Mission
Youth Action YouthBuild (YAYB) is dedicated to building a community of young people and adults across New York City who are committed to taking responsibility for their own lives.
Message from the Executive Director
YAYB is the little organization that could. Started in the mid 1970s, Dorothy Stoneman had a simple yet transformative idea. If given the chance, young people would join together and change their communities for the better. While this belief–which was germinated and nurtured at YAYB–has since grown and become an international force known as YouthBuild International, YAYB remains very much alive and active in service to the greater metropolitan area of New York City.
Headquartered where it all began–in East Harlem–we still hold firm to our commitment to serve the young people of our diverse community and to ensure that there is affordable housing for East Harlemites. Each day is a struggle, of course, as these are perilous times for our youth and for communities at the margins. We continue to soldier on, but we need broad support and all of our friends to continue in this work. We count on you remembering us and the work that we do as well as working with us to expand and innovate new programs and initiatives in our mission to help others help themselves.
Our vision is to be a first-go to and vital resource for opportunity youth in New York City at pivotal moments in their young lives, so that no one slips through society’s cracks. And we need your help to make that a reality. But not just in terms of contributions–though we need those too–but in terms of helping us think outside the box.
There are MANY ways in which you and your family, friends and colleagues can help us connect the disconnected. Contact us today and find out how you can join us in being a powerful force for change in the world. It’s been 40 strong years and we haven’t slowed down yet!
Thank you for visiting our website, for catching up with us and coming to learn more about who we are and what we do. Come visit us if you are ever in East Harlem — we are still located at 206 E. 118th Street.
All are welcomed (ask for Robert). See you soon!
Robert Taylor, Executive Director
