We're kicking off December with 12 Days of Nonprofits — a 12-day celebration of the many local organizations that provide needed services to our community.
After saving for years, Alfred Swen bought his first car.
Swen said with hard work and a lot of savings, he now has some wheels to get around town.
In 2016 as a sophomore in high school, Swen joined Youth On Their Own (YOTO), a program dedicated to supporting youth experiencing homelessness in Pima County by helping them graduate high school.
Coming from an unstable living situation, Swen got involved with the program, which continued to help him through his high school journey.
“They basically helped me become more successful and be more focused on school,” Swen said.
Since 1986, YOTO has helped Tucson’s youth with stories similar to Swen’s. This year alone, it is expected to serve around 1,500 young people, according to Bethany Neumann, the organization's director of development and communications.
Neumann said YOTO provides students with academic stipends, allowing them to get paid to attend school. The stipends are seen as motivating factors for students and something they can look forward to, Neumann said. She said this particular incentive allows YOTO to serve a lot of students as well as help them get by on their own.
In addition to the stipends, YOTO is able to provide students with free food, hygiene products and school supplies — all of which are housed at a mini mall — a building stocked with community donations free for the taking.
“I've never worked anywhere that there's this many smaller donations, which is really inspiring because you know that there are so many people that are doing what they can to help these young people get by,” Neumann said.
Armando Alvarez, 19, talks with Patricia Garcia, the Youth On Their Own liaison for Sunnyside High School, as Alvarez waits to get his photo taken at the high school on May 10, 2018.
YOTO even helps with rent payments, in addition to providing students with guidance and support, with staff members working with students to help them access all the services they might need.
“I can't even figure out health care now as an adult,” Neumann said. “Can you imagine being 15, 16 years old and trying to figure out how you're going to get a pair of glasses or go to the dentist or go to the doctor?”
Neumann said a lot of students lack documentation, such as passports or birth certificates, and the organization is able to help them get those items.
When Swen came to YOTO he didn’t have a lot of those documents, making it hard to see a doctor. Luckily, YOTO was there to guide him through the process. It even helped him pay for fees so he could join school sports.
“When it comes to joining school sports and stuff like that, those fees can be quite expensive,” Swen said. “I wasn't able to afford a lot and they helped me with the equipment that I needed. I was able to still have that high school experience without having the guardians around that I need.”
Swen graduated high school in 2019 and is now pursuing his associate’s degree at Pima Community College, studying visual arts with a focus on photography. Even though he graduated out of the YOTO program, Swen still spends time at the organization as an ambassador.
“They helped me so much and I thought it was important for me to let people know what YOTO does and that it works,” Swen said. “I just want other students like me to know that they have an opportunity to get help and build a community around themselves.”
Neumann said she is proud of Swen and his accomplishments.
Aside from helping thousands of youth experiencing homelessness, Neumann believes YOTO is beneficial to the community because it is supported by people in Tucson and supports people in Tucson.
“There is such goodwill in the community toward YOTO and toward these youth and they need that so much,” Neumann said. “I personally like that it's this way that the community is helping itself, it's a way that people come together for something that's important and they try to make it better.”
Students who are interested in joining YOTO can check out their website and apply.
How to help
If you are interested in helping out, YOTO accepts donations that help with stocking the mini mart or with providing academic stipends.
Neumann also encourages the community to write motivational letters for the students in the program.
“I feel like the more help that we can get, the more students we're able to reach out to and that will ultimately help accomplish the mission of helping more youth graduate high school,” Swen said. “I feel like that's why it's really important. It keeps kids off the streets.”
