DOCY Youth Spotlight: Meet Chasity!
Chasity, 17, is a Dutchtown resident who hopes to one day be a tattoo artist. Being young and having a dream is a beautiful thing! Through help from local Dutchtown organizations, Chasity is taking steps closer to her goal every day.
In addition to pursuing her high school equivalency with Thomas Dunn Learning Center and working towards employment placement with the Workforce Innovative Opportunity Act program, Chasity also recently connected with Sign of the Times Tattoo, located close to home in Dutchtown. This networking opportunity will provide professional guidance toward achieving her dream job. All this, and Chasity still has time to flex her creativity and make beautiful art. Check out some of her art!
Want to be involved in the Dutchtown Opportunity Coalition for Youth?
Great! Who wouldn’t want to be a part of a collective that prioritizes connecting neighborhood families with resources? Here are ways to get involved...
Become a coalition partner
Are you a part of an organization or business that serves youth or offers services to youth and their family members? We want to be partners!
Bring your children
By enrolling your youth (ages 10-17) in the DOCY program, your child can begin receiving referrals to educational programs, employment opportunities, community programs, and more. Your other household members can also qualify for great opportunities through our partners.
Give back to the community
The Greater Dutchtown area, including the Mount Pleasant and Gravois Park neighborhoods, is the most densely youth-populated neighborhood in St. Louis. There are tons of ways to be a mentor or volunteer!
Join our team
Currently, DOCY is hiring two positions to grow the team; an Outreach Specialist and a Youth Counselor. Click on the links to learn more.
To take advantage of any of these opportunities, contact Caitlyn Dorion at dorionc@employmentstl.org
Summer Camps in Dutchtown
Gene Slay's Girls & Boys Club
The summer camps at Gene Slay's Girls & Boys Club will run from June 5th through July 28th (8 weeks) at both campuses in Soulard and Dutchtown. Summer hours are from 8am to 6pm. Early drop-off is available at 7am and is an additional $125 for the 8 weeks. There are sliding-scale fees and scholarships available! The highest fee a family could pay for the entire 8 weeks is $360 and is lower from there. The fee includes:
Breakfast, lunch, and a snack.
Swimming lessons twice a week.
Sports, arts & crafts, chess, group games, and other recreational activities.
Field trips.
Academic enrichment designed to combat the “summer slide”.
Special opportunities such as Golf Camp, Tennis Clinic, Garden Club, and the BWorks Earn-A-Bike program (available to a limited number of participants).
The 2023 Summer Program theme is RV Road Trip! Each participant will learn about our country’s National Parks, special attractions, and unique characteristics of each region. We’ll explore across the continental United States through virtual tours, projects, and activities. Members will have their passport book stamped as they take a virtual cross-country excursion. Learn more at www.gsgbcstl.org.
Thomas Dunn Learning Center
During the summer, Thomas Dunn Learning Center offers a variety of different summer camps that may include cooking, coding, sculpture, music mixing, and more! Most of them last for a few hours every day for a week, and most of them are for teenagers between the ages of 10 and 19, but some camps are a little different. Whatever you’re interested in, we’re bound to have a camp you’d love! Register here.
Upcoming events
Marquette Rec Center Easter Event April 6th · 5-7pm · 4025 Minnesota
Gravois Park Easter Eggtravaganza April 8th · 11am-1pm · Gravois Park (Compton & Potomac)
Gravois Park Alley Cleanup April 14th · 9:30am–12:30pm · Gravois Park (Potomac & Virginia)
Guardian Angel Parking Lot Friday Resource Fair April 14th · 1pm–4pm · 3300 S. Jefferson
The Gravois Park Kickback April 15th · 4pm–8pm · Gravois Park (Compton & Potomac)
Virginia Avenue Spring Fling Block Party and Cleanup April 22nd · Virginia & Liberty Cleanup 10am–12pm · Block Party 12pm–4pm
Mount Pleasant Neighborhood Cleanup April 29th · 10am–1pm · Mount Pleasant Park (Michigan & Dakota)
Dutchtown South Community Corp. 50th Anniversary Event April 29th · 7pm · Blank Space (2847 Cherokee)
Thomas Dunn Sustainability Festival April 30th · 1pm–5pm · Thomas Dunn Learning Center (3113 Gasconade)
What is the Dutchtown Opportunity Coalition for Youth?
DOCY serves youth between 10 and 17 years old in the Gravois Park, Dutchtown, and Mount Pleasant neighborhoods. We work to reduce the likelihood of youth being both victims and perpetrators of crime by connecting them to opportunities that pave a way toward graduation and/or employment.
The Dutchtown Opportunity Coalition for Youth aims to curb the effects of poverty and violence in these neighborhoods that have skyrocketed over the last decade. Through collaboration with over a dozen community agencies, we listen to the youth in the community and connect them with programs to meet their needs and goals.
Meet Our Partners
Want to stay up to date on DOCY updates and events? Follow Employment Connection on social media!
You can also sign up for our monthly newsletters in your inbox!
To contact the Dutchtown Opportunity Coalition for Youth, email Caitlyn Dorion at dorionc@employmentstl.org or call 314-230-0902.