UTEC's mission is to be a "by teens, for teens" safe-haven for youth development and grassroots organizing. UTEC provides a safe and multicultural place of belonging emphasizing the holistic development of Lowell's young people, ages 13-23, particularly those most often overlooked and labeled as "at-risk." UTEC reaches out to these young people through intensive street outreach, builds upon their unique strengths within a youth development framework, and creates opportunities to best support them in becoming agents of social change and organizers in the community.

One of UTEC's biggest accomplishments has been the evolution and clarity of our mission. For example, during the first year of operation, UTEC predominantly served the mission of being a "by teens, for teens" safe-haven. During Year 2 and 3, we took on more and more comprehensive youth development programming. Today, grassroots youth organizing lies at the forefront of our mission, with a balanced model of how we approach youthwork blending all three components (a "by teens, for teens" safe-haven, youth development programming, and youth organizing).

Youthwork Model: Framed within the same Taoist philosophy as the yin-yang, we believe that our approach to youthwork must begin by striking a balance between two larger spheres: 1) a drop-in environment which provides a safe haven component and 2) a more structured youth development and organizing component providing a holistic range of opportunities and supports.

We believe that the drop-in environment must always exist because it offers those young people, particularly those most difficult to engage, an opportunity to become involved without any pressures of becoming a part of a more structured program. Through an intensive street outreach program , young people are drawn into the center for a variety of reasons and now have the opportunity to connect with a caring adult or youth staff. On many occasions, the initial contact revolves around a Streetworker's response to a youth in crisis. It is important to note that UTEC's philosophy embraces crisis intervention as a unique opportunity to engage a young person and establish a lasting connection. Once this type of connection is made, all staff are committed to an intensive follow-up approach, making sure these youth have the supports and opportunities for their own development. As depicted in our youthwork/yin-yang model, young people often enter this circle of support via our streetwork, but they stay involved as a result of the intensive follow-up and the consistent response to crises as opportunities for further engagement.

The content of UTEC's youth development programming emphasizes the positive and potential capacities of young people. Preventing young people from engaging in self-destructive behaviors does not automatically mean that they are best prepared to take on the challenges of adult life. Instead, we want to support and encourage them to best express their own unique strengths. Moreover, for those youth who stay actively involved in youth development programming, greater emphasis is now placed on them moving into the two highest circles of growth within the organization: youth management and youth organizing. Simply put, youth management refers to the component that provides young people the opportunity to be actively involved in the running and management of UTEC as an organization. Whether it is through an apprenticeship position leading a program/class activity, a paid position as Teen Organizing Coordinator, or their work as an Executive Board Member, UTEC youth are provided the opportunity to assume real management roles within the organization. And in terms of youth organizing, UTEC strives to have young people involved in community change at the grassroots level. Our model of youthwork looks to build a circle in which young people move into the inner point where they are now identifying the needs in the community and bringing about systemic change through youth-led organizing.

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