SALESIAN FAMILY YOUTH CENTER

Description

History of Who We Are!
Since 1966, the Salesian Family Youth Center (formerly known as the Salesian Boys and Girls Youth Club of Los Angeles) has been serving the young people of the Boyle Heights community. The founder of the Salesians, Saint John Bosco, fervently believed in working on behalf of the young, especially those who are poor or at-risk. The Salesian Family Youth Center has that goal at the heart of everything it does. Located within walking distance of 13,000 elementary through high school age students, the Salesian Family Youth Center works to serve local families by providing positive after-school activities and low-cost alternative programs for thousands of at-risk and economically disadvantaged youth between the ages of 6 and 18. The Youth Center operates one clubhouse in Boyle Heights and one school site for non-school hours programming. Our Youth Center and our staff work daily to provide mentorship and a safe place for these young people to learn, play, and grow in their own knowledge.

Our greatest perennial challenge is locating and providing funding for the programs vital to the success of our most important community resource: our young children. We know the importance of their on-going education, and we recognize that learning cannot just stop at the end of the school day or the school year. Studies have shown that students who continue to be socially and academically engaged are more likely to succeed and remain in school long term.