YC Helps Young Alumni Launch into Adulthood

Young adulthood is a season of fun and freedom, but it also holds many challenges, especially for young people with physical disabilities. Because many young adults lose their social network when they graduate high school or college, Youth Challenge alumni programs help participants and volunteers continue to access community.

These programs grew in 2020 to help participants stay connected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over five years later, many of those alumni now have jobs, live independently, and access their communities on their own. YC hopes the focus on reaching young alumni (ages 18-24) will help the next generation to do the same by gaining friendships and learning about independent living. A group of YC staff and participants has gotten to work on finding and engaging young adult participants they haven’t heard from in a while.

Alumni program staff now help lead Teen Nights to bridge the transition between regular youth programs and adult alumni programs. Young alumni programs include Teen Night programs to connect with old friends, as well as other alumni programs to find older role models with disabilities. This summer, young alumni have the opportunity to kayak, putt-putt, hike, and handcycle in various programs alongside teens or older alumni. Transportation is provided to young alumni for many programs until they learn to access it independently. Other program staff, like Mackenzie, Megan, Abbie, and Laurel, drive young alumni participants to programs so they can see familiar faces.

With all the fun, connection, and support YC has to offer, we are excited to watch our young alumni launch into adulthood and reach their full potential.