Programs We Offer

Night LIFE
(Leadership in a Fun Environment)

This program is an out-of-school time and weekend night program that empowers youth to develop vital skills such as communication, citizenship, and self-efficacy that will prepare them to be well-rounded leaders within their communities. Across all program activities, team members expose mentees to Banister’s Twelve Pillars of Leadership (e.g., respect, fairness, and responsibility), which provide a foundation for how to be an effective leader. Our caring and dedicated team provides youth with hot meals at programming and engages them in fun and educational games, discussions, and activities that further their understanding and incorporation of the Pillars.

Family Navigator:

This program works with families of court-involved and high-risk youth to help them navigate the juvenile justice system and engage their children in positive environments. This program provides alternatives to detainment and probation. The Banister’s team facilitates discussions and activities to help foster the youths’ prosocial skills and sense of community. Family Navigator participants work through the evidence-based Change Company Journals, which have been shown to promote positive changes in thinking and behavior, improved emotion regulation, and increased self-efficacy.

Healthy Kids Movement (HKM):

This program removes the stigma of receiving help by having counselors and therapists meet families where they are. We are changing the narrative on mental health in our community; brain health is just as important as physical health. At HKM, we partner with licensed therapists, counselors, and community advocates who facilitate engaging lessons to help mentees develop resilience, cope with life, and continue to grow into well-rounded, healthy adults. HKM services occur during our in-person programs.

Healthy Communities Movement (HCM)
(For Children, Families, and Individuals through Telehealth)

This program removes the stigma of receiving help by having counselors and therapists meet families where they are. We are changing the narrative on mental health in our community; brain health is just as important as physical health. Youth, their families, and members of the community have access to Banister’s telehealth services, which allow them to individually partner with licensed counselors and therapists to aid with mental and behavioral health concerns. 

This program is offered virtually in multiple Nebraska counties. See the full list of virtual locations here.

Goal Setting Mentoring Program

The Goal Setting program offers small group mentoring to promote and improve youths’ short- and long-term goal-setting abilities. After mentees choose their goal at the start of each session (e.g., improving school performance or becoming better citizens), team leaders hold conversations to discuss goal progress and brainstorm solutions to any obstacles that may hinder goal completion. Mentees share success stories and help each other through peer-to-peer problem-solving discussions. Goal Setting services occur during Night Life programming.

Extended Academic Success Leadership Academy (EASLA)
(Kindergarten – 6th grade)

The EASLA program provides youth with a safe and stable environment on weekdays from 3:30 until 6:00 p.m. after the school day. The youths in this program will have a dependable place to work on homework, socialize with peers, and learn respect for themselves and others. The children in this program have a secure after-school activity where they can have fun and learn during the gap between the end of the school day and when their caretakers are available to supervise them during the evenings.

Summer Extended Academic Success Leadership Academy (EASLA)
(Kindergarten—6th grade)

The EASLA program provides youth with a safe and stable environment on weekdays during the summer month when school is not in session. During the summer, the youths in this program will continue to build their leadership through fun engagement, socialize with peers, and learn respect for themselves and others.

Youth 2 Movement Y2M:
(ages 14-24)

This program is an experiential learning program providing employment opportunities and personal and leadership development for youth and young adults. Participants in Y2M join in activities designed to build leadership, increase job skills, and foster teamwork skills while earning a weekly stipend. Y2M is created on the evidence-based model: Bring Your “A” Game, an engaging curriculum for building the seven foundational workplace skills of Work Ethic. Banister’s leaders assist participants in building work skills and finding outside employment.

Simmonds Youth Advocacy Project:
(ages 10-26)

The Simmonds project is a three-tiered program that works with high-risk and court-involved youth and young adults to promote positive decision-making, prosocial attitudes, community involvement, and mentorship. The younger participants focus on the prevention of criminogenic actions and the promotion of prosocial attitudes. With the older participants, the focus is community involvement and positive mentoring. For adjudicated youth, we work to progress and complete their diversion plans. Older participants work through the evidence-based Change Company Journals that have been shown to promote positive changes in thinking and behavior, improve emotion regulation, and increase self-efficacy.