Apex for Youth empowers Asian American youth from low-income and immigrant backgrounds to unlock their potential today and a world of possibility tomorrow.
We are building a world without limits for all Asian American youth.
of Asian American youth live in or near poverty in NYC.
of any racial/ethnic group, Asian Americans are in seeking mental health services.
or more of Asian American youth feel less safe than before the pandemic.
of youth built positive relationships with volunteers, coaches and Apex staff
frequently tried new things at Apex
felt like an important part of their team
*These as numbers are from our FY24 annual report.
Apex was founded in New York’s Chinatown in 1992 by five friends with a shoestring budget of $2,000. Today, our roots and reach have only strengthened, anchored by our headquarters on Chrystie Street.
As we grew our impact, we recognized Brooklyn as an area with significant needs, limited available services and strong community partners, so we expanded beyond Manhattan for the first time.
Apex’s expansion into Queens piloted events and programs to build connections and community in an area where half of NYC’s low-income youth reside, yet supportive services remain scarce.
Identifying a greater need during the pandemic, we launched our National Virtual Mentoring Program for high school students and Read with Apex for elementary school students, allowing us to reach youth who hadn’t had access to Apex.
of youth are Asian American.
of youth are from low-income families.
hours of total programming and services delivered.
hours of program participation by youth.
At Apex, we combine impactful mentorship with access to critical resources that would not have otherwise been available to Asian American youth from low-income backgrounds. From mentors and therapists to athletic coaches and career guides, these transformative relationships with caring adults create systems of support to help our youth thrive and pursue futures without limits. Throughout our programs, we provide different forms of mentorship and mental health services tailored to the unique needs of our youth based on their developmental stage.
Promoting long-lasting connections with mentors and adult role models
Offering access to opportunities and resources to close the opportunity gap and help youth to create the lives that they want
Fostering skills and providing support to pursue futures that reflect their own individual values, interests, and priorities
Encourage youth to value themselves, and embrace a growth mindset, defining what it means to be Asian American on their own terms
Our staff are the driving force behind our impact on the community we serve. Their vast knowledge and experience as educators, youth workers and trained mental health professionals, combined with their deep understanding of the cultural nuances that our Asian American youth experience every day, enable us to provide a deep level of care that is tailored to our youth through one-of-a-kind programming.
Apex for Youth, originally called APEX, was founded in New York’s Chinatown in 1992 by five friends who saw that Asian American youth were lacking the support they needed to thrive. With a shoestring budget of $2,000, Apex was launched as a volunteer-led mentoring program to inspire youth to expand their horizons and envision what was possible for their lives.
Today, Apex is one of the largest organizations in the country serving primarily Asian American youth. The organization supports thousands of youth across three New York City boroughs and nationally through remote programming.
“A group of Apex students and mentors from the organization’s early days.”
