Who We Are. . .
Founded in 2004 as a sub-committee of the CHNA (Community Health Network Area), the Plymouth Youth Development Collaborative (PYDC) is a community coalition motivated around enhancing the lives of youth in our community. Click here to learn about the PYDC Legacy.

What We Do. . .
The goals are to reduce the risk factors contributing to underage drinking and drug abuse in Plymouth; to increase the protective factors that support a healthy community; and to enhance community collaboration.

• Prevention Driven
• Informative website with Community Events Calendar and Map and List of Safe Places for Youth
• Resources for youth, parents and professionals
• Charged by Data (Reported by Youth, Professionals, and Parents)
• Energetic, creative, invested members
• Place to network with other organizations
• Opportunity to share your initiatives
• Grassroots Organization with Exciting and Creative Projects
• Volunteer & Community Service Opportunities for Youth, Parents, Professionals and other Adults.
• Bi-Monthly PYDC meetings
• Monthly Sub-Committee (a.k.a. promise team) meetings
• And much more…

PYDC began as a sub-committee of the Community Health Network Association (CHNA #23) back in 2005. The CHNA (chapter #23) made up of school officials, Plymouth County DA Tim Cruz’s Office, Jordan Hospital, etc….identified a need to create a youth-focused sub-group that would attempt to obtain federal funds for prevention purposes. With the help and support of an experienced grant writer, Christina Nordstrom, this sub-group (now grown into a collaboration of hundreds of entities) was awarded a five-year Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Grant through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Organization (SAMHSA.) Plymouth had written for DFC funding in the years prior, but had re-energized and re-focused their application in 2006 (which would fund the period of October 2006- October 2011.) Much of that energy was a school district (Plymouth Public Schools) that was willing to take the responsibility of becoming the fiscal agent for the federal funds, the Plymouth County DA Tim Cruz’s Office helping mentor the process and offer financial support through the application process, and the implementation of the first of the annual Communities that Care Youth Survey for grades 7-12. The CTC Survey is a measurement tool that highlights the risk and protective factors for youth in Plymouth.

The goals of the PYDC are to reduce the risk factors contributing to underage drinking and drug abuse in Plymouth; to increase the protective factors that support a healthy community; and to enhance community collaboration. Derek Thompson, a coalition member as well as the Vice-Principal at Plymouth North High School stated, “All too often the community is forced to react to problems as they arise and we believe that intervening at that point is too late. We need to do more to prevent the problems in the first place. Our focus is to bring together all stakeholders and mobilize the community so that we can pull together all our resources so that our approaches will be more focused and effective.”
Since 2007, PYDC has hosted a Youth Summit to give all community stakeholders an opportunity to collaborative (i.e. parents, professionals, youth, etc.), adopted a nationally recognized model of youth prevention called the America’s Promise Alliance, sponsored educational underage drinking events for the community, supported many successful programs in Plymouth (i.e. Rachel’s Challenge, Helping Traumatized Children Learn, Social Host Liability, etc.) In addition, PYDC has created a website that provides parents, professionals, and youth with an abundance of resources. The website also creates a space where all community members (who are youth motivated or youth themselves) can find events on our calendar, opportunities in the community, and more.

Words from some of our Partners

PYDC's innovative programs and dedicated staff put an emphasis on addressing the societal challenges faced by children and young adults. By making sure that our young people receive the academic skills, support and health services they need, the Plymouth Youth Development Collaborative is helping to pave the way for their future success.

Congressman Bill Delahunt

At the core of what we believe in education exists the desire to help kids to realize their potential and establish dreams. At the core of PYDC is the inspiration to bring the resources together to assist our youth to reach their potential and live their dreams!

Gary E. Maestas
Superintendent of Schools
Plymouth Public Schools

The Plymouth Youth Development Collaborative can be the voice for the youth of Plymouth. It serves as the focal point of a coalition of many organizations and people who want to build a better future for all of our children.

Bob Sherman
Director of Pupil Personnel Services
Plymouth Public Schools

It has been so exciting to have participated in the development of the PYDC. . .to further expand the services provided to youth in the community. PYDC is a wonderful example of how people working together can do anything.

Kathy Spears
CHNA Chairperson
Director at HIGHPOINT OUTPATIENT AND
WOMEN’S RESOURCE CENTER

PYDC has created a space where imaginative, dedicated, forward-looking individuals can unite under a shared vision to enhance the lives of youth in our community.

Jennifer Pinto, Director
Plymouth Youth Development Collaborative

PYDC provides the vehicle to create positive solutions to the challenges facing our young people.

Timothy Cruz
Plymouth County District Attorney

Grants:
The Plymouth Youth Development Collaborative is funded by the "Drug-Free Communities Grant" through SAMHSA, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Association. SAMHSA is the branch of the government that deals with substance abuse and mental health.

Contributions:
All donations and contributions are greatly appreciated. If you would like to make a donation to PYDC, please see the contact page.

Every Child, Every Promise: Turning Failure Into Action, is the first national research that comprehensively measures the presence of the Five Promises. http://www.americaspromise.org/Resources.aspx

Gary Ferguson, Shouting at the Sky: Troubled Teens and the Promise of the Wild.
New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1999.

Scott Sells, Parenting Your Out of Control Teenager.
New York: St. Martins Press, 2002.

Martha Straus, Adolescent Girls in Crisis: Intervention and Hope.
New York: W.W Norton, 2007.

Reamer, Frederic G. and Siegel, Deborah H., Finding Help for Struggling Teens: A Guide for Parents and the Professionals Who Work With Them.
Washington, DC: NASW Press, 2006.