For Youth

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For more information about UNH's policy positions on youth services, please contact Gregory Brender, Policy Analyst.

Help young people make positive choices and succeed in school and in the workforce.

UNH advocates for critical educational and enrichment opportunities that help young people make positive choices and succeed in school and in the workforce. We do this through advocacy and policy analysis as well as by providing resources to our member agencies for program innovation and enhancement.

Programs and Issues

Campaign for Summer Jobs

Through the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), New York businesses and nonprofits provide jobs for thousands of teens each year, occupations like serving as a camp counselor or working in a professional office, retail job or as a museum docent. Through the Campaign for Summer Jobs, United Neighborhood Houses, along with our co-chair, Neighborhood Family Services Coalition, advocates for funding for SYEP and at the same time provides leadership opportunities for young people. Learn more »

Campaign for Tomorrow's Workforce: Helping Disconnected Youth

In New York City, an estimated 170,000 to 200,000 young adults between the ages of ages 16 and 24 are neither in school nor in the workforce. To address the critical issue of this growing population of "disconnected" youth, UNH is collaborating with the Neighborhood Family Services Coalition (NFSC), and the Community Service Society (CSS), in an important advocacy effort entitled the Campaign for Tomorrow's Workforce (CTW). Learn more »

Junior Board Career Panels

The United Neighborhood Houses (UNH) Junior Board is a new and growing community of young professionals in their twenties and thirties dedicated to improving the lives of low and moderate income New Yorkers. The mission of the Junior Board is to support UNH's critical work of delivering social services and innovative programs to New York City neighborhoods through member settlement houses in the five boroughs. Learn more »

Professional Development for College Access Staff

25,000 young people from settlement houses use college access, GED, alternate schools and dropout prevention services each year. Helping low-income young people prepare for college, understand their options and navigate the many steps associated with applying for college and obtaining necessary financial assistance are among the critical youth development services provided by UNH members. Learn more »

Scholarships for College-Bound Youth

Scholarships for youth leaders from settlement houses have been made possible by The Allan Morrow Foundation since 2007. UNH has awarded a total of 42 graduating high school seniors with $2,000 scholarships over a four-year period. Learn more »