About Us

Purpose
Making Youth a Community Priority

Mission
The mission of The Eagle River Youth Coalition is to collaborate with Eagle River youth-serving organizations to assess prevention needs and build capacity; through strategic plans, programs, and policies around the issues facing young people.

Vision
Strengthening community collaboration to enable youth to reach their full potential.

History
The Eagle River Youth Coalition (ERYC) was founded in 2001 through a collaborative vision of Leadership Vail Valley, the Eagle CARES Survey team, and Eagle County to provide cohesion among youth service providers. ERYC was charged with overseeing data assessment to ensure the community had an honest measure of youth behaviors and perceptions and a way to analyze effectiveness and gaps in youth services. These outcomes would drive ERYC’s leadership in collaborative planning of youth services. By working together with a diverse variety of service providers, the community could more effectively assess and meet the changing needs of youth and mobilize the community for positive change.

Since our inception in 2001, ERYC has expanded beyond a sole focus on collaborative support to address gaps and offer a variety of prevention programming. Through strong partnerships with local, state and federal governments as well as youth program providers, ERYC provides substance abuse prevention, suicide prevention and intervention, and parent outreach efforts throughout the Eagle River Valley.

It is an honor for ERYC to represent the great work of various youth service providers, and to work collaboratively to ensure the health of Eagle County youth remains a priority.

Philosophy
Everything we do at ERYC is driven by one common value: making youth a community priority. With a vision, a mission and core values rooted in this belief, ERYC rallies community support to enable youth to reach their full potential. In following positive, strength and evidence-based curriculums, The ERYC continues to create positive change by promoting the assets of youth and raising the level of youth esteem.

To create a community that is focused on health and social well-being, collaboration and a willingness to maintain knowledge and understanding of best practices. By collaborating with 21 youth-serving agencies in Eagle County, The ERYC takes a unified approach to ensure youth needs are met. This sets Eagle County apart as a community with a solid quality of life, always working toward a community where young people are equipped with skills that support healthy bodies, healthy minds, and improved decision-making and leadership skills to guide their own lives.