Developed in 2002, the Higher Education Mentoring Program is a six-year program that provides Latino high school students from Santa Ana with the academic, social, and financial support needed to get into college and earn their degree. This after-school program offers highly individual services for youth and parents, as well as leadership training for volunteer mentors.
(Independence, Competence, and Aptitudes, Now!)
April 2021, Project Youth OC launches a new pilot program, ICAN! (Independence, Competence, and Aptitudes, Now!). ICAN! assists at-risk, transition-age youth (ages 16 and older) to identify their vocational interests and complete career training at a designated trade school, technical institute or community college vocational program. By completing the program, participating youth will be placed on promising career paths that will lead toward a brighter future. These youth have successfully completed a program at Project Youth OC or been directly referred to ICAN! and have expressed an interest in pursuing vocational training rather than a formal college education.
Services Provided by in Partnership with:
Since 1995, in partnership with Orange County Chapter of the Association of Legal Administers, Project SELF (Summer Employment in Law Firms) has offered summer internships at local law firms, and other related businesses, to qualifying high school seniors from Santa Ana. Each internship lasts for eight weeks, during which interns are paid for their work. Project SELF works to reduce the risk of juvenile delinquency by providing youth with positive alternatives for spending their summers, access to professional and career environments they would not otherwise be exposed to, and the support of positive adult mentors.
At Project Youth OC, we are proud of our long history of serving at-risk youth and their families. As we do so, we continue to seek private and public funds to support the valuable youth programs that we have sustained for over 30 years.
We greatly appreciate any new support we can gain. If you are interested in making a donation, please DONATE HERE or contact our Associate Director, Nancy Garcia, at (714) 480-1925, ext. 108 or nancy@pyoc.org.