-literacy skills, and the intrinsic motivation of children to academically succeed. Using a variety of programs and activities, Alternatives inspires young people to discover their spark and achieve their inherent potential.