The Organization
About the organization
Boomerang has been serving youth in Orange County since 2006. The first 10 years it was a program of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA. In July 2016, Boomerang spun off from the Y and became a non-profit in its own right.
Boomerang provides the following programs:
- Positive Alternative to Suspension Program to middle and high school students from two school districts: Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and Orange County Schools.
- Continuing Connections After School programs to youth ages 11-20, providing a safe environment for them to build job readiness and life skills, seek support, get help with homework, and engage in community service projects.
Boomerang inspires youth to bounce back from challenges and move towards positive change. We provide youth with the support they need in times of crisis and beyond, to manage their challenges, cope with adversity and become resilient, independent young people. Our vision is community where all youth view themselves – and others view them – as whole and worthy community members.
“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future”
– Franklin D. Roosevelt
Boomerang believes that:
- Every young person has contributions and strengths that are valuable to our community.
- Every young person deserves respect and a safe, supportive and nurturing environment to build life skills and seek support when they need it.
- Positive change is a process that takes time, and young people need to have a place they can come back to if they “fall” in order to bounce back (and this may need to happen many times).
- We should never give up on any young person; every young person’s strengths are bigger than any mistake.
These beliefs guide Boomerang to:
- Create a positive sense of community for each young person we meet.
- Provide programming that is trauma sensitive.
- Promote the value of diversity and cultural competency within our staff, youth, and the community.
- Promote social justice and build self-advocacy skills with all youth.
- Partner with other agencies, organizations, and donors to effectively use resources to plan and provide services that meet the needs of youth and families within our community.
