Youth Services
Our Programs
School Based Programs
The Scarsdale Community Youth Services Project is a program of primary prevention and short-term counseling support services for middle and high school age youth and their families. The Project places a team of licensed mental health professionals in the schools and community as a helping resource for adolescents and their families. These Youth Outreach Workers provide confidential assistance and solution focused interventions helping teens and tweens navigate academic, social, and emotional challenges while promoting a healthy and substance free adolescence.
Leadership Projects
Rooted in the Social Development Model, Youth Outreach Workers promote positive youth development by creating strong bonds with youth and providing teens with pro-social skills, opportunities to demonstrate these skills and by providing recognition for their behavior. Research indicates that engaging youth in positive school and community-based interventions reduces their risk for involvement in certain risk behaviors such as substance use and delinquency.
Peer Leadership: This program fosters growth and leadership in teens by mentoring younger students. Peer Leaders take an active role in 9th grade and new student orientations as well as freshman seminars.
LEAD (Leadership through Empowerment, Advocacy, and Development): An inclusive and diverse program for all students, LEAD helps young people develop leadership skills by encouraging self-reflection, advocacy, and character education. LEAD replaces the Young Men and Young Women in Leadership Programs and provides opportunities to apply skills learned through the Social Development Strategy.
Parent Support Groups
Our acclaimed, grade-specific groups bring together a cross-section of parents to discuss the unprecedented challenges of raising teens and tweens in today’s world. Groups meet monthly and are led by our trained outreach workers, addressing real-time issues impacting Scarsdale youth and families including schoolwork, social media, peer acceptance, drugs/alcohol, and adolescent development.
Specialized Parent Groups: Specialized parent groups are uniquely tailored for parents of children with emotional or special learning needs or whose children identify as non-binary. Multi-cultural groups are also available for parents who are faced with the additional challenges of acculturation. All groups are professionally facilitated by a member of the Youth Outreach team
Scarsdale SAY
Formerly known as the Scarsdale Drug & Alcohol Task Force (DATF), Scarsdale Action for Youth (SAY) is a community coalition dedicated to building resilience among our youth and reducing the underage use of alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs. Founded in 1984, SAY has brought together all sectors of our community to create positive change for young people. In July 2015, Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Service (SFCS) assumed the role of Lead Agency and Fiscal Agent for SAY.
SAY employs a research-based prevention framework to assess issues impacting our youth and implements evidence-based strategies for population-level change. Our initiatives are science-informed and incorporate best practices to support our youth and community. Membership includes youth, parents, community leaders, law enforcement, school staff and administrators, Village officials, businesses, and more—all working towards the vision of Scarsdale as a community that supports and advocates for its youth.
Make an impact today
Support our mission to empower families and enrich our community by donating to our programs and services today.