Who We Are

NEKYS is a community-based organization serving youth, families, and adults across the Northeast Kingdom.

We are a dedicated team of staff and volunteers committed to creating meaningful opportunities for growth, connection, and support. Through mentoring, educational outreach, community engagement, and fundraising efforts, we work every day to strengthen individuals and the community as a whole.

We believe in the strength and resilience of every young person and family.

We honor each individual’s path forward—knowing that even the smallest steps toward self-identified goals can lead to lasting change and flourishing lives.

Guiding us in our support and services are the following core values:

• Appreciation for Relationships – We believe strong support starts with trust. Our work is grounded in collaboration, positive role modeling, teamwork, and meeting participants where they are—without judgment—while affirming the importance of natural supports and connections.

• Honoring Individuality – We appreciate the richness of cultural traditions, perspectives, and life experiences each person brings to our community.

• Commitment to Excellence – We strive to provide the highest quality services, guided by compassion, integrity, innovation, continuous learning, and responsiveness to each person’s lived experience.

• Person-Centered Approach – We respect that individuals know themselves best. We listen, support their goals, and work together to help them move forward in ways that are meaningful to them.

• Belief in Growth and Resilience – We recognize that challenges can lead to growth. We support each person’s ability to adapt, heal, and move toward a stronger future.

  NEKYS upholds these core values in our work and promotes them throughout the community. They reflect what we believe in, what we stand for, and how we approach everything we do.

Northeast Kingdom Youth Services (NEKYS) is the leading not-for-profit youth organization responding to the needs of youth and families in Caledonia and Southern Essex Counties.

NEKYS traces its roots back to early 1975, when a couple of St. Johnsbury Academy students and community members began to notice that there were many youth living on the streets having little or no access to opportunities afforded to other young people. For various reasons, these youth had nowhere to live and very few resources to become self-sufficient. So in the spring of 1975, the students and community members decided to take action: they opened Northeast Kingdom Youth Services to help homeless youth find supportive and safe places to live and thrive.

Throughout our almost 50-year history, NEKYS has built a strong continuum of care to help individuals, youth, and families reach their potential. Our accomplishments over the years have been significant: there are no other agencies which offer a similar extent of services with comparable results. Innovation has always been a hallmark of our work, and our intensive strategic planning process has allowed us to build on our success and deepen our impact.

In the coming years we expect continued organizational growth to address the ever changing needs of youth, individuals and families within our community. We are proud of the work we have done but even more so of the accomplishments achieved by those whose lives we have been privileged to touch.

VISION: NEKYS is a hub of empowering action for youth and community.

MISSION: NEKYS creates opportunities for youth, adults and families to strengthen
life skills and resiliency in the face of adversity.

VALUES: At NEKYS, we strive to create a welcoming and safe space where each person can shape their own supports and services. We believe in the strengths and potential found in every individual, their families, and their communities.