Big Sky Youth Empowerment

mission statement "big sky youth empowerment provides local, at-risk youth with an unparalleled group mentoring program. by immersing youth in life skills curricula and outdoor adventures, participants graduate from high school and have actionable plans that lead to independence through education, vocation or service." big sky youth empowerment is a long term intervention working with at-risk youth, grades 8-12, in the gallatin valley. youth submit their application to byep during their 8th grade year and then have the opportunity to participate until their graduation from high school. the byep program is composed of 3 trimesters (fall, winter and summer) per year which span 36 weeks. each participant spends approximately 10 hours per week in the program. during the week, youth participate in a 3 hour life skills workshop covering topics such as conflict resolution, healthy relationships, substance abuse, identity, job skills development, and independent living. each weekend, youth par