On Tuesday, Feb. 17, the Pima County Board of Supervisors was joined by Youth on Their Own’s CEO, Elizabeth Slater, Board President Katie Maxwell and program graduate Vida Rodriguez to proclaim Feb. 1 Youth on Their Own Day in Pima County.
Youth on Their Own, a “dropout prevention program that supports the high school graduation and continued success of youth experiencing homelessness in Pima County” has been working with local teens for 40 years.
To recognize the important role Youth on Their Own plays in the community, Supervisors passed and adopted a proclamation making Feb. 1, 2026, “Youth on Their Own Day in Pima County.”
District 1 Supervisor Rex Scott presented the proclamation.
A former principal at Catalina Magnet High School, he said that at one point, 11% of all Youth on Their Own students in Pima County were on his campus.
“I’ve been aware of their work for a long time,” he said. “I first became aware of it when I was the principal of a midtown high school that had a significant number of Youth on Their Own students.”
According to the Supervisors’ memorandum, Youth on Their Own has grown from serving a few students to supporting “approximately 1,500 youth annually across Pima County, with an estimated 20,000 participants over four decades.”
Vida Rodriguez, a 2024 program graduate, said he faced multiple barriers as a youth.
Youth on Their Own gave him “the support and stability that I did not know existed,” Rodriguez said.
Founded in and operating out of Tucson, Youth on Their Own owes much of its success to the community’s support, CEO Slater said.
“Youth on Their Own is a homegrown charity,” she said. “It’s just so special to get this recognition of our 40 years, and I think it really motivates us to think about the next 40 years and what we can really achieve here and all the students that we can help.”
Board President Maxwell said the organization helps students in three main ways: academic stipend participants for attending school, basic needs and “consistent guidance and support.”
Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.
