LA Youth Network

Lewiston Auburn Youth Network is a brand-new, ethnic-based, nonprofit organization, with its principal office in the heart of Lewiston-Auburn, serving disadvantaged immigrant and refugee youth who came from low-income background families, between 8 – 16 years old. The organization was formed by a group of New Mainers in response to a long overdue social injustice in our education system, workforce, housing, criminal justice, mental health, and unequal access to opportunities and disparities based on race and ethnicity, family structure, and socioeconomic status. Our youth have been facing various challenges over the years including poor academic performance, school dropouts, unemployment, legal troubles, mental health, soccer field shortages, poverty, social inequalities, engaging in gang-related activities, and family dysfunction. LA Youth Network is committed to break down barriers to purposely create a safe space for our immigrant and refugee youth to feel safe, feel respected, feel heard, get involved, engaged, and empowered. Our long-term strategy is to empower more youth to take leadership roles, create authentic youth-led impacts, take part of the decision table by engaging more in community activities in a manner that is productive and constructive. We want our youth to be part of a broader social justice movement, build a coalition to mobilize young people to create broad, significant changes in our community and increase awareness of racial and ethnic disparities in schools, healthcare, criminal justice, and employment, and housing. As the driving force of our immigrant and refugee youth population, we intend to create our own impact by using our own experiences and voices in creating broad, significant changes in our community. We want to mentor others, lift each other, empower each other, and ensure that we have a seat at the decision table by engaging in our community activities in a manner that is productive and constructive; recognize, utilize, and enhance young people’s strengths. We intend to eliminate and put an end to the rise of street gun violence, rise of drug and alcohol use, homelessness, poor academic performance, teen pregnancy, poverty, declining labor force participation, sports field shortages, rise of social inequalities, and promote healthy family-youth relationships.