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Through the efforts of Community! Youth Concepts (CYC), even 12-year-olds can have an impact on the community. And they have, thanks to a CYC-run program called Iowa Youth Venture.

CYC co-founders Amy Ostrander Croll and Lyn Marchant took in the Iowa Youth Venture program and began their own business in September 2008, which exists to help train and educate those who work with youths, and to direct youth development initiatives.

Iowa Youth Venture is one of those initiatives. Through the program, which is funded by the United Way of Central Iowa, young people ranging from 12-24 are able to team up with adults and receive $1,000 in funding for a venture that promotes social change in the community. Currently there are 17 different ventures, with four more on the way, that have been funded. But getting funding is no simple process for the youths, Croll said. Children go through a workshop to determine what motivates them and choose a social issue they want to help change. They are then charged with the task of formulating an action plan, forming a team and finding an adult ally. Through the program, the youths receive help and must then present their plan. If it gets the OK, something can happen like the Drake Student United Way helping sponsor family fun nights at the Boys and Girls Club.

“Our goal is to have the young people help figure out what their community needs,” Croll said.

The other side of CYC is working to help fill what Croll feels is a major gap in lack of training for those who work with youths. CYC works to help train those individuals who have the heart and passion to help young people, but not the skills, and are in organizations without training resources.

CYC works with a large range of organizations, ranging from nonprofits like the Boys and Girls Club to the Des Moines public schools.

The strong belief in training is because if programs for youths have leaders who are not qualified, the results can be detrimental. Programs are doing the best they can with their resources, Croll said, but CYC training can help ensure a positive effect on youth.

Croll and Marchant are the only two employees, but have plans togrow in the near future.