godparents_youth_organization

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It started with Tanya behind the wheel of an old van full of youngsters crossing the country. Seven trips later, GYO has evolved into a unique program promoting personal development, citizenship, community service, and career planning. Tanya and her staff of volunteers have committed to making a better future for the youth in the inner city.

The plan is to bring together parents, teachers, local businesses, civic officials, members of the clergy and religious organizations to work together for the improvement of the lives of children who lack essential resources. In addition to the exposure provided by travel, a blueprint must be established to keep our kids on the right track. We let our youth know that they are not alone, and that if no one else, Godparents Youth Organization is here to see them through. Our mentors make commitments and stand by their commitments and our respond accordingly.

The horrific statistics for teen violence, suicide, gangs, substance abuse, and peer pressure are a direct result of the shortage of involved families in the inner city. This epidemic leaves our youth in a crisis that they cannot face alone. They often feel useless, worthless, helpless, purposeless, and hopeless. GYO brings hope into their lives through both the experience of traveling but also through giving. The students take part in local community service work and give backpacks to impoverished children in other cities across the country.

“TRAVEL MEN-TOURING”
Our unique travel program provides visits to some of our finest colleges, historical sites from the civil rights movement and national monuments. While on tour, youth receive instruction on the bus and study about each city before they visit. At the end of each day, they record the experience in personal journals and the trip concludes with a test on what they’ve learned.

Los Angeles school bus driver Tanya Walters started Godparents Youth Organization (G.Y.O.) in 2005 when she realized that she and her fellow drivers had formed bonds with the teenagers that they drove to and from school every day, and that they could be used to change lives. The route they have driven since starting G.Y.O. has covered thousands of miles and opened hundreds of young eyes to a world that exists beyond some of the toughest streets of Los Angeles. A world many of these kids never new existed. A world many of them never dreamed of seeing.

CONNECTING OUR YOUTH TO THE WORLD

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