Our Youth Are Our Future

Who We Serve

Building a Better You is an after-school program serving youth age 13 to 19. The program is particularly beneficial for teens struggling with trauma, behavioral concerns, depression, anxiety, school performance issues, and challenging personal relationships.

Building the Foundation

Our youth are our future. We know their potential, and we recognize the barriers that can keep them from reaching their full potential, including, for example, psychological trauma, exposure to violence, hunger, and lack of opportunity.

Foundational Tools

When given effective barrier-breaking tools,
we see our students thriving.

Students talk with each other about what they are experiencing at home, school, work, or in the community. 

Conversation structures and safety rules are developed by the group leader(s) and participants. Topics have included:

  • Maintaining emotional well-being.
  • Managing mental health symptoms.
  • Practicing clear communications and conversations.
  • Building consistent self-care and self-esteem practices. 
  • Preserving healthy relationships.
  • Recognizing and correcting unhealthy situations. 
  • Controlling anger by regulating emotions.
  • Problem solving.

We’re here for every conversation, from supportive to tough, providing support they won’t find elsewhere. 

Crime. Gun violence. Suicide. Human trafficking. Bullying. Domestic violence. Digital safety. Our students need strategies to deal with these and other real-life situations they may encounter. 

Our program is focused on prevention, and our lessons are designed to be relevant and useful to students, rather than fear-based. 

Our goal is to help students feel safe, confident, and supported, and to understand how their choices and environment affect their well-being. 

  • Instead of abstract warnings, we use real-world discussions that address peer pressure, online interactions, dealing with unfamiliar places or difficult people, and other  challenging situations.
  • We teach emotional awareness alongside safety skills. Our students learn to recognize feelings like anxiety, anger, and fear, so they can better understand how these emotions can influence their decisions.
  • We teach simple, practical strategies that help students stay aware of their surroundings, trust their instincts, and know when to seek help. We also provide them with simple coping strategies—like breathing techniques, talking to someone they trust, or pausing before reacting—to help reduce risky behavior.
  • We incorporate interactive activities to keep them engaged. Our role-playing situations, group discussions, and problem-solving exercises allow youth to practice what they learn.
  • Negative online experiences can strongly impact students’ self-esteem and stress levels. We provide information on how to protect their personal information, recognize warning signs, and maintain healthy boundaries online. 

Finally, students need to know that they are not alone. We help youth identify trusted adults, friends, and community resources they can turn to whenever they feel unsafe or overwhelmed. 

Our youth are encouraged to look to each other for help. They learn how to tap into their common experiences, and work together to figure out practical ways to cope with their problems.  

As they break bread together, our youth make good friends. It’s an easy – and nutritious – way get to know and trust one another.

We share a meal together at every session!

Our students participate in physical activities weekly, with the goals of decreasing their risk of serious illnesses, preventing obesity, boosting their confidence, and improving their academic performance.

Activities include (but are not limited to): yoga, pilates, dance, basketball, and aerobics. Sometimes we invite family members to join in these physical activities, too.

We provide tools to help our students build a stable financial future, including lessons in:

  • Setting financial goals.
  • Budgeting and saving.
  • Managing debt: Understanding the causes, credit reports, and scores.
  • Investing
  • Long-Term financial planning.

Youth in our program have ready-access to licensed social workers and therapists at PYC.  

It’s seriously important that our youth have some good fun together. We do art projects, play board games, dance, make music, go on field trips, create videos, write and tell stories… lots of things that bring smiles and laughter to life!

Ms. Catherine: Lead Educator

Ms. Catherine comes to the B.A.B.Y program with several years of experience working in the psychology and mental health field, supporting youth and families through education, skill-building, and meaningful connection. She is also continuing her studies in mental health, youth development, and emotional well-being as a psychology major at St. Catherine University in St. Paul.  “I’m especially passionate about helping young people develop healthy boundaries, confidence, and strong communication skills.”

Ms. Nusara:  PYC Arts & Tech Liaison

Ms. Nusara is the Intern Case Manager at PYC Arts & Technology High School on the PCYC campus. She also serves as PYC’s liaison to the Building a Better You program. 

More: PYC Arts & Technology High School