Yes Network - St. Cloud is a non-profit program (501c3) that has had a significant amount of success for the past 11 years working with children in underserved neighborhoods in the St. Cloud area. Because of what I have witnessed, I have created a very similar program in and around the communities in which I live. I have been a teacher in the Detroit Lakes school district for 34 years and I have seen the struggles that many families face. In the Detroit Lakes, Callaway, and White Earth communities, not all children have the same opportunities. Some do not participate in many of the summer programs because it just isn't possible for them to get there. My goal is to change that. Because their neighborhoods are 20-25 miles away from the city of Detroit Lakes where many great programs are offered, I am bringing the summer programing to them. Enrichment activities, STEM projects, art, music, reading, recreation, field trips and free play are all components of the program. No longer will parents be expected to take off work or drive many miles each direction to give their children opportunities. Lakes Area Yes Network will bring the opportunities to them, and all of it will be FREE of charge.

• Games/activities that promote interactions

• Working in teams

• Strategy to work through conflict

  • We will teach conflict resolution through conversations and modeling.

• Relating experiences to life

• Connections to positive role models.

  • Each site will have 5 staff that will work hard to create connections and bonds with the youth of the community.