Mission

DFOY engages urban youth as active partners in their own development as they seek to become thriving, self sufficient adults and agents of change within their local and global communities

What We Do

DFOY began as a single program in one high school and has expanded to have served more than 70,000 participants in its 20-year history, working at more than 50 different sites in New York City.
At its inception, DFOY focused on high-school dropout prevention and facilitated youth development workshops during regular school time. Over the last decade, DFOY shifted to after-school to support and enhance the day school learning, and expanded services beyond high-school youth.
Over the course of 2011, the organization has transitioned to a new Executive Director and Board. Together, they developed a blueprint for change that has reaffirmed DFOY’s commitment to quality youth development services within a new organizational context that is asset based and outcome focused.
Most of our students are African-American and Hispanic, and the majority is from low income families. It is our goal to provide a holistic approach to the development of the students we work with, with an emphasis on youth leadership and positive and nurturing relationships.

We currently operate 4 after school programs in the Bronx and 3 in Brooklyn,serving over 1,500 kids ages 5 to 18. Two of these sites also operate as community centers(one in each borough)serving youth and their families. Additionally, we run 4 summer camps, 2 in Brooklyn and 2 in the Bronx, for over 500 kids. Summer Camps operate for 7 weeks in July and August and are open for, 8am to 6pm.