Every day at YES Shelter for Youth and Families, staff witness the remarkable strength of young people who arrive carrying experiences most of us will never fully see or understand. Despite living with deep uncertainty and complex trauma, many still have a spark. With the right support, that flicker has the chance to blossom into possibility.

This is what motivated YES to create the YES Education Fund at the Community Foundation. “Though it’s only just begun, our hopes for it are big,” says Aimeé Le Lagadec, Executive Director of YES. “We see it as a much-needed boost of confidence that will help remove the barriers that prevent marginalized young people from embracing school and advanced career training.”

Over the years YES has supported many youth out of homelessness. As they stabilize and move through their experiences, staff work to re-connect them to employment, training, and school. “YES believes that education has the potential to stabilize youth in a truly unique way,” Aimeé says. “But the barriers that keep them out of the system can be immense. One of the biggest obstacles to education that our young clients experience is the need to prioritize their basic needs over their education.”

That can mean grappling with unstable housing, conflict at home, poverty, and something as basic as not having a reliable way to get to class. On top of that, “young people may experience undiagnosed mental health and addiction issues, medical complexities, and stigma. Being homeless can be humiliating and that can weigh heavily on the educational experience of a young person that is housed precariously, or is living in an emergency shelter,” Aimeé says.

Despite these profound obstacles, with the right supports, young people often persevere in remarkable ways.

Aimeé remembers attending several graduations last year. “Each one of them worked their way through adult education classes, while experiencing homelessness. I saw their faces light up at the possibilities ahead of them as they graduated and moved on to the next step in their education.” One story stood out for Aimeé. “For one young woman, it took over six years to complete her high school education. She faced numerous obstacles, including the loss of a child, and still stood up triumphantly to claim her diploma at the end of the school year.”

The YES Education Fund is designed to open that pathway for even more youth. It will afford young people the opportunity to pursue post-secondary education, educational upgrades, and personal interest programs – all avenues that will help them transition into adulthood in the healthiest way possible.

Relief starts with the basics. “One of the most notable changes we see in young people that receive this type of funding opportunity is the ability to afford the day-to-day necessities comfortably,” Aimeé says. Education comes with many hidden costs like hygiene products, school supplies, transportation, and technology. “Many of the costs associated with pursuing an education are not highlighted by some funding programs,” she explains. “Our Fund with the Community Foundation will cover these gaps.”

Frontline staff are the steady presence behind every success. “All staff are incredibly committed to ensuring that a young person attends school,” Aimeé says. That support shows up in countless small ways: “early morning wake up calls, tuition payment reminders, budgeting exercises, homework support, cues to the young person to push until they succeed.” For many youth, “YES staff are the only caring adults that they have in their lives, which means that the job of encouragement falls to our staff.”

Success looks different for everyone. “It’s such an individual experience and very specific to each person,” Aimeé reflects. It might be getting into college, completing an upgrade, or finally earning a high school diploma after years of setbacks. At its core, “Success is having the luxury to dream at all.”

That is the purpose of the YES Education Fund. For donors, Aimeé offers a simple message: “It is not the size of the donation that matters. It’s what it will be used for that’s important.” When someone gives to this Fund, “you are giving young people an opportunity to dream, grow, and achieve things they never thought were possible for them.”

Education gives young people pro-social opportunities, builds practical skills, strengthens confidence, and makes room for futures that would otherwise remain out of reach.

If you’d like to support the YES Education Fund or learn more about how the Foundation partners with local agencies, we’d love to connect.