Youth Expressions, Inc. (YE) is an educational and community development organization located in the Little Haiti area of Miami. YE has provided after school services for at-risk and disadvantaged youth throughout Miami Dade County since 2000 and has provided computer-based training for adults and youth since 2006. By offering workshops in urban arts, health education, and technology, YE is able to advance the personal and professional capabilities of local, inner-city families. YE is a safe haven for many families in an area where many residents are economically disadvantaged and are exposed to gang activity, violence, and domestic turmoil.
In addition the above-mentioned programs, YETEC (Technology and Exploration Center), initiated in February, 2006 is a central focus of the agency. The mission of YETEC is to create access to computers for all individuals and to reduce the technological inequities experienced by low-income and disadvantaged citizens and small businesses in economically distressed neighborhoods in Miami-Dade County. YETEC provides free-of-charge courses in computer technology and applications in a relaxed & friendly environment for those least likely to have access to computer technology and Internet resources. By providing introductory computer training to this target population, it is the long-term goal of YETEC program to increase job creation and retention in the Miami Dade County area. Students are given the option of enrolling in traditional instructor led courses or registering online for self-paced instruction. Both of these options are provided onsite in both English and Spanish. It is the goal of YETEC to teach entry-level computer courses in Creole as well in the near future.
YETEC Program offers a range of basic computer courses on an ongoing basis at no cost to those whom we serve. All courses are offered in 16, 2-hour sessions with the exception of Introduction to Photoshop, Website Design, and PC TECH. The program has successfully delivered entry-level computer instruction to an excess of 200 students to date. YETEC also provides free computer usage to the local community in an effort to further enhance career-building skills. Students of all ages are given the freedom to surf the internet, practice their P.C. skills, conduct job searches, burn C.D.s, and scan images all at no cost to them via YETEC’s Technology Access Center. YETEC conducts a “Free Computer Giveaway” to eligible low-income residents of Miami-Dade County. The “Giveaway” is offered on an ongoing basis dependent upon inventory. By targeting the adult population (ages 14-100), YETEC strives to deliver the necessary computer skills to our students in order for each of them to remain competitive within the present job market. In doing so, our organization hopes to positively impact the sharp decline in trained, local employees identified in the Miami Dade County job pool.