About Us

 

Mission, Vision & Values     Our Staff

Welcome to Serve Our Youth Network’s online home!  We are thankful for your interest in our ministry to Central Iowa’s high-risk youth.  If you have any questions, please contact us.

Serve Our Youth Network is Christian organization that serves high-risk youth in Central Iowa in both community-based and institutional settings through our Amachi Mentoring, Second Chance T.E.A.M.s, Prevention Through Mentoring, Visitation and Chaplaincy programs.  We desire to be the bridge between the faith community and youth-serving agencies, institutions and school where high-risk kids can be found.

Serve Our Youth  Network (SOY) was created in 1999 in response to an invitation by the Polk County Youth Services Administrator to explore how the faith community could be equipped to positively impact the high-risk youth served by Juvenile Court, Department of Human Services and other Des Moines area agencies. With the help of a local Reformed Church of America pastor and a small network of churches, SOY began recruiting, training and screening volunteers from across south central Iowa to serve these youth.

Since SOY began in 1999, it has equipped and supported over 1,000 active volunteers. SOY is currently partnering with 75 churches from over 22 different denominations. Since its inception in Polk County, SOY has expanded its services in institutional settings and to provide community-based one-to-one mentoring throughout Central and Southern Iowa.  We currently have staff serving the communities of Des Moines (and entire metro area), Knoxville, Newton, Oskaloosa, Ottumwa, and Pella.  We also provide services for Polk County Youth Services and Woodward Academy.

In 2004, SOY received its first large three year federal grant. This project has teamed up the Department of Corrections, Angel Tree, Mentor Iowa, and SOY to provide mentors from the Des Moines area faith community to children of prisoners. In addition, June of 2005 brought word that SOY has been awarded another large three year federal grant through the U.S. Department of Education (ended in 2008).  In 2007, SOY was awarded a second Mentoring Children of Prisoner grant from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services after the original grant from 2004 had expired.  In 2009 we were awarded a Second Chance Juvenile Mentoring Initiative grant through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (part of the U.S. Department of Justice) that funds our Second Chance T.E.A.M.s.  We also received a subcontract award through Amachi which funds our Amachi Mentoring program.   These grants have been a blessing and has allowed SOY to extend its reach with community-based mentoring.   Our visitation and chaplaincy ministries within different juvenile facilities are still almost entirely funded through private funding through individuals, churches and businesses.

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© 2011 Serve Our Youth Network Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha