Welcome to FLY - Fresh Lifelines for Youth!

FLY helps teens in trouble learn to make healthy decisions. Founded in 1998, we provide at-risk and disadvantaged youth with vital information regarding the decisions they make in their lives. We provide volunteer mentors who listen. And we give graduates the opportunity to advance to a leadership program where they have the chance to use their knowledge and skills to help other teens in trouble. So far, we have helped nearly 10,000 youth learn the right way through our extensive programs.

Learn more about our programs . . .

What happens to teens in trouble? You be the Judge.

FLY’s programs give our juvenile court judges an educational adjunct to punishment. As juvenile court judges, they have heard all the excuses, many times. Especially “I didn’t know.” But sometimes it’s true. So what do you do with good kids who have made a serious mistake, and stand before you in your courtroom? What do you do with kids who just don't have a positive adult role model? (90% of the youth who come before you don't). What do you do with kids who you don't want to turn into serious criminals?

Until now, you had two basic choices: Punish them like serious criminals, or ignore them until they do something serious again. If you were the judge, what would you do with Sylvia and Juan? . . .

What do our juvenile court judges say about FLY?

"Not having FLY would be a tragic loss. These are mostly kids without fathers, whose mothers work. It's strange but in a year of probation, for instance, the probation officer can change, the judges can change, and the one person who doesn't change is the FLY mentor, that's important. It matters to the kids, and it maters to me. Trust takes time. I can't build it as a judge. So as a judge, I depend on the Mentors of FLY" ― Judge Eugene M. Hyman, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara. Read more comments from parents, judges, school officials and others...

Is FLY cost effective?

Each year, over 13,000 youth are cited for a juvenile offense in Santa Clara County alone. One year of incarceration costs nearly $71,000. One year in FLY's most expensive program costs $7,000 - and we have a 89% success rate in keeping teens out of trouble. See more statistics...