Youth Services
Our Programs
School Based Programs
The Youth Services Project, a partnership between Scarsdale Village, Scarsdale Schools, and SFCS, places Youth Outreach Workers in the community to support adolescents and parents. These mental health professionals provide confidential assistance to teens and tweens navigating academic, social, and emotional challenges. Programs include parent support and education, crisis interventions, and individual and peer counseling.
Leadership Projects
Our specialized programs for middle and high school students create a safe, supportive, and fun environment for Scarsdale teens and tweens. These groups promote positive peer relationships and leadership development, focusing on inclusiveness, decision-making, and addressing challenges like substance abuse, bullying, and healthy relationships.
Peer Leadership: This program fosters growth and leadership in teens by mentoring younger students. Peer Leaders assist with 9th-grade orientation and work with freshmen on topics such as positive decision-making and social challenges. Limited to 11th and 12th graders, Peer Leadership meets bi-weekly on weekday evenings.
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 Parent Support Groups bring together a diverse cross-section of parents to discuss the challenges of raising teens and tweens today. These groups are closely tied to our schools, with Youth Outreach Workers (YOWs) who are school-based and familiar with student issues. Working in concert with school administrators, they address timely concerns affecting our youth. Led by trained outreach workers and therapists, over 35 groups meet monthly to tackle real-time issues such as schoolwork, social media, peer acceptance, substance use, and adolescent development.
Beyond the Basics: These groups are tailored for parents of children with special needs, addressing general childhood and adolescent demands and specific social and academic challenges.
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.