YMCA Older Youth & Teen Programs (12-17yrs)

  There are many distractions competing for the attention of young people, and many of them are not good ones...drugs, gangs, violence, or a simple lack of moral guidance or healthy activity, Our kids need positive influences to support the messages they receive at home. The YMCA can help youth with several YMCA leadership programs.

The Young Filmmakers Program uses technology as an integral mechanism for promoting positive youth development and enhancing the academic success and career readiness of its middle school and high school aged participants. The program itself gives the teens practical learning of digital arts/movie making, graphic design, word and data processing, computer networking, digital presentation, digital music and web design

The program increases academic, technological, social and life skills while developing assets in leadership and job skills training. 

Teen Escape is a summer trip opportunity that is the culmination of year-long YMCA Teen Clubs. The curriculum was written to center around the 40 Developmental Assets including activities such as planning a service project and role playing the assets. The theme of the trip is “A Whole New World in Your Backyard”. This is because the program is a service learning project that will take teens to the four corners of Texas to learn about the communities from teens that live there and then participate in projects that better that community. Every year the program focuses on a different corner of Texas. The teens learn not only about team work and social engagement, but about community outreach and social engagement through interacting with each other and those from the host communities.