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Youth Services Exchange Collective Evolves into Youth Services United, Names New Co-Chairs
The Youth Services Exchange Collective (YSEC), a transplanted initiative under THRIVE ON!'s Rootwork incubator supported in partnership with the Ulster County Youth Bureau, has announced a new name, new leadership, and a bold agenda for the year ahead.
9 de abril de 2026
A Name That Reflects the Work
What began as a resource-sharing experiment has grown into something more expansive: a countywide movement to align, strengthen, and unify youth-serving organizations across Ulster County. The new name—Youth Services United (YSU)—captures that evolution.
"The word 'Exchange' captured one piece of what we do," said Keyvious Avery, Co-Chair of YSU and President of THRIVE ON!. "But 'United' speaks to the deeper goal—organizations working as one ecosystem, not in isolation. That's what we're building."
The rebrand reflects the collective's growth beyond its original scope and signals its commitment to becoming a durable, community-wide infrastructure for youth services.
New Governance, New Co-Chair
Alongside the new name, YSU has established a new governance group to guide its direction and operations:
Beth Humphrey - MKAD/D.R.A.W.
Douglas Blancero - Ulster County Community Action
Eva Tenuto - TMI Project
Kelly White - Ellenville CSD
Leila Santana - The Children’s Home of Kingston
The collective is now co-chaired by Sue Weed and Keyvious Avery, whose combined experience in youth services, community organizing, and nonprofit leadership positions YSU for its next chapter. The new governance group will oversee YSU's strategic priorities, facilitate member engagement, and ensure the collective continues to operate with equity, trust, and transparency at its core.
This Year's Focus: Conference, Platform, and Universal Application
YSU has set an ambitious agenda for the year, organized around three interconnected priorities:
A Countywide Conference — YSU will convene youth-serving organizations across Ulster County for a landmark gathering designed to deepen relationships, surface shared challenges, and chart a collective path forward. The conference will create space for organizations to connect not just around resources, but around vision.
An Exchange Platform — YSU will formalize and expand its digital infrastructure, creating an always-active online platform where member organizations can list available resources, post immediate needs, and engage in real-time exchanges—without waiting for scheduled events.
A Universal Application — To reduce redundancy and lower barriers for families, YSU will develop a shared application that youth and families can use to access services across multiple member organizations. Rather than navigating a separate intake process for every program, families will be able to access the network through a single, streamlined entry point.
Together, these three priorities represent a shift from coordination to integration—making YSU not just a space for exchange, but a connective tissue for the entire youth services ecosystem in Ulster County.
Rooted in Rootwork, Strengthened by Partnership
YSU continues to operate as a transplanted initiative under THRIVE ON!'s Rootwork incubator, in partnership with the Ulster County Youth Bureau. That foundation provides the operational stability, fiscal sponsorship, and community infrastructure needed to pursue this year's goals at scale.
What YSEC proved—and what YSU is ready to build on—is that youth-serving organizations in Ulster County are stronger together. The Rootwork incubator gives YSU the runway to make that a reality.
About Youth Services United
Youth Services United (YSU) is a countywide collaborative of youth-serving organizations across Ulster County. YSU is building a replicable model for resource-sharing and collective action in youth services—with the goal of becoming an international model for how communities can unite to serve young people.
About THRIVE ON!
THRIVE ON! is a youth-driven nonprofit based in Kingston, NY. Through its Early Thrivers program and Rootwork incubator, THRIVE ON! equips young people and grassroots leaders to design, build, and lead the solutions their communities need.