Teen HYPE: Where teens say they find a place to express concerns, build power, and make positive change

Respect, inclusiveness, excellence, safety, diversity, and creativity. Those are the six core values at the root of Teen HYPE, an organization dedicated to helping young people through education (HYPE).

Teen HYPE says, since 2004, it has touched the lives of more than 55,000 Detroit-area youth through programs designed to prepare them for life’s challenges and opportunities. As its website notes, each year, hundreds of students across dozens of schools receive its training in comprehensive adolescent health education, promoting future-oriented thinking and responsible decision-making.  

It is also proud to have trained more than 1,000 teens as Peer Educators — young leaders who take their skills back to their communities to create a ripple effect of positive change as they mentor and inspire other young people.  

Through Leadership development, Teen HYPE continues to work towards its vision of a just community where all of Detroit’s area youth are thriving. It celebrates Detroit area youth ages 12 to 24 and builds collective power, agency, leadership, and critical skills alongside them to enact positive change in their lives and communities, all while helping them realize the incredible potential within every young person it serves.  

 “Teen HYPE is officially 21 years old, full-grown and thriving!, says Ambra Redrick, CEO of Teen HYPE.  “This milestone is more than just a birthday; it’s a sign that we’re on the right path with a lot more growth to come. Over the years, we’ve had the joy of working with incredible young people and watching them grow into confident, capable adults doing amazing things in the world. As we mark this moment, we’re committed to growing right along with them and continuing to serve youth for generations to come. Here’s to the next chapter.”

Some teens who have participated in the series of stories, Teen HYPE: Voices of Detroit’s Youth, had insights about what they are learning through the program and some of the issues on their mind. 

Emery Diaz has been in Teen Hype for two years. Emery says: ”I like how open I can be in this space. I don’t have to be someone who isn’t myself. All the people here are really accepting of how I am. The only space I could really be myself other than Teen Hype were with my core group of friends I’ve known since kindergarten.”

Emery says he doesn’t and has never used social media. “It paints a fake picture of people’s lives and that makes people want to strive for something that’s unrealistic. We talk about social media a lot. It never crossed my mind to use it because I’m not that outgoing of a person. Using social media was never on my mind. 

“I think the biggest problem my age group has is they don’t have people they really have to vent to. (Teen Hype) helps a ton with that. I know some people in my age group don’t even talk to their parents about their problems. The staff here really engrave it in the back of your mind that you have people you can talk to here.” 

Aiden Hunter has been in Teen Hype for about a year. He says he loves it because it gets him out of the house, which he feels people today don’t do enough.  “I like the friendship aspect we have (with the staff) and how close we are. They don’t even want to call us students; they just want to call us their friends. It’s not like they say, ‘I am the teacher and you are the student.’ It’s like a conversation.” 

Lorelei De Armas has been in Teen Hype for about five months. “I love it. I’m surprised I lived without it before.” “(I have] a newfound family. I met a whole bunch of people I wouldn’t have met otherwise.” Teen Hype helps to keep her informed on current events. “In the way in which this country is shaping up to be, it’s really good that we’re all knowledgeable about it.”

Chloe George joined Teen Hype six months ago and says she has found it “mind-blowing.” Chloe says: ”It’s like one big family outside of your family. It’s a community where you can come and just express yourself; where people want you to do your best and achieve your goals.”Jessey Glenn has been coming to Teen Hype since last year and says she’s worried about Trump and ICE and wants it to “get fixed” at some point. “We need to look back at the Constitution and the Bill of Rights saying that everyone has rights no matter who you are, where you’re from, what color you are.”