At 14 years old, Yamileydis knows she wants to be a leader in her community. She lives on Cleveland’s near west side and attends Garrett Morgan High School, a place she considers to be “another home.” Her mother was born in Puerto Rico and speaks only Spanish. “I grew up with a good family, including three older brothers. Boys are fun, so there’s always something going on and something to laugh or joke about,” says Yamileydis.

One of her brothers Johndiel, who participated in the Catholic Charities Hispanic Service Office’s summer drug and alcohol prevention Program in 2020, showed her some artwork he and other teens created. Yamileydis’ brother earned a paycheck while being in the program through the Youth Opportunities Unlimited Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP). His supervisor, Mayra Perez recalls how creative the participants were with very little direction needed. “We call John our Master of Banners.”

Yamileydis was so inspired she applied to SYEP, and she was selected to participate as a leader in the 2021 program. Alongside other teens, she worked with young children to encourage positive behaviors and attitudes, sharing messages about living drug-free and treating others with respect.

“We made posters for daycares and created a puppet show. The kids were amazing. We asked them questions about themselves, and they answered so maturely, at just five, six, or seven years old,” she marvels.

Yamileydis feels the program helped her grow as a leader, as she stepped up to keep older teens on task. “And the positive messages helped me too. We made posters about bullying because that can be hard in the schools. Kids can be mean. But no matter what’s going on at home, you can be kind and positive. And we made posters about drugs, which I always tell friends and loved ones, that’s not okay. I don’t accept that.”

Her favorites classes include art, English, and history, but she hopes to explore many different subjects and career options through her involvement with Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U.). “I definitely will help others in my community. I don’t yet know exactly what I want to do, maybe something environmental.”

Yamileydis recommends Y.O.U.’s summer program for other teens who want to make friends, grow in leadership skills, and learn to interact with younger kids. “I’m grateful for a good program that helps our community.”

Y.O.U. partners with nearly 100 nonprofits in Cuyahoga County to provide quality summer work experiences for youth. The community partner provides the job, and Y.O.U. pays the youth wages benefiting the young person and the organization. To learn more about Y.O.U. and youth workforce development, visit youthopportunities.org.