At YELLS, our youth learn to show PRIDE — Positivity, Respect, Innovation, Discipline, and Excellence. We teach youth from an early age that Learning, Leading, and Serving are enjoyable and rewarding. The YELLS Afterschool Program provides academic enrichment, leadership and character development, art, recreation, and community service opportunities daily to 45 kindergarten through fifth-grade youth. The YELLS curriculum is intentionally holistic, simultaneously fostering academic success and developing leadership and resources for youth and families. The cornerstone of our program model, Servant-Leadership, permeates all elements of the YELLS Afterschool Program. Our mission-driven staff engage youth through Kolb’s Experiential Learning Model in which youth learn through hands-on activities, reflective dialogue, and application.

Community Action Cafe is a space for a community to gather and for teens to develop as community leaders. The teen-led YELLS Community Action Café and Teen Center offers engaging and authentic academic, financial literacy, career development, and leadership experiences. As teens market and manage a working café open to all members of the community, they build on-the-ground business and entrepreneurial experience that further develops the skills and strengths they will need in college and beyond. After a career-readiness boot camp, teens in our daily afterschool apprenticeship program work in Apprenticeship Teams focused on areas including marketing, operations, financial management, hospitality, community planning, and culinary arts. Community Action Café Teens experience the real-world challenges of running a business with the support of community leaders and volunteers. These professionals and expert trainers guide youth through workshops on business development, budgeting and financial management, marketing and strategic planning, customer service, and more. The ambitious and innovative Community Action Café model positions teens as the architects of their community.

Mentoring program serving 40 Bigs and Littles students every Tuesday and first Saturday of the month. In addition to these youth programs, YELLS also hosts community events and workshops for parents and families living in the Franklin Gateway community.