Azaria Pittman-Carter

Cincinnati Youth Collaborative (CYC) makes its mission to increase high school graduation rates by empowering vulnerable students to overcome obstacles and succeed in school and in life. It is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established by community leaders within schools, businesses, and local government. Think of how you made it to where you are today. Was it thanks to resources you may have taken for granted like food, shelter, and reliable transportation? Or was it thanks to the positive influence of the people in your life? Your parents, family friends, business internships? Now imagine where you would be if you hadn't had such resources or mentors to guide you. Countless Cincinnati youth are living exactly that reality, facing extreme obstacles such as homelessness, incarcerated parents, teen pregnancy and a lack of positive adult advocates. That's why CYC is here. CYC is unique because it works directly with local school districts to identify the students who can most benefit from CYC's services, in addition to facilitating strong relationships between teachers, families, mentors and students. The breadth of services offered by CYC ensure that each student finds the support he or she needs. Mentoring is available in the traditional one-to-one model or through group mentoring arranged through a business or volunteer community. College and career preparation is comprehensive, with CYC providing a credited course that teaches 37 core professional job skills, and college readiness advisors who offer in-depth college and career preparation. Through these various platforms, CYC connects vulnerable students with a positive adult advocate who can show them how to reach their potential. Our game-changing model has proven results: CYC’s five-year graduation rate for senior students is 96 percent.