Volunteering at YouthHope this past semester has been an eyeopening and rewarding experience. It’s unbelievable to think that just before this semester, I was completely unaware of a national epidemic targeting youth. Whenever I pictured homelessness, i saw a poor older man, with dirty clothing and an unkept beard. I pictured a man that chose that harsh lifestyle, that was ungrateful for any help offered. However, as we have learned in this class, that is not always the case; in fact it’s not even often the case.  Every year, the statistics of youth homelessness is growing at an alarming rate. That being said, YouthHope is doing its part in helping to prevent youth homelessness. YouthHope, an organization that seeks to aid homeless and at risk youth ages 14-24, was established in 2009. Heidi Meyer, the director, works diligently to provide services and support to these youth. Heidi began YouthHope when she saw potential in an individual who had a difficult life. Since then, Heidi has been devoted to helping each youth find their own potential. From my experience volunteering there, the youth are so diverse in their backgrounds and personal stories. Many of the youth come from families who live in poverty, and simply cannot provide for the youth. These youth then do not have access to resources, such as stable housing, adequate nutrition or even clean clothing. When youth lack basic necessities, it makes every other task more difficult. Many of the youth stress for their parents, and wish that they could work to help pay bills. The problem with that , is that many of them also want to go to school.  Other youth come to YouthHope because they had lived   Difficult lives, which led them to living on the streets or addicted to drugs or alcohol. YouthHope and its staff are great in the way that they welcome all who enter, regardless of who they are or what they may have done. YouthHope gives them all the opportunity to better themselves and overcome obstacles. YouthHope does this in providing support for youth in all areas possible. YouthHope provides a food pantry that the youth can take from as they please. They’re is also a clothing closet, which I have witnessed being an asset as El Niño has come into play this year. YouthHope also provides tutoring and GED help so that students can graduate high school and go on to work or college. Another service they offer is buss passes so youth can get to school and work. The way they can receive these is by providing attendance sheets and old bus passes. The youth always express how thankful they are for what YouthHope does for them, and love going to the new building. The youth at YouthHope are a closely knit group, and seem to all know each other very well. They treat each other like family, staff and volunteers included. I especially see the youth benefit from this, because many have expressed how they don’t have family or support.   Overall, I believe YouthHope is truly benefitting the youth it serves, even if it’s a bit unorganized at times. Many of the youth have expressed that they would like to become a director or volunteer of a youth shelter one day because of the positive experience that they have had. This alone demonstrates that the youth love YouthHope and what it does for them and their families. I myself have enjoyed volunteering at YouthHope and I m looking  forward on continuing my internship with them and learning more about YouthHope.