About AYD

Allegheny Youth Development is a Christian-based organization that uses academic assistance and self-control development to help highly at-risk adolescent boys grow into responsible, productive men.

Mission

Allegheny Youth Development's mission is to educate, equip and empower our inner-city youth to reach their God-given intellectual, social, physical and spiritual potential.

History

AYD rose from the remains of Youth Opportunities Unlimited, a North Side ministry that closed in 1994, abruptly thrusting a tight-knit core of 12 teen boys onto the streets during the most violent summer in Pittsburgh history. For help, they turned to a handful of former Y.O.U. staff and parents; together they laid the foundation that became AYD. For the past 10 years, AYD has focused its service on the Marshall-Shadeland and Brighton Heights neighborhoods.

Our Program Model

AYD has been especially effective in using the “soft” techniques of mentoring, relationship-building and a fraternal, Christian atmosphere to leverage “hard,” measurable results in academic performance and behavior. Data drives our decisions on practical matters like curriculum choices and lesson planning, but we are ultimately guided by the long-term needs and success of our members. We purposely take a longitudinal focus in helping boys grow into young men. Our model takes six or seven years to run its course, but the results are dramatic and long-lasting, generating a long-term return on investment.

The dividends of this approach perpetuate as AYD raises leaders among our members who will eventually run the organization and spread our unique approach exponentially here and in other neighborhoods. We’re committed to training and empowering young men to become leaders within their community.

We’re among the first of growing number of organizations to use an evidence-based model to effect a measureable change in a participant’s amount of self-control, with the goal of improving classroom behavior. Experience and study have shown us that the most successful students are those who learn how to learn, rather than just absorbing and reciting knowledge. Life-long learners become better employees, better leaders and better citizens.

Accomplishments

The Self Control Project at AYD was launched in a pilot phase in September 2007 and fully implemented as a three-year project at the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year among 25 boys, with outcomes measured by school records.

Among 19 participants who have been enrolled in the project for at least six months with 75% or greater attendance, all but two (89%) have shown improvement in classroom attendance.
Among eight participants who were below 85% attendance in at least one class, four have shown improvement to 90% or better attendance in that class.
Although benchmarks in behavior have been difficult to standardize from previous-year records (most participants were in fifth grade in 07-08, and elementary school recordkeeping varies), almost all participants have shown some reduction in in-school and out-of-school suspensions in the early months of the project.
Anecdotal results described by the schools and parents have been almost exclusively positive. Indeed, it’s because of these results that Rooney’s principal has invited AYD to partner with the school on this project.

AYD has used its after-school mentor/tutoring model and student advocate approach since 1994 to improve highly at-risk students’ school performance, and gauged progress using school grades and records. In that time, we have tracked the progress of 94 boys who participated in AYD for at least two years with at least 75% attendance:

62 (66%) improved their overall GPA within one year of entering the program
Within two years, 76 (81%) had improved their GPA; the average increase was +1.0 (for example, increasing from a D to a C average).
Among 31 boys who entered the program with grades below a 1.0 GPA, 14 (45%) improved their overall GPA to above a 1.0 within one year; within two years, all but 8 (74%) had a minimum overall GPA of 1.5 or greater with no failing grades on the most recent report card.
Annually, an average of 98% of AYD members matriculates to the next grade level or graduates from high school.
Over the past 15 years, among 42 boys who were active in AYD during their senior year, all graduated on-time (four years of high school) and embarked on career oriented paths through higher education, trade schools, military service or job training. Contacted two years later, 86% reported being still on-track.