Back-to-school season is an interesting time in our communities. Transitioning between the long, empty days of summer and the shorter days of fall — which are packed with sports, extracurriculars, and academic obligations — can be positive for some and challenging for others. 

Each year, many teachers and administrators look forward to re-establishing their routines, testing out new strategies and helping students achieve their goals. For others, particularly new teachers and those in specialized positions, starting the year off strong can require a little extra energy and planning.

For some parents and guardians, a return to school signifies less to worry about — their children have guaranteed supervision and free meals for most of the week, as well as access to highly-trained professionals who know the best route to success for each child. For others, particularly single parents, finding a balance between personal obligations and school-related activities in the fall can be tough.

Finally, many kids look forward to the excitement of seeing their friends every day, learning new skills and returning to a safe and familiar environment where they’re free to be themselves. Others, however, might see school as a place where they struggle to fit in or are challenged by peer pressure. I vividly remember the horror I experienced on my first day of seventh grade when I realized I had been in the wrong classroom for almost 15 minutes, and the confusion I felt the first time I was exposed to underage drug and alcohol use. I also remember when I was ticketed at school for using violence to solve my dispute with a peer, and the restorative justice program that I completed to get my court charges dropped. My story is not an outlier — our assessment results show that nearly 50% of our clients identify as “at-risk” when it comes to feeling hopeful, optimistic, and safe.

Of the nearly 500 clients that YouthZone serves each year, about 15% are referred directly to us by our school district partners, which include administrators, counselors, teachers, and officers, and other staff from 13 different schools in our area. Many of these students are caught with drugs or alcohol at school, while others are charged with theft, harassment, or assault (like I was after my classroom fight). Working with YouthZone is a welcome opportunity for these kids to earn a second chance, as they become eligible to receive services such as court advocacy, substance use education, restorative justice, life skills, mentoring, and peer support groups. To provide wraparound support, we also offer services for adults via our Parent Support Program. While we’ve offered counseling and therapy for many years, we’re proud to announce that we’ve hired a full-time Mental Health Counselor to our staff and will now be offering these services in-house.

One thing is for sure: our services are effective. 91% of our clients do not reoffend while working with us, compared to the national average of ~50% for youth who do not receive similar services. Furthermore, 57% of our clients report an improvement in at least one of our focus areas, which include drug and alcohol use, optimism and problem solving, trauma, and community engagement. Whatever challenges may appear as the school year builds momentum, you can rest assured that YouthZone’s staff and community partners are here to support you. If you believe our services might be a good fit for you or someone you know, we invite you to fill out our referral form at http://www.youthzone.com/referrals. You can also have a bilingual staff member guide you through the process by calling 970-945-9300. If you’d like to support the work we do, please consider donating at http://www.youthzone.com/give. With your help, we’ll be able to continue fostering Hopeful Youth, Strong Families, and Safe Communities this school year and beyond.

YouthZone Deputy Development Director Ali Naaseh-Shahry is a Colorado native who holds degrees in international public policy from the University of Colorado (BA) and University College London (MSc). He moved to western Colorado in 2015 to teach six-and-under ski school at the Aspen Skiing Company. Ali has taught a wide variety of academic and experiential subjects to people of all ages. Most recently, he worked as a special education teacher with the Roaring Fork School District, where he used data-driven decision making to improve his delivery of specialized instruction. Ali enjoys lift-access powder skiing, raft-access fly fishing, and spending time with his cats.