For the Rev. Kathy Pointer, co-pastor of Greater Fellowship Full Gospel Baptist Church and executive director of Youth Now!, it all comes down to meeting a need.

“That we are providing a parent with a safe space for their child at no cost,” says Pointer, “and helping the child at the same time, is huge.”

The need to keep children off the streets, to build character within them and to help them develop into leaders of their communities became acute in 2002, when the DC public schools stopped providing summer school programming. Pointer and her colleagues Gwendolyn Brighthaupt and Taye Hailu stepped into the vacuum of healthy summer activities for area youth with the development of Youth Now!

Since that summer, when YN served over 200 Congress Heights area children in the first incarnation of its summer program, the organization has grown exponentially in the dedicated pursuit of its mission: “Strengthening Academics, Building Character, Developing Leaders.”

With funding from the DC Youth Investment Trust Corporation, the participation of the DC public schools (which provide YN with space for its summer programming) and  the help of many devoted education professionals, YN’s summer program has served up to 550 children in kindergarten through sixth grade in the last five years, and it has expanded into an array of new opportunities for youth: an after-school program at Wingate House in Southwest, DC, gender-specific empowerment opportunities and the provision of mentoring services throughout the city.

YN strictly follows the mandate it sets for itself in its mission, prioritizing academic enrichment in all of its programming. During the summer, professional teachers from the District and Prince George’s County are hired to teach students in every academic subject. Academics also reign supreme in YN’s after school programming – an initiative YN hopes to eventually run in the same neighborhoods as the summer program, for the sake of consistency.

“I have great respect for educators,” says Pointer. “We must hire only teachers – we learned that lesson after the first summer.” YN places summer program youth in the grade levels they have just completed so that they can review their learning in classrooms where they’re ensured personal attention.

Character building and leadership development also take place in the summer program, where afternoons are devoted to extracurricular activities that engage the diverse talents and interests of the students: dance, music, the arts, computer training, Spanish language classes and drug awareness education.

Gender-specific initiatives, such the programs under YN’s GAME (Girls Acquiring a Meaningful Experience) endeavor, are another area in which YN has developed since its beginnings, and another forum for emphasizing character and leadership enhancement.

“It’s working!” says Pointer, citing the changes that have occurred in the lives of the young women GAME has served. Participants in the Ladies First program, led by YN Board Chair Yaida Ford, have returned to school after dropping out – developing résumés and creating life mission statements that they pursue with renewed determination.

“We have programming year-round for girls and young women,” says Ford, “which focuses on professional development, sexual and emotional self-esteem, leadership development and spiritual and physical wellness. YN has a very broad reach in Ward 8, which will continue to expand as the organization grows.”

But even with YN’s expanding programming (which includes a partnership with the DC Children and Family Services Agency to mentor youth across the city), the need for adults to cultivate good academic practices, solid character and strong leadership skills among the District’s youth has not diminished.

“Services are definitely still needed in Ward 8,” explains Pointer. “I encourage other organizations to meet that need.”

Still, YN has served over 1,300 children and youth in its nearly six years of operation. Its relentless ambition is now set on developing more programming for students in middle school – a crucial time for character to be nurtured and encouraged among a fragile population. As it has already proven, the organization will likely accomplish this goal and move on to others as it continues to identify and address the needs of the city’s future leaders.

“It’s very difficult to quantify growth and change among youth,” Pointer acknowledges, “but knowing a need exists and that, in some small way, we are meeting that need, that is very rewarding.”

To learn more about Youth Now! call 202-561-5594 or e-mail gffgbc@aol.com.