Executive Summary

Youthworks, a non-profit organization serving youth ages 10-24, has provided support to ND’s youth since 1986. What started as a runaway program in Bismarck, expanded quickly to include a myriad of supportive services in ND’s two largest cities, Bismarck and Fargo, and the surrounding counties. While we continued to grow in these communities, ND’s other communities struggled to keep services open. Since 2018, Youthworks has opened offices in Dickinson, Minot, and Grand Forks, ND, to meet the need of local youth.

Youthworks’ mission is to ensure all youth have a safe place to belong and be heard. We seek to provide a continuum of support for youth from prevention to intervention. Current services include leadership development programs, programs for runaway, homeless, trafficked, street youth, school-based programs, and social advocacy support groups. Future services will be determined alongside our youth, families, and communities. Youthworks’ 2023-2026 Strategic Plan prioritizes youth advocacy and more inclusive programming to ensure all youth have equitable access to support, services, and safety.

ND can be considered a resource desert for many of its youth who live in rural communities across the state. With 99% of its land mass classified as rural, ND youth often experience services that are not specialized, feelings of isolation, and, if they are members of a minority community, discrimination. Included in the state boundaries are 53 counties and four Tribal Nations, most of which have few, if any, youth services.

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