Say Yes Buffalo

Say Yes Buffalo Say Yes Buffalo's mission is to remove barriers to educational and career attainment for our youth.

Say Yes Buffalo is a landmark collaboration that brings all sectors of the community together to provide holistic, year-round support to Buffalo Public School District students throughout their K-12 years and beyond. Beginning with the 2012-13 school year, Say Yes Buffalo began implementing support services to address academic, social/emotional and health needs of students in the Buffalo Public School District. Services currently available include:
-Scholarships (funded by local, private sources) to attend vocational and/or 2 and 4-year colleges (scholarships are available to graduates of public and charter schools in the city of Buffalo)
-Student monitoring system to ensure students are on track to thrive and successfully graduate high school

Additional services are being rolled out to one-quarter of the District’s public schools each year for the next three years. These services include:
-On-site Say Yes staff person (Site Facilitator) devoted to student support
-After school and summer enrichment programming
-College coaching
-Mentoring programs
-Tutoring and academic assistance
-Legal assistance for families
-Health and wellness supports

Services will be rolled out to schools depending on what Say Yes “Cohort” they have been assigned to. Say Yes and its partners divided the Buffalo Public Schools into four Cohorts, with each including equal representation of high, mid and low performing schools. For more information about Say Yes Buffalo Scholarships and Grants, as well as when specific Say Yes Buffalo services are coming to a specific school visit our website at www.SayYesBuffalo.org.

12/15/2025

Board of Education President Kathy Evans-Brown and Superintendent Mubenga Announce Pause on School Closures

Board of Education President Dr. Kathy Evans-Brown, in consensus with Superintendent Mubenga, has decided to pause any action on school closures until the new Board of Education is in place in January. No action will be taken at the board meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 17, to close any specific schools.

Along with his family, friends, and the greater Buffalo arts community, we are mourning the passing of Muhammad Z. Zaman...
12/11/2025

Along with his family, friends, and the greater Buffalo arts community, we are mourning the passing of Muhammad Z. Zaman. Muhammad was one of the eight Artists-in-Residence that we hosted on the Creatives Rebuild New York grant and fast became part of the Say Yes family. A humble and powerful light has gone dark, but we will carry his blessings with us.

The artwork he created during a live fundraising event in 2022 (shown below) was purchased by a board member and donated back to Say Yes Buffalo where it has proudly hung outside our CEO David Rust's office ever since. It will stand as a reminder of his strength, creativity , and love for his community.

If you are so moved, please consider joining the campaign to assist his two young children. https://www.gofundme.com/f/benefit-for-muhammad-z-zaman-and-his-family?attribution_id=sl:59750374-a222-43ca-971d-72e14c7b22ef&lang=en_US&utm_campaign=man_ss_icons&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link

12/10/2025

Congratulations to Breaking Barriers and director Daniel Robertson for this recognition from the Bills!

We recently asked apprentices in our Modern Youth Apprenticeship (MYA) program to reflect on where they were this time l...
12/10/2025

We recently asked apprentices in our Modern Youth Apprenticeship (MYA) program to reflect on where they were this time last year and answer the following questions: How has your MYA experience helped you grow professionally and personally? What have you learned about yourself since you started the program?

This time last year, many of our apprentices were standing at the starting line- some still in high school, others just beginning their professional careers. They’ve faced challenges- balancing work and college, navigating health struggles, and even overcoming the uncertainty of job loss. Yet, through it all, they have grown-discovering strengths they didn’t know they had, learning to advocate for themselves, and building confidence to thrive in the workplace.

This is what MYA is all about: creating pathways for young talent to earn, learn, and lead.

If you’re an employer who wants to be a part of this impact, reach out to Emily Vargas: evargas@sayyesbuffalo.org

The apprentices of SYB’s Modern Youth Apprenticeship program recently held their monthly Cohort meeting where they had t...
12/03/2025

The apprentices of SYB’s Modern Youth Apprenticeship program recently held their monthly Cohort meeting where they had the opportunity to learn from each other’s work and school experiences, receive guidance and support from SYB’s Workforce Development Solutions team, and participate in professional development. Elizabeth Morsheimer, Community Outreach Specialist at Parachute Credit Counselling, Inc. led a valuable workshop on financial literacy. Apprentices learned about budgeting, debt management, and saving strategies.

Apprentices also provided feedback on programming and areas of learning they would like to explore- ensuring we are continuously improving our offerings and support.

For more information about the services Parachute Credit Counselling, Inc. offers, email Elizabeth Morsheimer: libby.morsheimer@parachutecredit.org

For more information about the Modern Youth Apprenticeship program, email YAinfo@sayyesbuffalo.org.

🎁🍸We're hoping to help dozens of families we work with in our Family Support program with thoughtful and useful holiday...
12/02/2025

🎁🍸We're hoping to help dozens of families we work with in our Family Support program with thoughtful and useful holiday gifts! Come by for a drink and a bite and help a neighbor at the same time. Can't come? We'd love for you to join our campaign by grabbing an item from our Amazon wishlist:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/R5REVVRAFVYH/ref=hz_ls_biz_ex

Tomorrow is the FOURTH Saturday of the month, which means that all FOURTH graders in the Greater Buffalo area in additio...
11/21/2025

Tomorrow is the FOURTH Saturday of the month, which means that all FOURTH graders in the Greater Buffalo area in addition to one or two family members can get FREE admission to some excellent museums and cultural attractions including Explore & More at Canalside and the Botanical Gardens! Full details in the flyer.

Say Yes Buffalo’s Modern Youth Apprenticeship (MYA) program not only positively impacts the lives of our apprentices, bu...
11/19/2025

Say Yes Buffalo’s Modern Youth Apprenticeship (MYA) program not only positively impacts the lives of our apprentices, but it helps our employer partners create thriving workplaces for all young professionals. Jon Danat, Senior Branch Manger at M&T Bank and cohort 3 apprentice supervisor recently shared his team’s positive experience with MYA.

“Our experience with MYA and with our apprentice, Diamond, has helped change our perspective on hiring, onboarding and training young talent in our organization. This was Diamond’s first job, and it was interesting watching her grow and to be involved in her professional development. There were challenges because this was her first opportunity in a structured work environment. But Diamond was receptive to all advice and ran with the opportunity.

Having Diamond on our team has influenced our work culture by providing a breath of fresh air and a new perspective on a lot of things in the branch. Open communication and treating Diamond as a full-fledged member of staff has helped our team build a strong relationship with her. Hiring fresh from high school allows us to develop someone into the role versus hiring someone who already has entry level understanding of what their role is and tries to make it something it’s not.
It’s been amazing to watch Diamond grow in such a short period of time!”

Employers interested in learning more about MYA can reach out to Emily Vargas, Business Development Supervisor: evargas@sayyesbuffalo.org

🎁🍸We're hoping to help dozens of families we work with in our Family Support program with thoughtful and useful holiday...
11/19/2025

🎁🍸We're hoping to help dozens of families we work with in our Family Support program with thoughtful and useful holiday gifts! Come by for a drink and a bite and help a neighbor at the same time. Can't come? We'd love for you to join our campaign by grabbing an item from our Amazon wishlist accessed by the QR code.

11/17/2025

This Saturday (11/22) The Rousseau Foundation will be distributing 100 free turkeys along with grocery bags full of Thanksgiving foods at Harvey Austin BPS 97! Distribution will start at 11:00am.

The giveaway is open to all, so if you or someone you know is in need of food for the holiday season, please stop by.

Buffalo Public Schools

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1166 Jefferson Avenue
Buffalo, NY
14208

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