On a summer evening in north Flint, teams of young people huddled around their creations: custom-built robots designed to navigate a course filled with electrical challenges and obstacles. With skilled tradespeople at their sides, kids cheered as their machines raced across the boards, the culmination of weeks of hard work, creativity, and determination.

For Pastor Derrick Watkins, founder of ABC Youth, those moments capture what the nonprofit set out to do when it launched in 2017: help Flint youth discover pathways into skilled trades while building confidence and pride.

“The biggest impact we notice is how it’s raising the confidence in the children that come to our program,” Watkins said. “It’s making a difference because it’s giving them a pathway that they probably wouldn’t be exposed to without a program like this.”

A Pathway to Trades and STEM

ABC Youth, a program of the nonprofit Active Boys in Christ, Inc., offers year-round programming in education, life skills, and community improvement. The skilled trades program, supported by the Ruth Mott Foundation since 2018, is one of its cornerstones. Since then, the Foundation has invested $287,875 in the program under its Youth priority area, understanding that Flint residents voiced a need for job training and development programs for young people.

The 2025 summer session reached full capacity before it even began, with 111 youth enrolled, including 51 returning from the previous year. The demand reflects not only the program’s popularity but also its impact.

ABC Youth staff designed the robotics curriculum themselves and are working toward securing a trademark or patent. The approach blends hands-on trade skills with STEM concepts, requiring participants to design and build robots that meet strict specifications. Once completed, each team’s robot must successfully navigate all four competition boards.

“The one thing we notice is once we introduce them to a new skill, they’ll work through their breaks,” Watkins said. “They’re getting a sense of accomplishment — building something and seeing it change right before their eyes.”

More Than Tools and Training

The program’s outcomes extend beyond technical know-how. Pre- and post-program surveys show improvements in scholastic competence, global self-worth, and job skill competence. Parents, too, see the difference.

At the 2024 end-of-year celebration, parents and community members gathered to applaud the young builders. The event highlighted the close relationships between youth and mentors, the joy of shared learning, and the pride of accomplishment.

The program’s success is rooted in community connection alongside curriculum. Of the organization’s staff and volunteers, 80% live in Flint, with nearly one-third residing in north Flint.

“Our dollars from the Ruth Mott Foundation really help us be consistent,” Watkins said. “It allows us to provide quality tools, materials and a hot meal every day for the kids. That consistency is what makes the difference.”

Investing in Youth and Community

ABC Youth’s commitment to youth development goes hand in hand with neighborhood improvement. Alongside training, participants take part in renovation and demolition projects that help reduce blight in their community.

“We’re investing in the children and also in the community, and it’s making it better,” Watkins said.

That dual focus — building up youth while improving Flint neighborhoods — has fueled the organization’s growth. Since its founding, ABC Youth has purchased more than seven acres of land. The property already hosts outdoor recreation and robotics competitions, and plans are underway to develop a full training facility.

“The future expansion of our program is to go more into STEM trades,” Watkins said. “That’s what we’re looking forward to.”

Lasting Impact

Even after the summer ends, ABC Youth continues to support students through academic tutoring. Beginning in October and running through April, the program offers one-on-one and small-group sessions in math, reading and science.

Over the years, some participants have stayed with the program from childhood into their teens, while others return as volunteers. Watkins recalls watching one longtime participant, now in 11th grade, advance year after year.

“To see how he’s grown and improved his skill level from when he first started to where he is today — it’s pretty amazing,” he said.

For Watkins, the greatest reward is seeing young people discover talents and opportunities they never imagined.

“When you take kids and you introduce them to tools or skills they don’t have much experience with, the impact is immediate,” he said. “They don’t want to stop. They want to keep learning. That’s how you know you’re making a difference.”

To learn more about ABC Youth, visit activeboysinchrist.org/.