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Provides opportunities for children to learn, practice, and perform drumming, dance, drill and tumbling skills, while supporting their educational and character development.
Aims to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. Provides hands-on learning experiences that focus on financial literacy, work-readiness, and entrepreneurship. Partners with area schools and delivers programs to K-12 grade students in a classroom setting. Trained, business-experienced community volunteers teach easy-to-follow lesson plans and share their own personal experiences to help students connect classroom learning to the real world.
Summer day camps at various locations for youth in grades K-7.
Enrichment programs provide the foundation of self-sufficiency and self-awareness to become leaders in the community. These workshops enrich youth with leadership, life and social skills enabling them to becoming valuable assets and effective leaders in society. BLA Leadership in Action 101 curriculum also enriches the lives of their families with community connections, resources and additional services. BLA's Leadership in Action 101 aims to extend academic successes through character learning that ensures the participants successfully plan, manage and implement leadership skills in a community, as well as in an academic setting.

The Teen Empowerment initiatives take youth off the streets after school and on the weekends when acts of mischief, crime, or violence can occur. Younger youth, who are eager to grow up, are especially vulnerable. Banister's Teen Empowerment projects, the Youth Advocacy Leadership Boards, The Night L.I.F.E.(Leadership in Fun Environment) and the Levels of Leadership Support provide strong role models and guidance as youth develop. Staff foster individual leadership styles to help youth understand human relations issues and to discover their role and responsibilities in the classroom, community and workplace.

Throughout their journey, youth will examine and share their personal values, traditions and beliefs while working together to create a healthy community. Youth will learn about themselves and each other to create a deeper understanding, awareness, and knowledge of how to articulate issues of difference such as, race, culture, faith, gender, age, ability, sexual orientation and class. In addition to these valuable life skills, youth also earn a renewed sense of confidence, and will be able to identify and confront the biases, prejudices, and deep-rooted issues that may emerge in their student, personal and professional lives.

Categories

Extended Child Care
Youth Enrichment Programs

High school students gain valuable skills in communication, team work and problem solving while working on an urban farm. They also learn about food systems, explore social justice issues and serve the community

Addresses local community planning and economic development through initiatives such as community engagement, leadership development, economic development, improving regional food systems and creating welcoming recreational and functional spaces.

Categories

Board Development Support
Youth Business Programs
Business Assistance Services

Offers both short and long-term experiences for youth. Short-term experiences include afterschool programs, camps, school-sponsored activities, conferences, and other events. Long-term experiences include learning communities such as county clubs.

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Youth Agricultural Programs
Day Camps
Residential Camps

Offers both short and long-term experiences for youth. Short-term experiences include afterschool programs, camps, school-sponsored activities, conferences, and other events. Long-term experiences include learning communities such as county clubs.

Categories

Youth Agricultural Programs
Day Camps
Residential Camps
Offers fitness classes, child watch, family and teen programs, free weights, group cycling, strength/cardiovascular equipment, racquetball courts, a gymnasium, running track and swimming pool.

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Swimming/Swimming Lessons
Recreational Facilities
Recreational/Leisure/Arts Instruction Expense Assistance
Y Facilities

Offers safe, supportive, and respectful environments for children, adolescents and their families, provides wellness Education, leadership development, and community education. Youth Outlook Drop-In Centers meet weekly to support each other and discuss topics of interest to the participants.

Other offerings include:

- Rainbow Sprouts, a social program for children K-6 and their parent/family/guardian.

- Youth Leadership Program: provides opportunities to help run drop-in centers, assist with volunteer training, organize special projects, participate in community education, and advise the agency board through the Youth Advisory Board.

- Transcend: a program for transgender youth, provides a forum to discuss issues such as gender identity, hormone injections, legal issues, etc.

- THRIVE: A support group for parents, foster parents, guardians, and full-time caregivers of LGBTQ+ teens.

Categories

LGBTQ2+ Community Centers
LGBTQ2+ Advocacy Groups
Youth Enrichment Programs
Leadership Development
LGBTQ2+ Support Groups

Youth center offering basketball, computer labs, tutoring, kid's and teen's programs, recreation, leadership training, youth employment, Bible studies, and a safe, fun place for youth to go.

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Faith Based Youth Programs
Youth Centers
Extended Child Care

Provides a variety of classes and activities including recreation programs, child care, youth activities, after school care/programs, special events, youth team sports, senior adult events and special events.

The Park District offers before and after school care clubs for elementary age school children in their home schools.

Categories

Public Parks
Extended Child Care
Day Camps
General Recreational Activities/Sports

Provides a chance for young females to sit with and listen to female CEO's of local businesses on how they run their business. Students are able to learn from a variety of women from different fields of interest.

Categories

Youth Enrichment Programs
Student Career Counseling

Offers many activities and a wide variety of programs for families to participate in. Facility is equipped with:

- Training center.

- Wellness, fitness, and exercise classes.

- Indoor pool.

- Locker rooms.

- Gymnasium.

- Youth and family center.

- Child watch.

Also offers physical therapy and rehabilitation services on site through partnership with Swedish American Health System.

Fitness opportunities including cardio and weight training, fitness classes, personal and group training, basketball courts, racquetball courts, as well as a pool, hot tub, steam room, and saunas. Classes and other amenities vary based on location.

Provides on-site child watch, swim lessons, and dance and tumbling classes.

Youth sports.

Day camps during out of school time.

Categories

Day Camps
Swimming/Swimming Lessons
Y Facilities
Team Sports/Leagues

Provides help to get young adults into safe, secure housing so they can focus on building a brighter future. These programs provide living options that center on participants achieving self-sufficiency. YSS advocates work one-on-one with the participants to create a plan to acquire safe and secure housing, stable employment, and financial stability.

Programs include:
Transitional Living Program (Ames, Boone, Marshalltown) - Single individuals ages 16-21
Rapid Rehousing (Ames, Boone, Des Moines, Marshalltown) - Single individuals ages 18-24
Lighthouse (Boone, Des Moines) - Families with parents ages 16-24
Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (Des Moines) - Single individuals or families ages 18-24 based on income

Categories

Youth Centers
Transitional Housing/Shelter
Supervised Living for Older Youth

Central College Pre-College Programs include the following:

The Upward Bound Program is designed to encourage participants to pursue post secondary education. It includes a six week summer program and a follow-up program during the regular school year. In the summer, students take classes designed to increase their skills and knowledge in key content areas needed for success in college. Older students may take some classes for college credit. High school credit may be earned in some circumstances. Field trips and cultural and social activities are provided. Tutoring is provided for any student and required for those earning less than a C in any academic course

The Talent Search Program is a program designed to encourage and motivate participants to pursue post secondary education. Career, financial aid, academic, and personal counseling is provided. Information on post secondary institutions, college applications, financial aid, career possibilities, course selection, ACT and SAT preparation, and study skills is available. Funds are available for tutoring and travel expenses to visit a post secondary institution. Field trips and cultural events are offered. Must be at least 12 years old and have potential for success in post secondary education

After school program for children. Includes a daily snack and lunch.

Offers various programs during the school year when there are days off from school. Programming includes field trips, swimming, and weekly themes.

Categories

Day Camps
Special Interest Camps
Residential Camps
Camps for boys and girls age 7 through 16 years offered at the Walnut Creek and Waukee YMCA's. Day camps vary by location. Specialized camps are also offered at those YMCA locations. Call for more details.

Provides a summer camp for children. Activities include arts and crafts, sports, field trips, nature-based programs, and more.

Offers both short and long-term experiences for youth. Short-term experiences include afterschool programs, camps, school-sponsored activities, conferences, and other events. Long-term experiences include learning communities such as county clubs.

Categories

Youth Agricultural Programs
Day Camps
Residential Camps
Economic education for young people using a hands-on approach with a focus on the free enterprise system, as well as human and material resources for educators and students, grades K-12, about economics and free enterprise.

Offers a 6-month mentorship that allows students to learn critical technology and workforce readiness skills with volunteers from John Deere ISG and Principal Financial Group. Required assignments and attendance policies do apply. After students complete the course objectives they will be granted 3 college credits through DMACC.

Youth programs.