Louis transformed from being someone who seemed to always want to be alone into a charismatic friend who now brings hand-made jewelry to Golden Years volunteers after spending just a short time with director Erik Wright. As a social work major, Erik says he is familiar with people changing when they become involved in service with the YES House, especially himself.

Louis transformed from being someone who seemed to always want to be alone into a charismatic friend who now brings hand-made jewelry to Golden Years volunteers after spending just a short time with director Erik Wright. As a social work major, Erik says he is familiar with people changing when they become involved in service with the YES House, especially himself.

When Youth Mentoring Program’s director Ana Lucila Monjras started to work with children, she began to realize that like most people do, she forgot that she too was once a child. After having the opportunity to be a mentor to an elementary school student, Ana was able to see that children are little people who have feelings and real emotions. “When they throw a tantrum, most people will just brush it off, telling them, ‘You’re okay’,” Ana explained as she recounts how adults sometimes treat kids.

Freshman Amanda Ramirez-Sebree has worked with children since she was 12 years old teaching environmental education, and knew even before attending Humboldt she was going to work with kids, but did not know how. She was heartbroken when she had to leave her students on the East Coast, but after she started volunteering, and later directing her own program at the YES House, she discovered she wanted to stay involved and become a teacher.

“Left foot, right foot!” Children shout in unison when they play Team Skis with the Leadership Education Adventure Program (LEAP), one of the YES House’s oldest programs. Throughout its history, LEAP has transformed many lives, allowing children to overcome their fears through rock climbing, backpacking and many other outdoor activities.

Every year, Y.E.S. volunteers gather on C​ésar Chá​vez Day (March 31st) to serve our local community in a big way, which also acts as an annual fundraiser to support our cause. Much like a Dance­-a-­thon the funds raised by Y.E.S. Serve­-a-­thon help to sustain our student-led volunteer programs. Past community organizations that have been served by this event include: Jefferson Community Center in Eureka, Miranda’s Animal Rescue in Fortuna, the Kikshari Trail in Eureka, and the Botanical Gardens at College of the Redwoods.

STEP UPP, an acronym for Service Travel Encourage Progress for Underrepresented People in Poverty, serves both locally as well as in Sacramento and San Francisco. Their mission is just as their title states, to advocate for underrepresented people in poverty, with a focus on homelessness/houselessness.

Golden Years, unique for being the only program in YES House that works with the elderly, aims to “bridge the gap between the elderly and the youth”, says current director Marlene Medina. Marlene and her co-director Erik Wright hope Golden Years can serve to break stigmas and stereotypes about the elderly, and reconnect college-aged students with elders in a valuable and meaningful way.

“...kids are literally by a redwood forest, and they don’t even know it...we kind of bring that to them”, remarks Alex Lewis from Environmental Education (EE). Directors Alex Lewis, Maya Morales and Toni Castillo have worked tirelessly this year to plan, structure, and implement Environmental Education programs in local schools. EE currently works with Arcata Elementary and collaborates with the SEEDs program at Jefferson Community Center.