Our Organization
Youth Enrichment Services (YES) is a unique and well-established youth development organization that introduces Boston kids and teens to the great outdoors through skiing, snowboarding, biking, hiking, rock climbing, and other sports. Our Operation SnowSports and Outdoor Adventure programs instill positive values, help kids develop a healthy lifestyle, and teach teamwork. YES also runs the YES Academy which provides year-round opportunities for youth to learn the critical skills needed to be successful in college, work, and life. YES has been providing youth development, leadership, and enrichment programs for the past 44 years and has served over 100,000 Boston kids!
YES serves 1,500 young people between the ages of 7 and 18, of which 78 percent live in Boston. YES targets young people with limited access to outdoor activities and sports, namely at-risk youth living in low-income households. Last year, 45 percent of YES participants were girls. Eighty-five percent were Asian, Black, Hispanic, or mixed ethnicity.
YES’s mission is to inspire and challenge youth with physical and mental activities that foster life-long respect for self, others, and the environment.
Through outdoor and environmental experiences, YES kids:
1. Build confidence
2. Develop motor skills and physical fitness
3. Learn responsibility and accountability
4. Learn to treat others, including mentors, coaches, and officials, with respect
5. Interact with diverse cultures
6. Develop a healthy life style that includes exercise
7. Learn respect for the environment
Check out the YES Youtube video below:
As an organization of committed staff, volunteers, community members and corporate partners, YES believes in:
• Challenging and supporting youth through outdoor sports and experiential education
• Sharing the love and enjoyment of the outdoors
• Fostering stewardship of the natural environment
• Sustaining a diverse organization and promoting diversity in the community
• The power of mentoring