About YESS
Since 2001, YESS has served 10,000+ youth and trained over 6,000 role models through programs, workshops, and professional development.
Our Mission
Building inclusive communities to support students on their road to success.
Our Vision
The YESS Institute envisions students becoming caring and productive members in their communities.
The YESS Organization
Supporting Youth & Communities with Passion
Our primary focus in all actions taken, policies made, and lessons planned is the welfare of the YESS students, because we envision all our students becoming caring and productive members in their communities.
Key Initiatives
- Providing training and leadership to the Denver Youth Mentoring Collaborative
- Co-Founding Mentor Colorado in partnership with statewide and national mentoring leaders
- Developing curriculum for Bridging the Gap: Kids and Cops Forums by the Denver Office for the Independent Monitor
Collective Impact Efforts
- The Corridors of College Success by the Ford Foundation in SW Denver
- My Brother’s Keeper at The Denver Office for Children’s Affairs
- Contributing our expertise on committees such as 9to25, The Denver Foundation, and Community First Foundation
- Rocky Mountain PBS Documentary, Standing in the Gap: Race and Denver Schools
- A Precious Child
- Canadian Women’s Foundation
- International Mentoring Association
- Regional School Counselors – Flanders, Belgium
- Washington DC National Mentoring Summit
- Big Brothers Big Sisters – El Paso, TX
- STARS National Conference
- Radschools.org
- A Precious Child
- Adams 14 School District
- Adams County Youth Initiative
- Aurora Research Institute
- Boys and Girls Club, Statewide Conference
- CDHE Colorado Challenge
- Center for Urban Education – Metropolitan State University of Denver
- Civic Canopy Community Partnership System
- CLACE
- College Assistance Migrant Program – Metropolitan State University of Denver
- Colorado Counseling Corps
- Colorado Mentoring Symposium
- Colorado Uplift
- AmeriCorps, Denver Department of Human Services
- Community Reach Center
- Denver Office for Independent Monitor
- Denver Police Department
- Denver Public Schools
- Denver Quality Afterschool Connection
- Denver Scholarship Foundation
- Denver Youth Mentoring Collaborative
- Estrella TV
- I Have a Dream Foundation – Boulder/Denver
- Live Urban Real Estate
- Mi Casa Resource Center
- Mile High United Way
- Mile High Youth Corps
- OMNI
- RAFT
- Richard Male & Associates
- Rocky Mountain PBS
- University of Colorado at Denver
- University of Denver
- Westminster Public Schools
Abraham Lincoln High School at Denver Public Schools
Adams 14 School District
Addison Trading Company
Adolph Coors Foundation
All Ways Up Foundation
Anschutz Family Foundation
Anschutz Foundation
Archbishop’s Guild
Bank of Oklahoma
Benjamin Moore Paint
Best Buy Foundation
Bierman Charitable Fund
BMAA Family Foundation
BOK Financial
Buck Foundation
Burt Foundation
Campion Family Trust
Cesco Linguistic Services
Cobiz Cares Foundation
Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing
Colorado Department of Health & Environment – COSI
Colorado Health Foundation
Conscious Millionaire Institute
Daniels Fund
Denver Active 20-30 Children’s Foundation
Denver Broncos
Denver Center for 21st Century Learning
Denver DHS Youth Opportunity Behavioral Health Diversion
The Denver Foundation
Denver Office Behavioral Health
Denver Office for Children’s Affairs
Denver Office for Economic Development
Denver Post Foundation
Denver Public Schools
Denver Public Schools Office of College & Career Readiness
Denver Safe City Office
Denver Scholarship Foundation
Douglas County Schools
DPS North, West, Lincoln HS
East High School at Denver Public Schools
ECA Foundation
EMSA Fund
Enterprise Holding
FirstBank
First Community Foundation of Colorado
Friedman Family Foundation
Gannett Foundation
Gary Community Fund – Piton
Gary-Williams Employee Fund
Gay and Lesbian Fund for Colorado
Generations at Denver Public Schools
GHX Global Health Care Exchange
Grant Thornton LLP
Greenspoon Marder, LLC
Holland and Hart
Hubbard Family Foundation
Jaga Canada Climate Systems
Janus Foundation
Jared Polis Foundation
Jefferson Foundation at Jefferson County
John F. Kennedy High School at Denver Public Schools
John G. Duncan Charitable Trust
Karl Friedman Foundation
Kenneth King Foundation
KORE Invest
Lake International School at Denver Public Schools
Market BVBA
Mayor’s Office for Education & Children, City, & County of Denver
Mile High United Way
Milgard Manufacturing
Nathan B. and Florence R. Burt Foundation
Nelnet
Nena Sales
NFX Foundation
Office for Community Partnerships at Denver Public Schools
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Office for Student Re-engagement at Denver Public Schools
Oppenheimer Fund
Palindroom
Peyback Foundation
Price Waterhouse Coopers
Rocky Mountain Active 20-30 Foundation
Rose Community Foundation
Sales Leadership
SAMHSA Service to Science
Seasons to Share, McCormick Foundation
Sisters of St. Francis
SM Energy
Spirit of Christ Catholic Community
Staples
State Farm, Lori Rickert
State Farm Corporate Foundation
Tony Grampsas Youth Services
The Prescott Group
United Launch Alliance
Virginia Hill Foundation
Wend Ventures
West High School at Denver Public Schools
West Leadership Academy at Denver Public Schools
Westminster Public Schools
White Lotus Therapeutic Center
The William F. McGowan Charitable Fund
Xcel Energy
Youth Mentoring Collaborative Denver Department of Human Services
YESS Programs & Workshops
Youth Mentoring & Adult Development
Our unique Classroom Model program blends social emotional learning curricula and peer leadership to support positive youth development in middle and high school students – a combination you won’t find often. YESS has also trained 5,000+ mentors, teachers, parents, nonprofit teams, police officers, and other community leaders to develop these skills.
The YESS Difference
Making an Impact for more than 23 Years
For over twenty-three years, YESS has worked within communities by developing practice-based models that meet their needs, supported by data and research. YESS’ mission is to build inclusive learning communities that support youth on their road to success so that they can become caring and productive members of their communities.
YESS Institute in the News
YESS Institute has been featured in national media including CBS, Fox, and PBS.
