East Liberty nonprofit Youth Enrichment Services Named 2019 Champion in Action
“Trib Total Media recognizes the power of the mentorship provided to young people in the Pittsburgh region by Youth Enrichment Services.”
— Jennifer Bertetto, Trib Total Media President and CEO
By Courier Editor, March 4, 2019
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The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that Youth Enrichment Services (YES), a nonprofit providing socially and economically at-risk youth the opportunity to achieve success through participation in mentorship, education and enrichment programs, has been named a 2019 Champion in Action in the category of Youth Leadership. The award, announced jointly by Citizens Bank, WPXI-TV, Trib Total Media and Pittsburgh Cares, includes $35,000 in unrestricted funding as well as promotional and volunteer support for the organization’s outstanding work, according to a release.
Youth Enrichment Services (YES) provides empowerment, experiential opportunities, academic enrichment and summer employment as positive pathways to future success. YES partners with local organizations to create synergy and generates transformative stories, national accolades and positive research outcomes.
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STUDENT PROJECTS
Providing youth with academic enrichment and authentic community-based research opportunities remains integral to our students' summer employment experience.
YES students are challenged to discover, research, analyze, and propose solutions to real problems in their communities. This process includes a Youth Engaged Participatory-Research project via which students identify a local problem and an associated research question, formulate a hypothesis, administer their own surveys of local community residents, analyze and draw conclusions from the data, and then report their findings through poster presentations at an annual YES Symposium. These projects ask students to practice empirical social science research methods while still in high school. Driven by students' individual curiosity, youth engage in rigorous training to conceptualize, facilitate, postulate, gather, and present research projects that provide relevant insight for stakeholder consumption.
Below are a host of projects that youth have developed.
Click on image to see a pdf of the report.
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Complete List of 2019 Student Projects
Pietrusza, L. Attached at the Ear: Exploring Cell Phone Addiction Among Pittsburgh Teens. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
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Wright, L. 11 out of 14: London Wright’s College Journey. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
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Magwood, T. Social Media, Managed. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
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Pietrusza, L. G. The College Application Process. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
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Sowell, K. Exploring Youtube’s Role in Redefining the Hair Industry. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
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Richardson, A. Building Capacity through Social Media at Auberle. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
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Ababio, A., and Jetter, J. Color Blind, How Do You See Crime?: Exploring the Relationship Between Race and the Perception of Crime. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
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Henderson, A. Investigating Teen Motivation for Involvement in Violence. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
Bottoms, J., and Williams, K. Exploring Customer Perceptions’ of Restaurant Quality. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
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Dunning, I., Terry, T., and Bottoms, J. Football Players’ Perceptions of Factors Contributing to Increased Concussions. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
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Stephens, M., and Richardson, A. Factors Contributing to Black Women Deaths. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
Young, K., and Love, I. Chef Stardom: Exploring Opportunities for Chefs to Receive More Notoriety. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
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Andrews, J. Sleep and Its Impact on PPS High School Students’ Academic and Athletic Performances. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
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Finch, K. Anxiety and Depression: Recommendations for Medical Providers. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
Holt, Q. 3D Printing: Printing the Foundation of the Future. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
Smalls, Y. Exploring Factors Contributing to the Gender Pay Gap Among Professional Athletes. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
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Lewis, B. S., and Logan, M. Examining the Impact of Young Adults’ Access to Illegal Weapons and Substances. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
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Wolford, V., and Martin, M. Athlete Visibility on Social Media. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
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Matthews, C. Entrepreneurship with Flavor: Cocoapreneur, a Business Directory for Black Businesses. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
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Arrington-Epperson, R., and Johnson, S. Uncovering the Stories of the Past: Investigating Students’ Exposure to Black History Curriculum in Schools. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
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Chavis, D., and Armah-Lyle, A. Beauty and Her Beast: Discrimination in Beauty Product Advertising for Black Women. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
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Durham, R., and Yelverton, E. “Show Me the Money”: Exploring the Relationship Between Income and High School Sport Involvement. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
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Simmons, K. The Presence of Home Economics and Culinary Arts Classes in Schools Compared to STEM Courses. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
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Pietrusza, L., and Beasley, J. SWOT Analysis of Pittsburgh’s Premiere Black Owned Coffee and Tea Shop: Arnold’s Tea. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
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Andrews, K. Controlling the Sweat: Female Athletes’ Perceived Deodorant Effectiveness for Sport Engagement. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
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Snowden, K., Yelverton, C., and Kelly, K. Investigating the Impact of Limited Healthy Food Options on Homewood Residents. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
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Byrd, S. Examining the Impact of Aunt Cheryl’s Cafe in the Braddock Community. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
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Williams, B., Perkins, J., Goodwin, T., and Hicks, B. Seats and Cracks: Investigating the Impact of Limited Benches and Impaired Sidewalks in Larimer. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
Davenport, K., Smalls, K., Cutrary, C., and Burns, J. Exploring Educational Opportunities in the Garfield Community. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
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Scott, T., Coleman, A., Randolph, J., and Stallworth, C. Blooming Businesses in Bloomfield: Exploring Business Development in Bloomfield. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
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Robinson, K., Leviage, D., and Mickens, A. Home Sweet Home?: Examining Residents’ Perceptions of Abandoned Buildings in Homewood. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.
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Ababio, A., Johnson, J., and Johnson, S. Do you care? Exploring Health Care in East Liberty. Youth Enrichment Services’ Annual Research Symposium. August 2019.