Emerald Youth Foundation is a Christian, urban youth ministry in Knoxville, Tennessee, serving more than 2,000 urban young people annually. Our mission is to raise up a large number of urban youth to love Jesus Christ and become effective leaders who help renew their communities.
Emerald Youth offers our programs through a network of 22 churches and faith-based organizations. Programs include:
-JustLead, a neighborhood ministry model which embeds youth workers together with churches across the city to provide after-school, discipleship, summer and mentoring experiences as well as a young adult transition program supporting students through their post-secondary training, professional lives, the faith community and servant-leadership roles in the city;
-Emerald Youth Sports, a community and campus-based sports outreach which teams with Fellowship of Christian Athletes to mobilize athletes to become Christian leaders, providing fun, skills, and competitive sport opportunities;
-Emerald Academy is Knox County's first public charter school and gives families, including those with Special Education and English Language Learner requirements, an education option. Emerald Academy is a free, independently-operated, K-8 college preparatory school that opened July 27, 2015.
