About the Nonprofit
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Danbury Youth Services, Inc. (DYS) is a non-profit agency designated as the Youth Services Bureau for the City of Danbury and a licensed psychiatric clinic through the Connecticut Department of Children and Families. Our mission is to empower youth and families to build positive and fulfilling lives. The focus is person-centered prevention/intervention, fostering healthy relationships with youth and families, and building connections in the community. DYS addresses the critical needs of these families by providing comprehensive services with demonstrated results. Each year, our staff of licensed clinicians and specialists work with 400 at-risk youth and families in the areas of substance abuse prevention, social skills development, parenting, crisis intervention and family therapy. DYS turns no one away for the inability to pay.
Our primary service is Youth & Family Counseling which provides quality clinical care to Greater Danbury Area youth ages 5-18 and their respective families. DYS offers the highest standards of behavioral health services to all families regardless of their ability to pay for services. DYS also offers the following youth development programs:
The Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) provides opportunities for 50 – 80 youth ages 14 – 21 to work high-skilled jobs in the Greater Danbury Area during the summer months. The focus is to provide work readiness and life skills to youth through paid job positions and weekly workshops.
Teaching and Reaching Gaining Excellence Together (TARGET) is a substance abuse prevention afterschool program which provides a safe, nurturing environment, instruction on positive living and healthy social skills, and gives homework assistance and literacy instruction increasing academic success.
Girls As Leaders (GALs) is a leadership program that provides a comfortable environment for participants to establish positive leadership skills, strengthen social skills, practice more effective communication skills, and enhance their self-image, promoting academic and vocational success. The positive development curriculum is enriched through activities designed to promote participant engagement in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) areas.
Earn-a-Bike (EAB) - Participants are given the opportunity to refurbish a bicycle, which they will take home at the end of the workshop sessions. The program integrates social/emotional learning curriculum and leadership activities to help youth explore their strengths.
Juvenile Review Board (JRB) offers meaningful alternatives to the Criminal Justice System for youth through community-based intervention strategies. If the youth successfully completes the JRB program, the criminal charges are dropped and youth will not have a record.
Truancy Solutions Partnership (TSP) -Partnering with schools to help reduce chronic absenteeism by providing supports.
