About Us
Who We Are
Penn’s Youth Initiative (PYI) is a nonprofit organization that partners with schools and youth organizations in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to help address the social and emotional challenges that adolescents face on a regular basis. By utilizing an evidence-based, peer reviewed curriculum, we conduct classroom presentations that get teens talking about relevant, age-appropriate topics with a fun spin. There is no better way to learn how to build healthy relationships!
Our enthusiastic Program Educators comprise an array of professionals with backgrounds in education, medicine, science, and humanities. Each one has met PYI’s standards of practice for professional development and are trauma-informed, culturally competent, and current on PA background checks.
PYI, Inc. and our affiliates serve the following counties:
Franklin, Adams, York, Lancaster, Berks, Schuylkill, Northampton and Lehigh.
We have two local offices:
983 Lincoln Way E.
Chambersburg, PA 17201
400 Main Street, Suite 4
York Springs, PA 17372
Please call 848-PA-YOUTH for more information.
Meet the Team
ECHO is our social media campaign aimed at:
- amplifying the positive messaging and empowering lessons introduced through our in-school curriculum,
- continuing to engage students who have completed our program,
- and reaching an ever-expanding online community of students, educators, and parents with positive relationship education.
Follow the ECHO Campaign
"What does SEL mean to PYI?"
While teaching young people about relationships there is no doubt that lesson topics will touch on the social and emotional aspects of life. We would like to be clear, however, about what our content does:
- Promotes a healthy identity among students (self confidence, belief in oneself, etc.)
- Helps students manage emotions and develop appropriate social skills
- Helps students develop a sense of empathy for others
- Allows students to understand healthy relationships, how to sustain them, and how to troubleshoot them
- Helps students acquire the skills and mindsets to make responsible decisions
- Promotes “mindfulness,” which focuses on an awareness of self and others “in the moment”
We recognize that the social and emotional components of an individual’s health are vitally important to the balance of the whole person. Therefore, our approach is one of sensitivity with a lighthearted candor that facilitates an atmosphere of warmth and acceptance.