You
Youth Opportunities Upheld, Inc. is a private, non-profit child welfare and behavioral health organization serving troubled and at-risk children, adolescents and families in the Worcester county area since 1971. Throughout our more 41-year history, the agency has remained true to its founding mission to provide youth and families with opportunities to fulfill their potential and build a brighter future, while responding to changing community needs with appropriate growth and innovation you
Today, Y.O.U., Inc. is one of the leading child welfare, behavioral health and education agencies in Massachusetts, offering more than 45 exceptional programs at 32 distinct sites, within five components: Family Support Networks, Education and Employment, Residential Care, Community Based Services, and Behavioral Health.
Our growth and success over these years has been a direct result of the outstanding work of our staff of nearly six hundred full and part time professionals – including a leadership team with a combined 250+ years of experience – partnered with our volunteer Board of 24 Directors. Over four decades, the organization’s leadership has worked tirelessly to set a clear vision, and to follow a thoughtful strategic plan.
In 1969 a small group of local citizens, under the leadership of Carol Schmidt, sponsored the legislation that created the Worcester Juvenile Court. A year later, this tireless group incorporated Youth Opportunities Upheld, Inc. (Y.O.U., Inc.) as an arm of this court. “Intensive Juvenile Probation” was the first program offered by Y.O.U., Inc. With a budget of approximately $40,000 and a staff of three, including our founding CEO, Maurice “Moe” Boisvert, this program successfully redirected many of the 24 youthful offenders it served that year into contributing members of our community.
Every year since, YOU, Inc. has grown in direct response to the continuously changing needs of our community. From “deinstitutionalization” and “privatization” movements, to changes in local, state, and national trends, to ever-changing needs of children and families, YOU, Inc. has created a record of well-managed, quality programs with very high success rates.
Today, YOU, Inc. is one of the leading behavioral health and education agencies in Massachusetts. We offer many different services across Central MA. Whether the program or service is therapeutic, clinical educational, or vocationalall of them stem from our mission to provide youth and families with bright and healthy futures.
This past year, we proudly served more than 15,000 youth and family members, many of whom did not know where else to turn. Currently, we have a budget of approximately $40 million and a staff of more than 650 employees. With new leadership and years of experience, we are well-positioned to continue to expand our services and to adapt to future challenges and opportunities.
Our Behavioral Health Centers are located in three key Central MA communities — Gardner, Southbridge, and Worcester — allowing us to offer outpatient mental and behavioral health support throughout most of Central Massachusetts. At all three Centers we support people who are experiencing mental and behavioral health issues, including family conflict, school problems, divorce/remarriage issues, depression and suicide prevention, anxiety and stress, parenting issues, substance use, bereavement and loss, family violence, illness and disability, physical/sexual abuse, other forms of trauma, domestic violence, and issues related to sexual orientation and/or gender identity. The Centers are licensed by the Department of Public Health (DPH), and YOU, Inc. is accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA).
