In order to highlight pockets of excellence across the country, the NNED selects an organization to highlight once a month. The Yunion has been selected as the Partner of the Month for February in celebration of African American History Month.
The Yunion is a 501c3 non profit organization that serves youth and families in Metro Detroit. Their mission is to counter negative cultural influences that misdirect the lives of youth by raising awareness and strengthening families through innovative prevention programming, education, parental engagement, mentoring, and counseling.
Jason Wilson, founder and CEO of The Yunion, experienced firsthand the negative influence and persuasive power that the hip-hop music culture can have on youth while he was a member of Detroit-based rap group Kaos & Mystro and a music producer for platinum rap artists. His personal experiences led him to first create The Yunion record label in 2002 with the goal of producing music that countered the potentially harmful influences of hip-hop culture. Wilson soon realized, however, that even when the music stopped the negative pressures continued for metro Detroit youth. In order to gain access to funding needed to expand The Yunion’s mentoring services beyond the reach of music, Wilson established The Yunion as a nonprofit in 2005. In 2007 we were awarded our first federal grant for mentoring through the U.S. Department of Education, and today The Yunion has reached over 10,000 Metro Detroit youth via innovative prevention programming, engaging workshops, assemblies, and conferences. The organization has collaborated with over 3-dozen schools, community organizations, and churches in empowering Detroit youth and families.
Their new facilities in Astoria, Queens consists of 30 bed veterans residence and a medically supervised outpatient chemical dependency treatment program for the general population as well as veterans.
Programs offered by The Yunion include:
- Cave of Adullam Transformational Training Academy (CATTA): boys who are emotionally distressed, mentally discontented and spiritually in debt, gather here to be trained and transformed into comprehensive men of the
Most High through Emotional Stability Training® (EST) - Keys 2 Life: an evidence-based life skills and music-mentoring program; designed to encourage, educate and empower youth through key principles in life and in music using relevant principle-driven music lessons, engaging discussions, introspective journaling, and individual monitoring
- Parental Advisory Training: a 90-minute interactive, multi-media session that exposes the negative effect that mass media can have on adolescent risk behaviors such as substance abuse, violence, teen pregnancy, fatherlessness, bullying, and underage drinking
- Standing in the Gap (S.I.G.): a culturally relevant and unique approach to providing African American women and girls programming related to
prevention of HIV/AIDS, STDs, and unwanted pregnancy. The intervention also assists women with making knowledgeable decisions and choices about their overall health and well-being, which includes stress-reduction techniques, exercising, and healthy eating - Students With Awareness and Goals (S.W.A.G.): a holistic prevention program offered to students, with the aim is to equip and empower youth to make healthy life choices that will enable them to confidently navigate through obstacles and challenges. Encompassing abstinence from sex, violence, alcohol
and drugs, this prevention program features interactive sessions on topics such as self-esteem, communication skills, decision-making, goal setting, conflict resolution, relationships, and adolescent development among others.
Learn more about how The Yunion and their life-changing support programs that build character and hope for youth.
View a list of previous NNED Partners of the Month here.