About Us
Our Mission
Our Vision
Our vision for engagement is that it will become prominent in all facets of life for our youth and young and adults, including our teaching, research, service, and co-curricular experiences. The engagement experience at UOY will provide all youth and young adults with the requisite knowledge and skills to become progressive community citizens and neighbors and leaders in their communities and in their lives.
Organization History
Uniting Our Youth, Inc. (UOY), organized in June 2008, is an IRS-designated 501 (C)3 non-profit organization in the District of Columbia. of Uniting Our Youth, LLC (UOY) located in Ward 5 and Ward 1. UOY is a recognized Washington, DC based nonprofit organization whose mission is to combat juvenile crime by providing life-readiness and social aptness skills to the youth of Washington, DC.
Our Leadership
Meet Clarence Miles Executive Director
Clarence Miles, Executive Director, is a life-long resident of Washington, D.C. who attended Dunbar High School graduating in 1976. Mr. Miles developed a passion for uplifting youths of our communities by providing the tools needed to fulfill their education, occupational and life goals. His experiences with the increasing social problems in the District of Columbia, fortified his commitment to make a positive difference in the lives of at-risk youth and their families. His many certifications and grass roots outreach provided the framework for Mr. Miles to make a profound impact in the areas of Addiction, Youth and Family, and Gang Intervention.
As Executive Director for UOY, he oversees programs partnering with the DC Housing Authority in some of the city’s hardest hit under-deserved communities. In addition, he coordinates the STEM program along with other outreach and prevention of violence and drugs programs in our communities. Mr. Miles’ love for the youth made him a natural leader as Executive Director of UOY. Under his direction, UOY partnered with the DC Summer Youth Employment Program to oversee one of the local Department of Employment Services (DOES) youth programs that provides District youth ages 14 to 24 with enriching and constructive summer work experiences through subsidized placements in the private and government sectors. He also supervised a wide range of programs ranging from mentoring, tutoring, violence prevention, meditation, and training for at-risk youth.
Prior to the inception of Uniting Our Youth in 2008, Mr. Miles professional career expanded an array of community advocate organizations to include serving as a Youth Director/Outreach for the Alliance for Concern Men of Washington, DC. He served as Youth Counselor at Sasha Bruce Youthwork’s Bruce House a 24-hour youth emergency Safe House; a Program Monitor for Catholic Charities’ Saint Elizabeth 801 Homeless Shelter and a substance abuse counselor for their Mulumba House. Furthering his professional growth, Mr. Miles also served as a mental health counselor at Community Connection and Life Stride.
Our Goal
Our Commitment
At Uniting Our Youth, community engagement involves the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources between the residents, youth and young adults and the public and private sectors to:
- Enrich scholarship, research, and creative activity.
- Enhance curriculum, teaching and learning.
- Prepare educated, engaged and responsible citizens.
- Benefit the community at the local, regional, state, national, and global levels.
Our History
Clarence Miles, Executive Director, is a life-long resident of Washington, D.C. who attended Dunbar High School graduating in 1976. Mr. Miles developed a passion for uplifting youths of our communities by providing the tools needed to fulfill their education, occupational and life goals. His experiences with the increasing social problems in the District of Columbia, fortified his commitment to make a positive difference in the lives of at-risk youth and their families. His many certifications and grass roots outreach provided the framework for Mr. Miles to make a profound impact in the areas of Addiction, Youth and Family, and Gang Intervention.
As Executive Director for UOY, he oversees programs partnering with the DC Housing Authority in some of the city’s hardest hit under-deserved communities. In addition, he coordinates the STEM program along with other outreach and prevention of violence and drugs programs in our communities. Mr. Miles’ love for the youth made him a natural leader as Executive Director of UOY. Under his direction, UOY partnered with the DC Summer Youth Employment Program to oversee one of the local Department of Employment Services (DOES) youth programs that provides District youth ages 14 to 24 with enriching and constructive summer work experiences through subsidized placements in the private and government sectors. He also supervised a wide range of programs ranging from mentoring, tutoring, violence prevention, meditation, and training for at-risk youth.
Prior to the inception of Uniting Our Youth in 2008, Mr. Miles professional career expanded an array of community advocate organizations to include serving as a Youth Director/Outreach for the Alliance for Concern Men of Washington, DC. He served as Youth Counselor at Sasha Bruce Youthwork’s Bruce House a 24-hour youth emergency Safe House; a Program Monitor for Catholic Charities’ Saint Elizabeth 801 Homeless Shelter and a substance abuse counselor for their Mulumba House. Furthering his professional growth, Mr. Miles also served as a mental health counselor at Community Connection and Life Stride.
Our Framework and Philosophy
UOY youth development focus on support, education, and training. These three elements are our framework for interaction and development in the relationship and for enhancing the quality of services offered to youth. Support, education, and training emphasizes goal setting and identification of contents of the UOY supervisory process: to incorporate youth and young adults, colleagues, teams, programs, and tasks. We work to help our youth to identify their individual values and beliefs. The framework is based on our interactions with youth and young adults in the community which suggests positive growth is most likely to occur when our youth and young adults:
- Are in an appropriate context for self-discovery when engaging in activities that are voluntary, intrinsically motivating, and are important to them;
- Are surrounded by external assets such as caring mentors and a positive community environment; and
- Learn or acquire internal assets that include life skills that are important for dealing with various challenges which can be both positive and negative
From our perspective, the most relevant goal of UOY is to make disadvantaged youth “ready for civic engagement and service.” Through lessons-learned after over 20 years in the industry, we maintain a focus to develop troubled youth into caring adults who have a clear sense of belonging and responsibility to their communities and to any potential victims and the community through engagement in citizen service. We are of the belief that disadvantaged youth can and do volunteer and often find that community service allows them an opportunity to give back what others have given to them. They feel better about themselves and confident that they have something of value to offer.
High School Grads
Years Serving the DC Community
Awards Won
Community Partners
- All Items
- Chairman
- Secretary to the Board
- Treasurer
- Volunteer
Meet The Team
Our Board Of Directors
Composed of leaders from the local community, the board of directors is involved in both shaping the direction of Uniting Our Youth as well as assisting in the direct activities our participants are involved in.
