Not enough can be said about the pivotal role persistence plays in helping YOTO’s students. It’s unfortunate, but sometimes YOTO is unable to accept students into its program if they do not meet certain criteria. One of the many jobs that our program coordinators are tasked with is reviewing student appeals for those wishing [...]
After applying for several years, Youth On Their Own was chosen out of sixteen applicants to be this year’s recipient of the Tucson Electric Power Charitable Non-Profit Business Copper Cactus Award for medium-sized charities. YOTO was recognized by the selection committee for outstanding performance in helping Southern Arizona’s homeless youth remain in school and [...]
This week, we’ll be sharing with you another one of YOTO’s newest staff members: Diego! Diego is one of four Program Coordinators who work one-on-one with the students enrolled in Youth On Their Own. Learn a little more about Diego and how his background in Public Health has expanded our program services for students. [...]
This week, we’ll be sharing with you one of YOTO’s newest staff members: Monika Cabrera! Monika is one of four Program Coordinators who work one-on-one with the students enrolled in Youth On Their Own. Learn a little more about Monika and how she came to become one of YOTO’s most passionate team members! “I [...]
Professionals Needed to Mentor Students For professionals who want to give back but have limited time, the Leadership Institute may be the answer. For about 15 to 20 hours over the course of a school year, mentors talk life skills with seventh- and eighth-graders at Safford K-8 School, 200 E. 13th St. The mostly [...]
This is chapter 2 of Jesus Valenzuela’s story, centered on his experiences during the second semester of his Freshmen year at the University of Arizona. Jesus is 19 years old, and is a graduate of Desert View High School in Tucson, where he was born and raised. Jesus is passionate about music, basketball, and [...]
“When I was preparing for my seventeenth birthday, neither of my parents had had a job in over 7 years… so we were extremely poor. My mother stopped taking us to the doctor, buying us clothes and toiletries, caring about our education, and our home. We had not had any running water, gas, air [...]
“When I was born, my mother and father were still just babies themselves… trying to create a puzzle with pieces that didn’t belong. Instead of splitting up, they fought, frank, and did drugs. The partying was never-ending, and even though having my little brother in my life made me happier, it also made it [...]
