How AYO works
Middle and high school youth who live or go to school in the City of Aurora are identified through community members in their schools and neighborhoods. Youth are assigned an AYO youth specialist who will assist the youth in finding resources and/or programs of interest to the youth. The AYO youth specialist will meet with youth and their families in their homes or other community locations and will assess the youth's needs through the AYO Youth Survey which assesses risk and protective factors.
An AYO youth specialist will work with each youth to offer referrals to existing community services and offer assistance for funding those services if other resources are unavailable. Youth who meet certain criteria will be referred to the AYO Mentor Program. The youth specialists will follow up with each youth and family to assure that they have received the services needed and will re-evaluate risk and protective factors at the six-month interval. Each participating youth is required to complete a post survey.
Starting the process
Who
Middle and high school students who are currently living in Aurora or going to school in Aurora.
How
Youth can be nominated by ANYONE including peers and him/herself. Please fill out a nomination form and return it to Aurora Youth Options.
What
Resources for: community, school, family, peers, and self. Connections can include: Extracurricular activities, leadership skills, mentoring, clubs, school help, job skills and much more!
Please fill out the following nomination form and return it to Aurora Youth Options. An AYO Youth Specialist will be in contact with you as soon as possible.
Nominate a youth
To nominate a youth please complete a fillable nomination form or a printable nomination form and return it to an AYO Youth Specialist.
For additional resources, please refer to these brochures:
Elementary Age Resource Brochure
Youth Specialist:
Laura Moore: 303-617-2368 lauramoore@aumhc.org
Rafael Ruelas (habla Español): 303-923-6327 rafaelruelas@aumhc.org