Empowerment Center - This initiative takes our outreach a step further by linking Philadelphia's most vulnerable adolescents to the health and social services they desperately need and by helping to improve the quality of services available to these youth by providing a safe space where young people are treated with respect and dignity. Y-HEP's Drop-in Center is a safe non-judgmental space where youth and young adults can access services, take showers, participate in activities like yoga, art, movies, take classes in dance and spoken-word, get food, tokens, clothes or just relax. Our team works intensively with the city's hardest-to-reach youth to help them overcome the obstacles that affect their willingness and ability to access services. All Drop-in Center's services are free and confidential. For more information about the Drop-in Center or to make clothes and other in-kind donations call Katie at ext. 17.

Empowerment Workshops' Schedule [View Calendar]

The Prevention Department - Oversees the HIV prevention interventions provided for our participants. These interventions are geared toward providing information on HIV transmission risks and risk reduction. Each intervention is geared toward different risk-level populations, focusing on risk reduction information and/or risk reduction goal setting. Our Prevention Counselors work closely with our participants to build trusting relationships through which the youth can openly discuss the risks they are living with and work toward reducing the possibility if contracting and/or transmitting HIV and other STIs. These interventions are provided on both a group and individual level basis and are run both out of our Drop-In Center and at other city locations such as the E3 Center and area middle and high schools. We provide the following interventions:

• Safety Counts - a group and individual level intervention geared toward very high risk youth to increase knowledge and skills around harm reduction.

• Comprehensive Risk Counseling Services - A long-term one-on-one intervention geared toward goal setting and providing support for very high risk youth actively working toward reducing their risk.

• Voices with Choices - a group level intervention consisting of single workshops Highlighting risk and harm reduction practices, risky behaviors, and healthy choices.

Family Planning Clinic - A comprehensive on-site medical clinic where youth can access free or low-cost health services. Confidential and client centered family planning services include: STD testing, birth control and emergency contraception, physical exams and referrals, pregnancy testing and options counseling, pelvic and breast exams, PAP smears, safer sex information & materials. For more information call Alicia at ext. 21.

Trauma Therapy Program - Offers youth the opportunity to participate in group or individual psychotherapy with experienced, licensed therapists. Y-HEP trauma therapists specialize in working with youth who have histories of childhood sexual, physical, or emotional abuse. Youth who are in need of a higher level of care or are in need of medication treatment are referred to appropriate mental health agencies. For more information call Deb at ext. 13.

Interactive Workshops and Presentations - Providing workshops are an essential part of the program. Our interactive workshops and presentations seek to 1. Separate its service from all other youth driven workshops conducted through out the country by providing art-based themes to address sexual and social health issues. 2. To go beyond the traditional workshop and explore the social issues that contributes to increase risk of HIV infection, drug use and abuse, unplanned pregnancy and sexual violence. 3. Create a professional team of polished peer presenters who can facilitate a mature discussion and prepare young people to actively and creatively participate in those mature discussions.

A series of workshops that uses elements of the arts to challenge peoples' ideas around sexual and social health issues.

• Genderosity - brings up the topics of teens sex and relationships, evaluates gender roles and traditional perceptions that promote sexism, irrational sexual decision making and homophobia.
• Shame & Secrecy - explores how shame is created by secrecy and how both effect self worth, problem solving and healthy relationships with others and our selves.
• Healthy Relationships - A self-discovery or rediscovery for young people wanting to acquire universal tools for healthier relationship with any human being.
• More productive Rights - a powerful conversation about reproductive rights, family planning and risk.
• Ghettomatic - a creative writing workshop that looks at oppression privilege of all kinds and how historically oppression has effected self efficacy.
• Follow Your H.E.ART - a discussion about age old question is art imitates life or does life imitate art. Young people are challenged to go beyond a belief that circumstances are and always will be the same.
• Beyond HIV - looks at HIV as a social disease and discusses stigma, oppression and other factors that may contribute to increase rates in youth and people of color.
• HIV/AIDS - What is HIV? Is it what you already believe?
• STI/D - Sexually transmitted infections and diseases. This dynamic presentation explores safer sex trough knowledge art and history.
• Harm Reduction @ home - supporting young people who are struggling with their parents' addiction.
• Soundeffex (Communication) - a risk reduction and prevention workshop that explains its not what you say that renders results its how you say it
• Love Language - is a stereotypes workshops that connects present day language with old school stereotypes
• Doin You - a broad discussion about sexual identity, tolerance and understanding.

Peer Education Academy - The Youth Health Empowerment project youth program HEART is announcing a new Peer Education Academy. This academy was designed to meet 4 specific needs:

1. To mainstream the education; peer youth educators receive at different organizations.

2. Create a network of citywide youth educators that will have alumni privileges and access to resources within that network.

3. Provide tangible and employable skills to young people to add to the foundation they are building for their future endeavors.

4. Build on the efficacy of young people who are faced with peer pressure, HIV/STD infection early pregnancy, and challenges around health perception, stereotypes and negative media influence.

If you would like to volunteer for the Peer Education Academy please download an application.

Street Team
It is traditional for organizations to provide forms of outreach one of the most common being street outreach. What H.E.ART is attempting to do, is tailor our old outreach to incorporate artistic themes, Like poetry and story telling sites, a yahoo and AOL page online and sites like "My Space". The Street Team's goal outside of one on one street interactions, is to serve as the spirit of the H.E.ART program, This mean maintaining enthusiasm on the field, exuding confidence in club outreach and serving as the organizational cheer leaders.

Skills-building discussion groups - "Voices with Choices" for young women and "Men Seeking Power" for young men are discussion and support groups that provide a safe space where youth can learn the skills needed to avoid HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancy, and dating violence as well as explore a range of topics and issues important to young people. Trained peer facilitators provide a safe and supportive forum where young people to discuss barriers to safe and health-promoting behaviors. Snacks and tokens are provided to participants.

Voices with Choices for Young Women (ages 13-21) is held on Thursdays 4:30-6pm . Men Seeking Power for Young Men (ages 13-21) is held Thursday 4:30-6pm.