Youth Development Resource Center - Detroit

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Youth Development Resource Center - Detroit

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https://linktr.ee/YDRC The Youth Development Resource Center (YDRC) supports youth development providers in Detroit.

The Youth Development Resource Center (YDRC) supports youth development providers across the Detroit area to strengthen their individual and collective impact on youth. We work with hundreds of providers across Detroit – large and small with a range of program offerings — to strengthen their individual and collective impact on youth. The YDRC focuses on empowering youth development providers that fill opportunity gaps in youth’s access to quality learning experiences — expanding the time, places, and ways in which youth learn and grow. Young people find and ignite their passions, get connected to caring adults, and are more likely to become lifelong learners with skills for success. OUR MISSION
To improve the quality of Detroit-area youth-serving organizations to maximize their impact on youth and to advocate for accessible high-quality youth development opportunities. OUR VISION
To connect all Detroit-area youth to high-quality youth development opportunities that grow their capacities to thrive in school and life.

10/15/2026

🌟 Leadership is stronger when we make space to think, connect, and build together.

YDRC’s Leadership Circle brings together senior leaders from across Metro Detroit’s youth development community to look beyond individual organizations and toward what’s possible for our field as a whole.

At our recent gathering, leaders shared experiences, surfaced common challenges, strengthened relationships, and explored the priorities that can help shape a more connected and responsive youth development ecosystem.

We’re grateful to each leader who brought their experience, candor, perspective, and commitment to the conversation.

A special thank you to Yodit Mesfin Johnson for thoughtfully facilitating our day-long session and creating space for reflection, meaningful dialogue, and shared visioning. 💡

Stronger relationships. Shared priorities. Collective action.

10/13/2026

✈️ Partner Spotlight: Tuskegee Airmen National Historical Museum

For our latest Partner Spotlight, YDRC visited the Tuskegee Airmen National Historical Museum to learn more about how history, aviation, STEM, and hands-on learning come together to create meaningful opportunities for young people.

During the visit, youth explored historic aircraft and exhibits, learned about the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen, and saw restoration work up close. The museum also connects young people to career pathways in aviation and aerospace, including training opportunities that can lead to FAA private pilot and Part 107 drone certifications.

What stood out most was how the experience connects history to the future—helping young people build skills, explore careers, and see new possibilities for themselves
💡 That’s youth development in action: preserving legacy while creating pathways for the next generation.

Thank you to the Tuskegee Airmen National Historical Museum team for welcoming YDRC and sharing your work with us!

10/08/2026

📊 What does more than a decade of Acting with Data teach us about building quality that lasts?

Through YDRC’s Acting with Data (AWD) work, organizations across Metro Detroit have used data, reflection, assessment, and continuous improvement to strengthen the experiences they create for young people.

Over time, four key lessons have become clear:

✨ Quality is built over time, not through a single assessment.

📈 Data becomes valuable when organizations have the capacity to act on it.

💡 Young people experience quality, not quality scores.

🏗️ Sustaining quality requires infrastructure.

From 10 participating organizations in the early years to 38 organizations today, AWD continues to show what’s possible when data becomes a tool for learning—not just a score.

That’s YDRC’s Data Steward role in action: helping organizations turn information into reflection, learning, and stronger practice.

Thank you to all of the organizations that have contributed to this learning and growth over the years.

🔗 Explore the full AWD 2025–2026 Impact Report:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dwy2pzA7It53pXIriX2XMIcMleGTlJey/view?usp=sharing

10/06/2026

Join Us for Our First Co-Working Day!

Looking for a comfortable place to work, connect, and spend time with others in the youth development field?

Join us in the YDRC Community Conference Room, Room 216, for our first Co-Working Day! Sign up for a time slot, bring what you’re working on, and use the space to focus independently, brainstorm with a peer, catch up with a colleague, or meet someone new across the YDRC network.

There’s no formal agenda or scheduled programming. This is simply time set aside to work, network, and connect with other youth development professionals.

Wednesday, October 14, 2026 | 9:00 AM- 5:00 PM
Durfee Innovation Society
2470 Collingwood St., Room 216
Detroit, MI 48206

During your time with us, enjoy:
Wi-Fi and comfortable seating
Books and resources
Snacks
Nespresso coffee and other beverages
Games, including a Detroit edition of Monopoly
A few seasonal touches throughout the space that come with fall

Sign up for the co-working time slot that works best for you!

Register here: https://detroitydrc.app.neoncrm.com/event-detail?event=618

10/05/2026

🌟 Management Quality Practices: Intentional Design & Program Improvement

Strong programs don’t happen by accident, they’re built with intention.
Join Kiylise Lowe for an interactive workshop focused on practical tools to help youth-serving organizations strengthen program design, reflection, and continuous improvement.

Participants will explore the Seed to Systems Framework and STEP UP Reflective Cycle, apply them to real-world program challenges, and leave with practical next steps they can use within their own organizations.

📅 Monday, October 19, 2026
⏰ 10:00 AM–1:00 PM ET
📍 Durfee Innovation Society – The Dive
🎤 Facilitator: Kiylise Lowe

✨ Come ready to reflect, practice, and strengthen the systems that support high-quality youth development.

🔗 Registration required: https://detroitydrc.app.neoncrm.com/event-detail?event=598

10/01/2026

✨ Introducing YDRC’s Management Quality Series!

Strong programs need strong systems behind them.

This fall, YDRC is launching four new workshops designed to help youth-serving organizations strengthen the management practices that make quality possible:
→ Intentional Program Design & Improvement
→ Quality Staff & Support
→ Diversity, Access & Inclusion
→ Family, School & Community Engagement

But these workshops didn’t happen overnight.

Building from YDRC’s Quality Practices Guidebook, we brought together workshop owners, advisors, and YDRC project leadership to turn the framework into practical learning experiences for the field.

Over several months, the team researched, designed, reflected, challenged ideas, and strengthened each workshop together—with one shared goal: making each experience practical, reflective, and relevant to the realities of youth-serving organizations.

💡 This fall, we’re excited to open the doors and learn alongside you.
Four practices. Four workshops. One stronger foundation for quality.

💛 A special thank you to the workshop owners, advisors, and project team who brought this series to life. Your expertise, collaboration, and commitment to quality made this work possible.

09/29/2026

Money recovered because young people were harmed should make a meaningful difference in young people’s lives.

Michigan is expected to receive at least $171 million over the next decade through the Meta settlement, creating an opportunity to invest in the supports and experiences young people need beyond the screen.

That can include mental health support, afterschool and summer programs, mentoring, sports, arts, outdoor experiences, and other opportunities that help young people connect, belong, and thrive.

Through Fund IRL, organizations across the country are also calling for young people, families, and community organizations to have a meaningful voice in how these investments are made, along with clear transparency and accountability for where the resources go.

🔗 Learn more about Fund IRL and its work to turn social media accountability into opportunities for young people: https://fundirl.org/

YDRC will continue following this work and sharing opportunities for our network to stay informed and engaged as decisions move forward in Michigan.

09/24/2026

Our 2026 Impact Report is here! 🎉

What does it take to build a youth development ecosystem where young people can thrive?

It takes strong organizations. Skilled and supported adults. Meaningful relationships. Data that leads to action. And a field that can come together around shared priorities.

Our 2026 Impact Report: Powering the Ecosystem That Powers Young People shares how YDRC is contributing to that work as a Capacity Builder, Convener, Data Steward, and Policy Champion across Metro Detroit.

This year, our network included 596 youth development professionals, 260+ organizations, and 1,400 participation experiences across 36 opportunities. Together, the youth-serving organizations we engaged have an estimated collective reach of 50,000+ young people.

But this report is about more than numbers. It shares what we are learning about quality, leadership, connection, youth partnership, data, and the systems needed to sustain strong youth development opportunities.

Stronger adults. Stronger organizations. A more connected ecosystem. More possibilities for young people.

Read the full YDRC 2026 Impact Report and see what we’re building together: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yn6-S9zr2xbMGSd74yt1Zc6bZoK-fK0H/view?usp=sharing

YDRC powers the ecosystem that powers young people.

09/22/2026

🔬 STEM Learning Spotlight 🚀

Afterschool programs in Detroit are helping young people explore science, technology, engineering, and math in meaningful ways.

According to the Detroit After 3PM STEM Fact Sheet, 95% of parents report that their child has access to STEM in their afterschool program. In addition, about 3 in 4 parents say they want STEM opportunities in their child’s afterschool program, and more than 5 in 6 parents say afterschool programs help young people build STEM interests and skills.

Detroit youth are engaging in a wide range of STEM subjects through afterschool programs, including science, computer science, technology, engineering, and math—with 62% of parents saying their child engages in STEM activities at least twice a week.

✨ As we continue investing in high-quality afterschool opportunities, we can help more young people across Detroit build skills, spark curiosity, and prepare for the future.

🔗 View the full Detroit After 3PM STEM Fact Sheet:
https://afterschoolalliance.org/documents/AA3PM-2025/Detroit-AA3PM-2026-STEM-Fact-Sheet.pdf

📊 Data & graphic credit: Afterschool Alliance | America After 3PM – Detroit Afterschool STEM Takes Off (September 2026)

09/18/2026

Is your organization ready to submit your grant application for 32N OST funding?

YDRC’s 32n Grant Readiness Navigator can help you figure out where you stand as you apply.

The Navigator walks organizations through four key questions:
✓ Can we apply? — Basic Eligibility
✓ Should we apply? — Program Fit & Competitiveness
✓ Can we manage the grant? — Organizational & Implementation Capacity
✓ Can we put together a strong application? — Application Readiness

Along the way, you’ll find resources to identify gaps, strengthen your approach, and determine your next steps.

📅 Applications are due September 23, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. (noon).

Don’t just ask whether you’re eligible. Ask whether you’re ready.

Explore the 32n Grant Readiness Navigator Here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nrJHAXHX1-znVyjF48xjpwJWbcrE7FKJ/view

Need additional support? Respond to the form below to get connected to 1:1 coaching support from YDRC: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe5E1oovYLlzu1XjCUuQhnjhMQKHM5a6-PGHJXkJF2DhhExgQ/viewform

Address

2470 Collingwood Street, Unit 218
Detroit, MI
48206

Website

http://detroitydrc.org/

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