Youth Development (MyCom)  

In 2006, the Cleveland Foundation identified youth development as a priority issue for research and investment. Following two years of planning, convening and implementing, MyCom launched as Greater Cleveland’s commitment to positive youth development. Learn more about the MyCom approach to youth development .

MyCom Mission

To connect young people in Greater Cleveland with positive experiences and caring adults they need to lead good lives, supplementing the parenting and education of our young people.

MyCom Vision

By inspiring and preparing young people in Greater Cleveland to reach their potential and contribute to their community, MyCom will be a key success factor in their lives. 

What is MyCom?

MyCom – My Commitment, My Community – is a network of people and organizations that aims to give youth every opportunity for happy, productive futures in communities that value and support them. MyCom makes it easy to find supportive people and close-to-home, quality activities that will inspire and prepare youth for the future.

How does MyCom work?

MyCom connects the dots – making it easy for young people and their families to find and access a variety of services. MyCom also helps organizations better serve youth, in part by involving young people in the planning process to ensure that programs and services match real needs. 

How can I learn more about MyCom?

• Visit the official MyCom website – www.mycom.net – or call the MyCom line at 216-698-8927
• Download a brochure (.PDF form) describing the program
• Read about the MyCom approach in more detail
• View three videos related to MyCom 

How can I help?

If you are committed to supporting young people in our community, you can help in many ways.

Your support as a donor, mentor, employer, or friend means that you bring positive experiences and a caring spirit to young people in our community – and you never know when that support might change a young person’s life.

Please consider joining with MyCom to live out your commitment to our community:

Individuals

• Visit the MyCom volunteer page
• Be a caring adult in a child’s life
• Donate to the Cleveland Foundation’s Youth Development Initiative Fund (You can do so immediately via credit card.)
• Volunteer to be a Big Brother, Big Sister, tutor, or mentor
• Help students at your local high school complete college applications
• Sponsor summer camp for one young person
• Participate in a local school’s Career Day

Businesses

• Offer internships or summer work experiences to youth
• Direct charitable contributions to the Cleveland Foundation’s Youth Development Initiative Fund (You can do so immediately via credit card.)
• Provide a job shadowing experience for kids ages 12 to 18
• Donate in-kind products or services
• Engage colleagues in a youth-focused service project
• Distribute information about MyCom to your employees
• Schedule MyCom to make a presentation to your board or senior management team

Foundations

• Support MyCom with grantmaking
• Become a MyCom funding partner
• Incorporate MyCom principles and outcomes into youth-related grantmaking
• Spread the word about MyCom
• Connect new youth initiatives to MyCom
  

Learn more about MyCom

Visit the official MyCom website – www.mycom.net – or call the MyCom line at 216-698-8927. You're also welcome to listen to this Cleveland Foundation podcast with Lisa Bottoms, who discusses the program's achievements in its first two years of existence.

MyCom team wins award

The MyCom South Shaker Youth Initiative Team was chosen to receive the Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for Human Relations.

MyCom in Slavic Village

Two examples of the power of MyCom are seen in Slavic Village. Find out what MyCom means to one youngster from that neighborhood, and how after-school activities there are providing positive influences to young people.

MyCom videos

These three videos give a glimpse into a few of the many MyCom-supported programs in Greater Cleveland.