Bloomington United For Youth

Are you a youth in Bloomington – or someone who cares about youth in Bloomington? Then you should know about Bloomington United for Youth (“BUY”).

BUY is many things. Buy is the central place to find information about organizations that serve the needs of youth in Bloomington. BUY is a place where new initiatives are launched to serve the needs of youth in Bloomington. BUY is a coordinating agency where organizations serving the needs of Bloomington youth get together to plan, share ideas, find resources, and coordinate activities. BUY is a group of Bloomington youth and adults bringing creativity, smarts and passion to making Bloomington a healthy place for young people.

The BUY mission is to engage the entire community in the positive development of youth. We are a not-for-profit organization co-led by adults and high school students. The adult members of our board are volunteers from many sectors of the community including education, government, business, the faith community, service/civic groups, and families. Our board meets monthly and you (yes, you!) are welcome to come!

BUY was started in 1998 to give Bloomington youth positive ways to engage in their community. This was important not just because it is essential to the promotion of happy and healthy youth behavior, but also it is hoped that these skills will be carried to other places in the world as our youth develop into adults. In 2000, BUY was recognized as a Community of Promise through General Colin Powell's America's Promise: the Alliance for Youth.

BUY’s activities focus on developing safe places for youth, interactions with caring adults, a healthy start, effective education and opportunities to help others. Some of the activities and initiatives that BUY has coordinated are:

• Bloomington Youth Action Crew. This group of middle school and high school students has inventoried places in Bloomington that welcome youth, created a map for distribution throughout the community, hosted a workshop, and is a major force for the positive engagement of younger teens.
   
• Box City Vigil. An overnight annual event now in its 6th year held on the State Capital plaza that brings high school students from across the state of Minnesota with the mission of raising awareness for youth homelessness; and raises funds for various Minnesota youth shelters.
   
• Teen Job Fair. An annual event in its 5th year that brings Bloomington youth and employers together Central Grounds. An initiative since 2001 to establish a safe and drug free teen center in Bloomington (as an alternative to the Mall of America). Activities for this purpose have included Battles of the Bands, meeting with local professionals for the development of business plans and architectural designs, securing liability insurance, and meeting with city officials. In April 2011, the efforts of hundreds of volunteer teens will be recognized with the opening of a small teen center space in Bloomington's Creekside Community Center.
   
• Volunteer Recognition Event. An annual event that recognizes outstanding contributions to our community that support BUY's mission by individual youth, youth organizations, individual adults, and community organizations.
   
• Planting the Seeds. Bloomington youth in collaboration with the Bloomington faith community assisted senior citizens in our community with spring clean up. 
   
• Mini Golf Tournament. An opportunity for youth and established members of Bloomington to socialize and share each other's perspective.

Bloomington United for Youth (BUY) works to engage the entire community in the positive development of youth.

The BUY volunteer board is a collaborative network involving many sectors of the community: education, government, business, faith, service/civic groups, and families. Youth compose half our board! The board meets monthly and all are welcome.