The HeartWood Approach

Our Cause: Community Youth Development

Community Youth Development (CYD)- a balancing between the potential growth of individual youth, groups and whole communities. CYD is a proactive approach to engaging and involving a diversity of young people in programs, services and processes that impact them.

This meaningful participation can occur through planning, decision making, and program delivery in governments, organizations, institutions and communities. While encouraging the gifts and talents of individual young people, community youth development places equal focus on the investment of these assets in the community itself. HeartWood’s Framework for Community Youth Development blends practices of youth development and community development in a deliberate effort to generate both individual and community outcomes.

Youth Engagement for Positive Community Change

Youth gathered in circle smiling during a Heartwood program

Our Mission

We work directly with youth, adults, youth-serving organizations and broader communities and systems to increase capacity for youth engagement, community youth development and youth-led initiatives for positive community change.

Our Vision

We believe that young people possess the passion, skills and insight to be powerful community leaders and together with adults and organizations can build stronger, more vibrant communities for all.

Heart shaped fabric lollipop

Our Values

Our Focus Areas

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Youth Engagement

Youth experience positive and engaging programs, services and supports that impact them.

Community Youth Development

Youth and Adults build capacity and understanding of how and why to engage youth.

Sharing what we know

HeartWood supports our community, partners and the sector at large with our knowledge and learnings to create a stronger field of Community Youth Development work.

Two pages of the Circle of Awesomeness overlapped.

Our Framework

How do you meaningfully engage youth? Experience, research and practice has confirmed that the following elements are key for positive youth engagement: Meaningful Contribution, Empowering Culture, Adventuresome Learning, Youth-Adult Partnerships, Supportive Peers.

Our Impact

+ years
of experience and work in community youth development, youth engagement and collaborative community partnerships
+
youth served
+
organizations we have ongoing partnership and collaborations with
%
of participants remain in contact with someone from the training, workshop or program they participated in*
%
of respondents agree that HeartWood’s programs have a long-lasting impact on them and would recommend the organization to a friend*
%
66% of participants have participated in 3 or more HeartWood programs, trainings or workshops*

*2017 online survey result

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