Building brighter futures starts here.

‍For 40 years, Western Youth Network (WYN) has been a beacon of hope, opportunity, and empowerment for children in the High Country. Now, we’re taking an even bigger step forward.

The Building Brighter Futures campaign is more than a fundraiser—it’s a movement to create a place where every child can thrive, discover their potential, and build a future full of possibility. With a new state-of-the-art youth center and expanded programs, we’re ensuring that every child has the support, space, and encouragement to dream big and achieve more.

Together, we can create a lasting impact. Join us in shaping a future where every child has the chance to shine.

Why WYN?

In a word — adversity. At Western Youth Network, we see it every day in every form. We feel it with our children. We worry about its impact on our community.

Childhood adversity has been deemed the greatest public health threat of this generation, impacting nearly 70% of the American population.

This adversity puts our health, life expectancy, and mental and emotional wellbeing at risk. Hope comes in the form of providing access to stable, nurturing adults, teaching resilience skills, fostering healing, changing policies and practices in communities, and ensuring that children not only can — but do — go on to achieve their potential.

WYN’s super power is meeting children where they are and providing interventions that change lives.

The need

WYN serves a critical population of over 700 students in the High Country. Through a combination of prevention and intervention programs, our main focus is supporting children who may be overcoming adversity. We provide relationships and resources for resilience. Our people and services not only change lives — we strengthen communities. Now, WYN is at a critical juncture: we have outgrown our facilities and programmatic capabilities. Most importantly, we have significant unmet need in our community.

100%

increase in demand for WYN's services.
(year over year)

89%

of children served are food-insecure.

88%

of children are from single-parent homes.

These children need us. They deserve more. Let’s give them the opportunities they would not otherwise have.

Together, we can build brighter futures.

priority one

Create more space where children can thrive.

GOAL: $10 MILLION

Every child deserves a place to belong.
A place for new experiences and second chances.
A place for overcoming hardships and unsafe environments.
A place to feel comfortable and supported.
A place to make friends and have their voices heard.
A place to study, interact, have fun, and grow.

Every child deserves a place that feels like home.

Investments include:

A new facility to serve as a dedicated youth center

This much-needed 18,280 sq. ft. building will expand WYN’s physical footprint by 77%, providing an ideal setting for comprehensive academic, social, physical, and behavioral health services.
• K–5 after school wing
• Middle school after school wing
• Teen center for safe recreation during after school, evening, and weekend hours
• Vocational training and mentoring center
• Professional counseling center for students and their families
• Multipurpose rooms for parent education courses
• Administrative space for WYN staff and community partners
• Kitchen for nutrition education
• Space for artistic and technological discovery

FLOOR PLAN

Investments include:

Employing an on-site mental health counselor. In an era of endemic school violence, the mental and emotional well-being of our children has never been more important.

• 100% of the children WYN serves have experienced childhood trauma.
• 47% of the children WYN serves struggle with mental health issues including depression and suicidal ideation.

Creating a continuum of care by serving students from Kindergarten all the way to senior year of high school. WYN currently provides direct services for middle school students only.

Create after-school services for underserved elementary youth.

• 0 children currently served in this capacity
• 240 in need of these services

Expand after-school services to meet the need for middle school youth.

• 30 children currently served in this capacity
• 40 in need of these services

Create after-school services for underserved high school youth.

• 0 children currently served in this capacity
• 60 in need of these services

building brighter FUTURES

Building brighter futures starts here.

Why WYN?

The need

100%

89%

88%

Ways to Support