Youth & Government

The Model Legislative and Court (Grades 9-12) and the Model United Nations (Grades 6-8) are hands-on youth educational programs involving more than 3,000 teens from all over the state of California. The goals of these programs are to engage teens in local government and national affairs, improve leadership skills, and make new friends.

Ventura Activity Center

The Center is a community based facility where local teens have access to programs like tutoring, homework assistance, mentoring, supervised sports and recreational activities. The Center’s primary goal is to identify and provide for the needs of teens in the community.

Teen Leaders and Civic Engagement

Be a leader in your community by joining one of our many volunteer opportunities, teen community forums, or our Teen Leadership Program. Gain valuable professional training and experience through our Camp Leader in Training program.

Teen Resident and Day Camps

We offer terrific teen resident and day camps, a "must-do" for teen campers looking for exciting ways to spend their school breaks. These camps promise new friendships, independence, and cool camp activities. We offer Extreme Spring Camps, Summer Resident camps and Winter Travel camp.

For a list of current teen camp offerings visit our camp programs page or contact us at 650-856-9622.

Project Cornerstone

Project Cornerstone’s vision is simple—to build a web of support around every young person in our community. This web of support includes families, schools, community centers, faith communities and local businesses. Unfortunately, these resources are disconnected from each other and often from children and youth themselves. Project Cornerstone facilitates the connection of the separate parts of the web so that young people can count on individuals and organizations working together to provide them with consistent support and guidance.

Project Cornerstone promotes the research-based developmental assets approach as a guiding framework and a common language to enable individuals and organizations to work together toward our common goal of supporting the healthy development of all children and youth. We leverage partnerships to influence public policy, programs and personal behavior. Project Cornerstone provides training and consultation and shares resources and best practice models to build the capacity of children’s and youth program providers, schools, governments, foundations, businesses, faith communities, and other community groups to support young people and strengthen our community.

Most people think of assets in terms of property or financial resources. However, Developmental Assets are the positive relationships, opportunities, values and skills that young people need to grow up caring and responsible.

The Search Institute identified the 40 developmental assets as the essential building blocks of healthy child and youth development - including adult role models, positive peer influence, caring school climates and a sense that community values youth. With input from diverse community members, Project Cornerstone has added a 41st asset “positive cultural identity" to the framework we use.

Project Cornerstone was founded in by the Youth Alliance, a collaborative of the following community based organizations: YMCAs of Santa Clara Valley and the Mid Peninsula; YWCA of Santa Clara Valley; Girl Scouts; Boy Scouts; Big Brothers/Big Sisters; Boys & Girls Club; and Estrella Family Services. The YMCA of Santa Clara Valley is Project Cornerstone’s parent organization.

For more information, visit the Project Cornerstone website.

For more information about Developmental Assets please click here.