NORTHFIELD UNION OF YOUTH INC

The Key has received a special matching grant for the annual “Give to the Max Day.” Any donation on Wednesday, November 16, 2011, will be matched dollar-for-dollar – up to a total match of $5000. So the Key has the chance to earn $10,000! This money would help keep the doors of the Key open and assure that we can continue to offer youth-designed and youth-led programming for Northfield teens.

The mission of the Northfield Union of Youth is to provide POWER and VOICE to area youth and create a caring community. The Northfield Union of Youth (NUY) is a nonprofit youth-run youth center - for youth and by youth. All ideas for programs, projects and events are all generated by youth.

The NUY provides a substance-free, adult supervised drop-in youth center, The Key. The Key is open seven days a week from 3-10 p.m. Last year, more than 575 youth (unduplicated count) visited the Key!

Many programs are offered at the Key, all FREE OF CHARGE to anyone who wants to participate so that no one is ever excluded because of lack of funds. Some of these include:

• Art Project
• Main Street Mentors
• Book Club
• Writing Workshop
• Entrepreneurial Projects
• Cooking Class
• Ultimate Frisbee
• Photo Club
• Key Radio on KYMN
• Hip Hop Night

Our Organization: The NUY consists of two boards, the Youth Board (Advisory Board) and the Adult Board (Board of Directors). The Youth Board meets every Wednesday (3:45) at The Key to plan programs, events and general operations of the youth center. Anyone from the public are welcome to join us. Youth are encouraged to come and participate. The Adult Board meets monthly to listen and help guide youth if needed.

The Key makes an amazing impact on so many Northfield youth. Just listen to what some local youth said recently about the Key:

• "The Key has helped me develop as a youth, and has given me an unbelievable opportunity to help out and become involved in my community."
• "It's become more of a home to me than my actual home. I've made my closest and greatest friends at the Key."
• "The Key is a place where I can feel responsible for something other than myself. This is empowerment. Nobody tells kids down at the Key how to run the place. The beauty is that there is such a plethora of active, driven youth. We just do it."
• "The Key has provided countless opportunities for me to become engaged in my community and to interact with community members."
• "The Key is a second home for me, where I can always find company. It's like a downtown living room."