Committed to serving youth and families since
1999, Youth Determined to Succeed (YDS), a 501(c)3 nonprofit formerly
known as Track Minnesota founded by former Gopher and Pittsburgh Steelers
Melvin Anderson. Over the past decade YDS, has helped hundreds of children and youth
through a variety of programs and services in the areas of obesity-prevention
and treatment, general nutrition, health and wellness and fitness training.
With a volunteer staff of health professionals, trainers and parents, our youth
learn healthy lifestyles and develop essential health and behavioral skills to
become successful and productive adults.
Our mission is to inspire and equip
youth to develop healthy, responsible lifestyles, and become successful
community leaders.
Why YDS is uniquely suited to address the youth health
and the obesity epidemic:
YDS is integrates the four primary components that
are necessary to help youth combat poor health and obesity; health education,
nutrition education, emotional support and physical fitness.
Our health program is lead by board member Dr.
Tonya Bryan, a pediatrician at Park Nicollet hospital and an advisory board of
doctors, health professionals, and volunteers.
Dr. Bryan has developed YDS’s customized and
nationally recognized youth health and wellness curriculum and lecture series.
YDS
has a proven track record, a decade of providing quality services to both urban
and suburban youths, our health professional and fitness trainers have many
years of experience and the expertise to produce positive results.
We are committed to bringing together youths
from diverse economic and cultural backgrounds and have a special commitment to
providing services to underprivileged and youth of color.
The program is a
three day per week program (Sat, Mon, Wed) that last 2.5 hours per day
The program’s direct
services includes: a health curriculum and lecture series, nutrition workshops,
life-skills workshops, community outreach and a multi-level fitness program
The program operation
cycles, both for Kids 4 Health and Youth Leaders of Change will run in 10 -week cycles annually from, January 30
until April 11 and from October 2 until Dec 11.
Facilities used to
deliver program – YDS Center, YMCA, Creek View Park all in North Minneapolis
and YWCA in South Minneapolis
