The Youth Dreamers are a group of students in grades six through college who decided in 2001 that they wanted to open a youth-run youth center . Our mission, revised in 2010 is as follows: Youth Dreamers, Inc., provides a unique safe haven with opportunities for youth to accomplish personal goals, develop leadership potential, and participate in improving their communities.

We started in 2001 as an elective course of nine students. We talked about issues in our community and what we wanted to change. Our solution to youth not having anywhere to go after school to engage in positive activities was to create a youth-run youth center.

Once we decided to do this, we began our journey to the Dream House!

• We got the University of Maryland School of Law to help us become a non-profit with a board of eight youth and eight adults, purchased a vacant house (1430 Carswell St),
  
  
• We successfully presented at the Board of Municipal and Zoning Appeals to change the zoning of the house
  
  
• We held numerous service days to move us through renovations, and raised over $600,000 for construction and programming.

We have now finished construction and as of Summer 2010 are offering a variety of programs at our center, The Dream House. Please see our Programs page to see all that is happening at our center!

Our Board of Directors of eight youth and eight adults continue to guide us.

Students have done and continue to do pretty much everything with guidance and support from adults. We write grants, run fundraisers, design programs, run programs, evaluate programs, plan agendas for our monthly trips to My Sister's Place, plan and participate in our annual gala/auction, volunteer at the Shepherd's Clinic-a free health clinic located behind our future youth center, and work with our pro bono architect and general contractor to design the house and move through the phases of construction. Each month we report to our Board of Directors to get their advice and input.