Youth Frontiers

"It really helped me realize that I can say I'm sorry to someone and mean it and no one will laugh."
5th Grader, Kindness Retreat

Youth Frontiers retreat
Youth Frontiers retreat

Who we are and what we do:

Youth Frontiers is a nonprofit organization that partners with schools to create more positive school communities.

Through programs that help young people realize the importance of living a life of character, Youth Frontiers is transforming the day-to-day experience in schools across America so that schools - and therefore students - can thrive.

Why is improving the school community important?

  • It supports schools in their primary academic mission. Studies show that a positive school community and climate is key for academic success.
  • It gives educators needed support. A positive school community is associated with attracting and retaining skilled teachers and staff.
  • It supports young people in their social and emotional development. Every day, 2.7 million students face bullying in part due to a negative school climate.

Our Vision

Our vision is to change the way young people treat each other in every hallway, lunch line, and classroom of every school in America so that today's young people can make tomorrow's world better.

How are we working to make this vision a reality?

We provide dynamic and meaningful programs that create what we call a "catalyst for change" by:

  • challenging students to think about and reflect on the impact of their choices and behavior
  • engaging the silent majority of students to take positive action on behalf of others, and
  • sustaining educators in their critical work with young people.

AND, it's working:

Over 8 out of 10 schools work with us year after year, despite funding challenges.

According to data gathered through an independent study, 90% of students rate their Youth Frontiers Kindness Retreat as "Excellent" or "Very Good."

And, in the Brooklyn Center, MN school district where they use all of our programs as a part of a larger initiative to improve the school community, discipline referrals/incident totals for grades 7-12 went from almost 3,000 to less than half that during the time in which we worked with them.

To see more on our evaluation strategy and results, please click here.

To find out more:

Call Youth Frontiers locally at 952.922.0222, or toll-free at 1.888.992.0222. Ask about our faculty retreats and daylong school programs for elementary school, middle school and high school students nationwide.