News & Updates from Danbury Youth Services

DYS Newsletter - Winter 2024

Message from the Director

Dear friends-

Happy New Year! We are proud of the successes DYS has achieved to enhance and enrich the lives of so many youths and their families in our community by expanding our after-school programs and clinical services. In the new year our programs will continue to grow to meet the needs of our community. What we accomplish can only be done through the sharing of expertise and resources from our partners. Only in these ways can the lives of youth in our community be positively impacted.

I am appreciative of our funders, Board of Directors, employees, partners, volunteers, parents, and so many other contributing sources, as without each of you, our efforts would be ineffectual.

I wish you all a prosperous year! Please don't hesitate to reach out to me with any questions, comments or suggestions - I welcome the opportunity to meet more members of our community.

Sincerely,

Tammy

Tammy Mikadze

DYS Executive Director

Thank you to everyone who joined us at Hops for Kids

We are grateful for our DYS family who helped us make Hops for Kids 2023 a success! Board members, staff and supporters enjoyed an evening at Charter Oak Brewery helping us raise funds that enable us to provide valuable mental health, youth development and restorative justice programs in our community.

Earn-A-Bike Giveaway Event

The Earn-A-Bike participants did a fantastic job turning old, used bikes into bicycles of their own while developing social skills and learning teamwork! In addition to the bicycles they refurbished for themselves, they spent several weeks fixing up bikes to give away to others. The young men & women then hosted a Bike Giveaway event and made ten youngsters in our community very happy. They greeted the families, helped the younger children select a bike and fitted each of them with a new helmet.

DYS thanks everyone who has generously donated bicycles to this program! We are also grateful to the Business Banking and Credit departments at Union Savings Bank for purchasing supplies for DYS programs. Several USB employees stopped by and gave boxes of bicycle seats, lights, bells and other parts to the Earn-A-Bike participants. They also volunteered their time organizing the basement where we store the donated bicycles.

Join our Team

Are you looking for a change in the new year? DYS has several open positions that offer flexible schedules, competitive pay and the opportunity to make a difference in your community.

Senior Clinician - LPC oversees the Youth & Family Counseling Program ensuring quality client care through supervision of professional staff .

Bilingual Youth & Family Clinician - LPC, LPCA, LCSW, LMSW or LMFT with experience working with youth.

Program Coordinator - facilitates the after school Earn-A-Bike program for youth participants in grades 6 - 8. Must have cycling experience and good mechanical skills.

Apply on Indeed or send resume to [email protected]

Girls As Leaders

Wow, what a busy fall for the young women participating in the Girls As Leaders (GALs)! They decorated a scarecrow for Downtown Danbury, completed STEM activities such as the Egg Drop Challenge, discussed the impact of peer pressure and learned different strategies to relieve stress - just to name a few. Many of the girls can't wait to come back to strengthen their friendships, build their leadership skills and discover more about themselves.

Gaining Excellence Together

Participants in the Teaching and Reaching Gaining Excellence Together (TARGET) program continue to shine. They work hard and are often acknowledged for their success. Recently two TARGET youth were recognized for pulling together as a unified team and were awarded the 'BEE' a Media Role Model. Two other TARGET youth were named Student of the Month. To qualify for Student of the Month, youth exhibit kindness, leadership, and citizenship, are diligent, active participants in class and always demonstrate respect to both peers and teachers. Way to go!

Blessed With Kindness

DYS experienced so many acts of kindness over the past several months. We are grateful for the generosity of so many who have helped us and our clients!

For the second year in a row, a young man collected and donated Halloween costumes for us to distribute to our clients and youth in our community.
Three young siblings hosted a lemonade stand and donated all of the proceeds to DYS. They intentionally sought a local charity working directly with neighbors and children in Danbury.
The Juniors Girl Scout Troop 31492 from Redding generously donated 12 birthday bags. These young women purchased gift items, handmade greeting cards, assembled the bags and brought them to DYS for us to gift to youth clients on their birthdays.
Parishioners of Saint Joseph Church in Danbury purchased holiday gifts through their Giving Tree and granted wishes for our youth clients.
The staff at Hilario's Service Center purchased gifts for one of our clients and their family, a single mom with two children who have been struggling.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

The Teaching and Reaching Gaining Excellence Together (TARGET) is an after-school program for youth ages 5 - 11 focused on developing social and emotional skills as well as improving academic success. Last year, all TARGET students showed literacy growth and 65% grew over 2 grade levels. This year's cohort has had a great time getting to know each other and playing team building games together.

Registration is Open for Spring Programs

Our Mission: Empower youth and families to build positive and fulfilling lives.

Our Values: Excellence, Compassion, Leadership, Respect

DYS is a 501(c)3 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. Please consider supporting our Youth & Family Counseling, Youth Employment, Restorative Justice, and Youth Development programs.

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