YEP! The Youth Engagement Partnership

Youth Navigator

Dominique Griffin is the Youth Navigator for this program. He aims to build strong and trusting rapports with disconnected youth by assessing their needs, highlighting their strengths and working collaboratively with them to help their true selves shine.

“I am extremely excited to be the Youth Navigator for YEP! I am focused on helping disconnected youth break barriers and overcome obstacles that prevent them from reaching goals and experiencing a life of abundance. I believe that YEP will be a tremendous benefit for New London. My goal is to instill hope in disconnected youth, help them discover their passion and create meaningful relationships that will allow community organizations to empower them.” -Dominique Griffin

Want to refer a youth member of New London?

Want to be a part of solution?? Here’s what we need from Community Partners:

Through the collaborative efforts of the Youth Navigator and the Community Care Team (CCT), we aim to create a robust safety net that addresses the unique needs and strengths of the identified disconnected youth. Central to our mission is the active engagement and collaboration with community partners, including local stakeholders, families, schools, and organizations. Let’s put together our efforts as a community to best serve our youth!

Join our weekly Community Care Team (CCT):

• weekly hybrid meetings
• discuss needs of youth referred to the program
• work together to identify and connect identified youth to community organizations and mentors

Want to become a mentor for a disconnected youth? Expectations include:

• complete a mentor application
• minimum of 1x weekly engagement
• Youth Navigator will remain involved to support both youth and mentor
• be able to teach and/or model skills in a specific field
• involve youth in any community events
• offer support, guidance, and connection
  

Click below to complete the survey and we will reach out to you to discuss further how you can be a part of our CCT team and/or become a mentor for a youth.

Email us at [email protected] with any further questions.

“I think it’s important to think outside of the box when looking to make a difference, and that’s what we are doing here. We identified an issue with the attendance numbers of high school students and brainstormed ways that we can contribute to impacting those outcomes for the better. As somebody that has been active in this community for a long time, I’m looking forward to utilizing my connection to the youth, my guidance and my expertise to influence healthy mindsets and better decision making, in the cases where this is a root issue. As a business owner, I’m also looking to be an example and a resource to help spark an interest in entrepreneurship, film, photography or music, which may be a source of inspiration paired with the mentorship to get some students back on track. Furthermore, I’m excited to have access to all of the resources that come with the team that we have here in this initiative. My skillset alone isn’t enough for the wide range of problems that we need to be solutions to for any of this to make a significant difference, but together the sky is the limit and I’m just excited to do my part here.”- Frank Colmenares, ReelE Media

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No person shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination in the Agency’s programs or activities on the grounds of race, color, national origin, or disability. Provision will be made to assist clients who are members of national origin minority groups with language differences. Additionally, provision will be made to assist clients who are hearing impaired or have other special needs.