The Youth Connection 14^th Annual After-School/Back-to-School/Off-to-College Fair was held on Saturday, August 29th, 2015 from noon until 4 pm at the Casino on Belle Isle. Approximately 1,000 – 2,000 parents and children along with elected officials, after-school programs and other non-profit youth-serving agencies attended the event which kicked-off the new school year. The event featured:

• Free backpacks (Courtesy of Molina Healthcare and Detroit Department of Transportation)
• Free school supplies (Courtesy of Detroit Department of Transportation)
• Free athletic shoes (Courtesy of FOCUS Motor City)
• Free books (Courtesy of The Youth Connection)
• Free lunch (Courtesy of the Institute for Population Health)

The event was free to the public and also featured enrollment options for after-school program providers and family entertainment. The Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority and the Love Detroit Prevention Coalition hosted a 5K walk before the to raise awareness about substance abuse prevention in Detroit.

Studies show that after-school programs contribute significantly to overall development and education of our children. Yet, parents have indicated that they are unaware of the after-school programs available in their neighborhoods. Our Annual After-School Fair is one significant way to increase parental awareness of a wide variety of programs for children and youth.

The 14^th Annual After-School/Back-to-School/College Fair was hosted by The Youth Connection in partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Sponsors of the 14th Annual After-School/Back-to-School/ College Fair included:

Molina Healthcare

St. John Providence Health System

FOCUS Motor City

Love Detroit Prevention Coalition

City of Detroit Recreation Department

Wayne State University

Black United Fund of Michigan

Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority

The FBI Detroit Field Office

Ross & Contemporaries, LLC.

The Youth Connection 13th Annual After-School/Back-to-School/College Fair was held on Saturday, August 16th, 2014 from Noon – 4 pm at the Casino on Belle Isle in Detroit. The weather and atmosphere at the event could not have been better! Approximately 1,500 – 2,500 parents and children along with elected officials, after‐school programs and other non‐profit youth‐serving attended the event which kicked‐off the new school year.

The event was free to the public and also featured enrollment options for after‐school program providers and family entertainment. The Institute for Population Health and the Love Detroit Prevention Coalition are hosted a 5K walk before the Fair to raise awareness about Substance Abuse Prevention in Detroit.

The 13th Annual After‐School/Back‐to‐School/Off‐to‐College Fair is hosted by The Youth Connection and presented by the Institute for Population Health Bureau of Substance Abuse Prevention, Treatment and Recovery and the State of Michigan DNR.

Sponsors of the 13th Annual After-School/Back-to-School/ College Fair included:

Detroit Public Schools

Wayne County Department of Human Services

Molina Healthcare

St. John Providence Health System

Comcast

Focus: North America

Orthodox Detroit Outreach

DMC Children’s Hospital of Michigan

G.I.F.T.S.

ATS Educational Consulting Services

Detroit Field Office of the FBI.

The Youth Connection 12th Annual After-School/Back-to-School/ College Fair was held on Saturday, August 17^th, 2013 from Noon – 4 pm at the Casino on Belle Isle in Detroit. The weather and atmosphere at the event could not have been better! We had approximately 2,600 participants attend the Fair. In addition, we had over 100 TYCCA students, volunteers and advocates from organizations that helped to manage the event.

Sponsors of the 12th Annual After-School/Back-to-School/ College Fair included:

Institute for Population Health

Wayne County Department of Human Services

DTE Energy

Love Detroit Youth II

City of Detroit

Molina Healthcare

Health Alliance Plan

FBI - Detroit Office

St. John Providence Health System

Children's Hospital of Michigan

Michigan First Credit Union

For more information on our sponsors, please visit our sponsor page!

This year, through our continued partnership with the Institute for Population Health, we have added on to our previous commitment at the Fair to have youth sign pledges to be drug and alcohol free and host anti-drunk driving and smoking information at the Fair. We partnered with the Detroit Recovery Project and Love Detroit Youth II to host a 5K Walk for Substance Abuse Prevention Awareness at the Fair. We had approximately 100 youth from our programs design anti-drug and alcohol messages to be printed on signs along the walk and feature the walk on paid radio advertising to increase our reach. We also worked with our partners and IPH to have substance abuse prevention, treatment and recovery partners have tables at the Fair to promote their programs and our shared message of staying drug and alcohol free.

We gave away over 700 school backpacks stuffed with school supplies, close to 1,000 brand new books, and over 1,000 free lunches to youth ages 18 and under. In addition, Children’s Hospital distributed information on bicycle safety as they fitted and gave away free bicycle helmets. Thanks to an in-kind donation from Gleaner’s, we were also able to give away free weekend food baskets to 500 families who attended the Fair.

The Health Zone was a favorite for parents and kids alike as numerous screenings, alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse fliers and information tables were available from our sponsors. The Department of Human Services provided information on their services and conducted recruitment for foster parents. The Michigan Council on Underage Drinking and The Detroit Police Department conducted drunken driving simulations with special goggles demonstrating how more you drink the more your vision is impaired and how driving is compromised. The Institute for Population Health had on-site immunizations available for students as well as informational tables on WIC, HIV/AIDS Prevention and Medicaid eligibility. Molina Healthcare was also just outside the Casino and was giving away backpacks and other items to families.

The children had fun on the inflatables and kept busy participating in hands-on activities with Arts and Scraps and other after-school vendors. The “Smoothie Bike” from Healthy Detroit was a big favorite along with the raffles and giveaways coordinated by the vendors under the big tent.

The Institute for Population Health also coordinated our free summer food service program lunches for youth ages 18 and under. In partnership with IPH, Edibles Rex and the Southeast Michigan Food System Navigators, we served 1,050 kids a delicious free lunch during the event.

Congressman John Conyers, staff from Congressman Gary Peters’ office, Wayne County Commissioner Alicia Bell and several of TYC’s board members attended the Fair among many other friends, families, and other event VIPs. We had over 86 after-school programs distributing information and signing-up children for after-school programs.

Overall, the Fair was successful and many of the after-school programs reported that they were able to sign-up a lot of youth in their programs.