YOU-2022-Annual-Report - Flipbook - Page 6
We support youth in defining their own
goals and developing a plan to achieve
them. 84% of youth say that people at
Y.O.U. help to support their success. We
center and strive for organizational and
individual lifelong learning and growth,
innovation, aspiration, and curiosity.
STEM LEARNING WITH NOGGIN BUILDERS
One of our most popular enrichment partnerships is with Noggin
Builders, who provided STEM activities at four sites this year. Youth
engaged in hands-on, project-based activities that encouraged
experimentation and invention.
A favorite lesson centered on learning about air pressure and creating
pneumatic machines that opened doors. In another project, youth
designed art projects incorporating circuits that they built themselves.
Youth appreciated these activities because they made complex
concepts accessible while still challenging them.
BITMOJI BUCKS
When staff at Chute Middle developed Bitmoji Bucks, they wanted to
create a program that gave youth a sense of pride and ownership and
was more than simply a standard money management lesson. Youth
created their own Bitmoji Bucks, money printed with personalized
cartoon avatars. Every day, they earned Bitmoji Bucks by selfreflecting on the five program norms, celebrating their successes and
thinking of areas of growth. Youth cashed in their earnings at the
Bitmoji Bucks store, identifying what they wanted to buy and creating
savings plans to achieve their goal. Liyana, a 6th grader, saved the
entire year to earn her own deluxe art kit.