YPN Professional Development

ABOUT PROJECT YOUTH+
 
Project Youth+ prepares low-income, first-generation and
underrepresented youth to thrive in school, college and careers. 
We use resilience-development strategies that are personalized to
meet the strengths, preferences, and challenges of each individual.

Our Project Youth+ advisors provide long-term school outreach
services year-round to build healthy relationships, establish a
college-going peer culture, promote academic excellence, introduce
key success skills, and facilitate interactive group activities from a
grade-by-grade College & Career Preparation Curriculum.

Based in Grants Pass, Oregon, we serve youth in Josephine, Jackson,
and Douglas Counties with funding from school districts, state and
federal contracts, private and corporate grants, and individual and
business donors.

Project Youth+ alumni who enter college boast a six-year BA/BS
completion rate of 80%, well above the national 55%-60% average
for all students, and far above the 11% benchmark for low-income,
first-generation students.

The organization was founded in 1998 as College Dreams, a pilot
substance abuse prevention program for 33 sixth-grade students
with multiple risk factors for school dropout.

Two decades later, the nonprofit annually serves more than 1,500
youth aged 11-24. Nowadays, many participants forego the
traditional college path to instead seek career coaching, paid work
experience and occupational skills training. In 2020, the nonprofit
changed its name to Project Youth+ to reflect the many paths youth
may take to prepare for a successful career.