Urban Tech’s Youth Leadership Academy Focuses on Social Skills

​A graduate of St. Johns University with a bachelor of science in finance, Janina Casey completed management training programs at Princeton and Harvard University. In addition to working in equity sales for several financial institutions, Janina Casey serves on the board of directors for non-profit organization National Urban Technology Center (Urban Tech).

Committed to increasing technological access for underrepresented populations, Urban Tech operates programs such as the Youth Leadership Academy (YLA), an online program that teaches social-emotional skills in alignment with Common Core standards. Designed for students in third grade and above, the YLA bundle utilizes multi-media tools to deliver content focused on topics such as self-discovery, community building, healthy habits, and financial literacy.

For older students, the YLA Teen Health Bundle presents educational content that aims to remove the stigma surrounding health and wellness topics such as substance abuse prevention and sexually transmitted diseases. In one study of 230 students, more than 80.3 percent of YLA students reported improved social skills, compared to just 59.3 percent of students who did not participate in the program.