By Josh Hinnenkamp
The Northfield Union of Youth (NUY) is the longest-running youth-run youth center in the country and just completed its 15th year of existence. The NUY makes its home in downtown Northfield in a building called The Key, named after a co-founder of the NUY that unexpectedly killed herself weeks before the Key’s grand opening. The NUY’s mission is “to give power and voice to area youth and create a caring community.” The NUY/Key serves as an after school drop-in center for youth ages 12-20 and offers daily programming including Book Club, Record Club, Art Project, Radio Show, Photo Club, Movie Night, Writing Workshop, and various seasonal programming such as Garden Club and Unicycle Club. The Key hosts a college preparation program that matches community members with individual youth who are in the process of preparing for and applying to colleges. This program often works in conjunction with the NUY’s widely-heralded mentoring program, Main Street Mentors, which seeks to match youth with college students and community members based on individual interests or academic needs. The NUY makes a strong commitment to enlist its members in monthly service and civic engagement projects in the community.
Learn more about the Northfield Union of Youth’s programs and success
The Northfield Union of Youth often teams up with Northfield Healthy Community Initiative (HCI) and their many civic engagement projects and community outreach. For instance, in the summer and fall of 2007, both collaborated together in a series of community conversations and action committees in response to an ongoing drug/heroin issue in the community. In addition, HCI offers regular support for The NUY’s ongoing endeavors and interests, including helping to organize fundraisers and community outreach for the Northfield Skateboard Coalition, the Main Street Mentors microgrant program, and help in funding various new programs. HCI continually helps the NUY network and collaborates with community members and other organizations. HCI goes above and beyond in their continual support of individual members of the NUY, and the organization itself. HCI is always there to offer a helping hand, and the NUY is a stronger organization because of them.
For more information on the Union of Youth, check out their website.
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