Youth Action Guide Lab Launches to Strengthen Social Connections

SEWICKLEY, PA, UNITED STATES, November 12, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- Foundation for Social Connection and the Sewickley Valley YMCA have partnered to launch the Youth Action Guide Lab, a youth-led initiative aimed at strengthening social connections among teens in the Pittsburgh area. The program, which will involve teens aged 14 to 17, seeks to build relationships across socioeconomic lines and school districts, including Ambridge Area, Cornell, Moon Area, and Quaker Valley.

The YMCA, which has been serving the region since 1894, will lead the recruitment of participants and handle day-to-day implementation. As a shared gathering space for families, the YMCA will facilitate community listening sessions and help teens build their own social networks. The Foundation for Social Connection will provide technical assistance and evaluation, offering training, coaching, and measurement tools to ensure the project's success.

The initiative is based on the Foundation for Social Connection's Action Guide for Building Socially Connected Communities, a six-step framework that helps communities understand local needs, engage residents and partners, develop strategies, and measure progress. Over the course of the project, teens will learn about social connection, host community gatherings and listening sessions, and use the insights gained to design an action plan that fosters social connection.

The Sewickley Valley YMCA received a Richard King Mellon Foundation Grant to support the Youth Action Guide Lab. Interested youth can learn more and register at www.sewickleyymca.org/edu-leader.

The program will adapt the Foundation for Social Connection's Action Guide for Building Socially Connected Communities into a program plan for teens ages 14 to 17. Over the course of the project, teens will learn about social connection, host community gatherings and listening sessions, build their own social networks, and use what they hear to design an action plan to foster social connection. The initiative aims to strengthen social connection and expand access to opportunity for teens across the four school districts mentioned.

The YMCA, with its long-standing commitment to the community, will play a crucial role in recruiting participants and overseeing the day-to-day implementation of the project. The Foundation for Social Connection will provide the necessary technical assistance and evaluation, ensuring that the project is well-supported and effective. Through this partnership, the organizations hope to create a more connected and inclusive community for the teens involved.