Core Values and History

ACYR has focused on developing our greatest natural resources…youth. Over the years we have grown and evolved into offering academic, vocational, and employment programs that help individuals discover their potential. ACYR helps build pathways to success through education, skill building and employment.

ACYR was originally formed in the early 1970’s as a volunteer effort to connect teenagers to summer jobs. Volunteers were stationed at state Job Service offices, as well as municipal and county agencies throughout Maricopa County, to field job orders from local homeowners and to match young people with jobs in their neighborhoods. It quickly expanded to include full-time employment opportunities with private sector employers during the summer and part-time during the school year. The organization was incorporated in the State of Arizona in 1976. 

From 1988 through 1994, ACYR partnered with the Phoenix Union High School District on several local initiatives to address high dropout rates among the District’s students. Programs were designed to identify students who had either dropped out of school or who were at risk of dropping out, and to offer a variety of re-engagement opportunities, including supplemental academic preparation and career exploration at students home campuses and an alternative campus at the ACYR facility.

 In 1990, we were awarded a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for the purpose of constructing a training center and administrative offices at 649 North 6th Avenue in Phoenix. Completed and dedicated in 1991, it currently houses the Adult Education program, a Phoenix Workforce Connection One-Stop Resource Room, and administrative and support staff. Subsequent CDBG funding has resulted in the construction of two additional buildings at 641 North 6th Avenue and 648 North 5th Avenue. The 641 facility is home to the Center of Excellence, while the 5th Avenue building houses the workforce development programs, a large community meeting room, and a 16-station computer lab.

In 1995 ACYR was funded by the Arizona Department of Education to provide GED preparation and basic skills upgrading to younger adult learners. Phoenix Youthbuild, a partnership between ACYR, the City of Phoenix, and Labor’s Community Service Agency to provide training and education in the construction trades also began in 1995. Rounding out a year of high growth, the Center of Excellence (CoE)  a publicly chartered secondary school specifically designed for students who have not responded positively to a traditional school structure began operations. 

ACYR received recognition as a National Youth Employment Coalition PEPNet (Promising and Effective Practices Network) awardee in 1996, and again in 2000 as a partner in Phoenix YouthBuild. The Center of Excellence (now City View High School) was accredited by the North Central Association in 1998 and renewed in 2003. In 2009 ACYR was one of only four organizations nationally accredited through a rigorous process conducted by the National Youth Employment Coalition.

In 2020 ACYR was funded by the Arizona Department of Economic Security to provide SNAP CAN an employment and training initiative designed to assist SNAP recipients in overcoming employment barriers and achieving economic independence. Participation in SNAP CAN is voluntary and provided at no cost to participants. The program connects participants to the tools and resources needed to obtain employment. 

Another of the organization’s key resources and arguably the most critical one  is its cadre of highly qualified and dedicated staff. The ACYR team consists of twenty-five (25) experienced professionals and support staff who are committed to improving the quality of life for young people, their families, and the community.