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Urban Youth Conservation, safety, opportunity and community pathways
The Story of UYC
History, mission and twenty years of community work
The Original UYC Record
Original mission, vision, intervention framework, values and public language preserved from the former website
Meet the Founder
Ferome Brown, lived experience, leadership and vision
Our Board
Board members, governance and community accountability
Our Support
Advisors, partners, sponsors and donors
News & Press
Coverage, recognition and media resources
Programs
Active and completed Urban Youth Conservation programs
Services
Service groups UYC provides to participants and partners
Education, Workforce and Life Pathways
Education, employment, housing, career planning and the SAFE. ALIVE. FREE. INSTITUTE™
SAFE. ALIVE. FREE. INSTITUTE™
Six-month youth and adult development experiences and practitioner training
Sole Purpose™
Annual community shoe giveback and The Big Sole Drop
Everybody Eats™
Ongoing community food support effort
HBCU Twin Cities Summit
College, career and culture summit
SAFE. ALIVE. FREE.™ All-Star Weekend
The reimagined Project Take Back through sports, mentorship and community
Impact
Reporting, evidence and accountability
Contact
Referrals, partnerships, media, giving and general inquiries
Get Support
Contact UYC, find community resources or get immediate crisis help
Forms
Program referrals, partnership requests, Everybody Eats participation and impact documentation
Crisis & Immediate Help
911, 988, violence prevention, victim support and emergency contacts
Housing & Shelter
Emergency shelter, homelessness prevention and housing navigation
Violence Prevention & Safety
Group or gang violence concerns, victim support and community safety
Mental Health & Substance Use
Crisis counseling, peer support and treatment navigation
Abuse & Family Safety
Domestic violence, exploitation, child safety and vulnerable-adult reporting
Food, Benefits & Basic Needs
Food access, public benefits and emergency practical support
Youth, Family & Opportunity
UYC referrals, youth shelter, mentoring, education and family support
UrbanYouConservation
How UYC grew with young people into adulthood, family and community
Safety & violence prevention
Immediate, relationship-based work that helps interrupt harm and create a safer next step. Violence prevention and street outreach Conflict mediation and de-escalation Safety planning and crisis response Group facilitation and restorative circles
Mentoring, youth & family development
Consistent support that builds accountability, confidence and stronger relationships around the participant. Mentoring and credible-messenger coaching Youth leadership and life-skills development Family, caregiver and survivor engagement Positive recreation and team development
Education, workforce, housing & life pathways
Practical connections that help people move toward education, employment, safe housing and long-term stability. Workforce readiness and employment connections Education access and college exposure Housing stability and navigation Career, conservation and life-pathway planning
Wellness & support navigation
Trauma-aware support and warm connections to the right community or professional resource. Case management and service navigation Wellness, grief and behavioral-health referrals Participant check-ins and support coordination Connection to licensed or certified providers when needed
Community partnerships, research & program capacity
The coordination, learning and infrastructure that helps partners deliver credible, accountable community work. Community partnership and referral coordination Professional training and facilitator development Partner-backed research, evaluation and program design Documentation, compliance and outcome reporting
Group Violence Intervention (GVI)
Safety & violence prevention City of Minneapolis · Contract COM0009173 Credible-messenger outreach, intervention and coordinated support focused on reducing group violence and connecting people with safer pathways.
Youth Group Violence Intervention (YGVI)
Safety & violence prevention Hennepin County · Contract HS00001794 Youth-centered intervention, referrals and family coordination for young people facing elevated risk.
Project LIFE / Group Violence Intervention & MinneapolUS Strategic Outreach Initiative
Safety & violence prevention City of Minneapolis Documented violence-intervention, strategic outreach and safe-community work completed through UYC’s Minneapolis program history.
Ujamaa Place
Housing & stabilization Ujamaa Place A housing-stability and reentry connection supporting education, employment, family relationships and community resources.
The Bridge for Youth
Housing & stabilization The Bridge for Youth A youth housing and stabilization connection offering shelter, supportive housing, outreach, crisis support and healthy relationships.
Next Step
Housing & stabilization City of Minneapolis Neighborhood Safety Hospital-based violence intervention connecting people injured by violence with immediate support and ongoing safety, housing, education, employment, mental-health and basic-needs resources.
Project Take Back
Youth, family & community Northside Achievement Zone · formerly the PEACE Foundation A neighborhood-team model bringing basketball, community engagement and coordinated outreach closer to residents.
Youth Outreach Collaboration (2023)
Youth, family & community Minnesota Department of Human Services Youth outreach delivered through a documented collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Human Services.
School Outreach & UYC Special Truancy Projects
Youth, family & community MAD DADS Minneapolis · Minneapolis Public Schools · Washburn High School School-based engagement, youth outreach and special truancy-project collaboration.
Male Outreach & Groups
Youth, family & community FATHER Project Male outreach, peer groups and family-support work designed to strengthen responsibility, relationships and connection.
UYC Special Project 8:46: Social Justice Awareness Community Outreach — George Floyd
Youth, family & community UYC special project · Community outreach · Protect Minnesota advocacy Community response work connected to George Floyd in 2021, alongside UYC’s documented social-justice and gun-policy advocacy.
African American History Outreach for Middle-School-Age Youth
Youth, family & community Saint Peter Claver Catholic School · Saint Paul Public Schools Culturally grounded African American history outreach for middle-school-age youth.