Services to Youth

The Links, Incorporated Services to Youth facet uses an integrated approach to prepare young people to succeed as healthy citizens in the global workforce and to promote healthy lifestyles within families and communities. In 2016, the Washington (DC) Chapter’s Services to Youth (STY) facet implemented an enrichment program with the Howard University Middle School for Science and Technology. This program, which meets every other month, primarily emphasizes the importance of the following three major areas: 

• Science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) education;

• The contributions of African-Americans and Africans of the diaspora to the contributions to the STEAM, political and legal fields; and

• A healthy lifestyle, including exercise, diet and mindfulness, to overall success.    

During the 2018-2019 program year, the Committee provided the following programs to the students: a political forum on the 2018 mid-term elections that emphasized the importance of political involvement; a field trip to the DC Court of Appeals and discussion with the Court’s Chief Judge; mindfulness training for the students and teachers (in partnership with the Health and Human Services facet); a STEAM career fair, including presentations from professionals in a variety of science, technology and arts professions; and a tour at the Phillips collection to see the work of artist Jacob Lawrence and an Underground Railroad photography exhibit (in partnership with the Arts facet). Previous activities include National Museum of African-American History and Culture visit; screening and discussions of the films “Marshall” and “Hidden Figures”; a dental clinic for the Middle School students at the Howard University Dental School (partnered with the Health and Human Services facet); and the presentation of “The Woman Who Would be King” (play about the first woman pharaoh in Egypt, in conjunction with the Arts facet).     

The STY facet also works with the chapter on an annual holiday toy drive and in the past has provided services to the Cleveland Elementary School, Martha’s Table day care center and Bright Beginnings (program providing childhood development services to homeless children).