Our impact

Making a massive difference, where it counts.

BUILDING ACCESS POINTS THROUGHOUT THE NORTH EAST THAT SCALE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF YOUTH IN EACH CITY AND ACROSS MORE RURAL AREAS.

The problem

The northeast lacks infrastructure for youth development.

There is a huge lack of opportunities for young people to be occupied outside of sports in the north east. “Highly bored individuals tend to lack the ability to entertain themselves. As a result, they may turn to activities like doing drugs”, says McWelling Todman at the New School for Social Research in New York City. “Drug use takes place during downtime when the person would have otherwise been entertaining themselves.”

The BCBSA, (Blue Cross Blue Shield Association) found that the highest rates of depression, suicide, and drug abuse cases were being found in New England, with Rhode Island and Maine registering the highest rates in the area.

There are so many flaws in traditional youth development programs, but first let’s look at Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs in order to recognize how far off they really are. 

Maslows Hierarchy of Needs

SELF ACTUALIZATION

Morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice and acceptance of fact.

Esteem

Self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect of others and respect by others. 

Love and Belonging

Friendship, family, and intimacy.

Safety

Security of: body, employment, resources, morality, the family, health and property.

PHYSIOLOGICAL

Air, water, nutrition, shelter, sleep quality, clothing, and health.

The traditional approach

It's not working.

Youth organizations typically focus on the top of the pyramid, flipping it upside down, working on a young person's self-actualization.

The vast majority of after school programs focus on a moral, creative, and problem solving growth within a young person. In many cases a young person's basic needs are not getting met prior to a program's attempt to help them 'develop'.

Lack of equity in sports

Sports aren't for everyone.

In many young people's lives sports play a huge role in meeting their love and belonging, esteem, and even other needs in their life. But this is a privilege that many do not have access to, or have the physical ability to join.

Minorities are being left out

Sport participation rates for white youth exceed that of African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asians. Youth from low-income families are half as likely to play sports as kids from upper-incomes homes. Aspen Institute Research / SFIA

Youth with disabilities struggle for access

About 1/3 of families who have a child with a disability reported it’s “very hard” to obtain recreational opportunities. (State of Play: Mobile County, 2018)

Many can't make the time commitment

School work was listed as the No. 1 reason why youth don’t play sports. No. 2 was family responsibilities. Aspen Institute’s National Youth Sport Survey

Many can't afford the cost

For some sports, average annual costs are over $1,000 per child – and can balloon well into five figures. Aspen institute / Utah State University 2019 National Youth Sport Survey

Our Approach

Ensuring the greatest needs are met first.

Revolution Youth ensures that at every level of our organization young people have their basic needs met, as our top priority. We recognize that if they aren't eating a healthy meal every day or aren't safe in their own home - these needs are much more important to take care of first.

Maslows Hierarchy of Needs

SELF ACTUALIZATION

Morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice and acceptance of fact.

Esteem

Self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect of others and respect by others. 

Love and Belonging

Friendship, family, and intimacy.

Safety

Security of: body, employment, resources, morality, the family, health and property.

PHYSIOLOGICAL

Air, water, nutrition, shelter, sleep quality, clothing, and health.

Love and Belonging

Unconditional love.

Young adults need to have an authentic sense of connection with other people. Family and friends, love and support, and the ability to be vulnerable with others who encourage them.

Revolution Youth provides programs with this approach, as well as fosters a community of encouragement that offers a sense of camaraderie and connection. By putting these needs above the needs of growth and self-actualization, we’ve seen influential and long-lasting results in young people’s lives.

We've found that this is frequently an unmet need amongst the demographic we serve. That's why our programs have community aspects built in to help build friendships and authentic connections between youth.

Self-Actualization and Esteem

Confidence.

Young people struggle with a lack of confidence, this is nothing new. They haven't lived a lot of life yet and they're still figuring things out. Our programs are like training wheels for the 'real world', where it tends to feel less forgiving.

Through competitions, collaborations and other important community involvement, youth experience growth in their esteem and begin to form confidence around their life experiences.

Revolution Youth is committed to meeting every need of every young adult in the North East, and we are partnering with other nonprofits to help make that vision possible.

What they want
Top eight youth interests in 2019 based on data from Burlington-based youth marketing firm ‘Fuse’.

why they want it
The ‘wants’ that youth have are fulfilling real ‘needs’ that need to be met.

Video Steaming
Reading
Gaming
Technology
Social Media
Celebrities
Watching & Participating in Sports 
Brands
Distraction, Fixing Boredom, Entertainment, Escape 

SELF ACTUALIZATION

Adventure, Hero Complex 

Esteem

Allure of Fantasy, Larger than Life, Presence, Popularity Lifestyle 

SELF ACTUALIZATION

Love from Family, Camaraderie, A Sense of Identity 

Love and Belonging

Community, Social Interaction, Connection with Others 

Esteem

Respect from Others 

Esteem

Our Solutions

Our programs are designed to meet the essential needs that are not being met amongst young adults in the North East.

programs are integrated to provide better support and service

Eden Valley

Eden Valley provides restorative environments and workshops for those seeking refuge and healing from their past, struggles and challenges.

Safety, Physiological, Love and Belonging 

Everywhere

Everywhere is providing opportunities for young adults to experience other cultures, make life-long friendships and find purpose in serving others.

Love and Belonging, Esteem, Self Actualization 

Evolve

Evolve is providing opportunities for young creatives to develop their skill sets, collaborate with other artists and compete at a higher level.

Esteem, Self Actualization

Equality

Equality is providing NGOs and social impact initiatives world-class excellence in media and production in order for them to thrive in the modern world.

Self Actualization

Partnerships

When the need is outside the realm of one of our internal programs we connect the young adult to one of our partners who can assist with their unique situation.

Safety, Physiological