Since 2011, AYG has been transforming schools and neighborhoods across Detroit — closing the achievement gap, reducing dropout rates, and building communities where every young person can thrive.
The Amil Youth Group (AYG) was founded on a simple but powerful belief: every child deserves access to quality enrichment programs, and every neighborhood deserves to be safe, clean, and prosperous.
Operating across Detroit's east side, AYG partners with schools, families, and community organizations to close the achievement gap for students who face systemic barriers to success. Through a comprehensive suite of over 10 enrichment programs — from tutoring and mentoring to robotics and health awareness — we address the whole child: academic, social, emotional, and physical.
But our work doesn't stop at the school doors. AYG's community mission extends into the neighborhoods where our students live, organizing block cleanups, vacant home board-ups, and tree planting initiatives with partners like Greening Detroit and the Blazing Stars Foundation — a youth-focused organization that joined our partnership network in 2018 to help expand resources and opportunities for Detroit's young people. We believe that when students see their community cared for, they develop the pride and motivation to invest in their own futures.
In 2025, AYG took a major leap forward in educational technology by signing a 10-year partnership agreement with Positive Light Learning Network — the organization now serves as AYG's exclusive educational software provider, delivering cutting-edge digital learning tools directly to the students and families AYG supports. This decade-long commitment reflects a shared vision to ensure Detroit's youth have access to the very best in 21st-century learning resources from 2025 through 2035 and beyond.
Serving the east side since 2011
AYG operates on a dual-mission model — improving student achievement inside schools while transforming the neighborhoods where those students live.
Help improve students' achievement by providing resources and enrichment programs for parents and students. We work collaboratively with school staff, parents, and community stakeholders to eliminate barriers to success — academic, behavioral, and emotional.
Our school-based programs span the full spectrum of student development: from targeted tutoring and mentoring sessions that raise test scores, to technology literacy and robotics programs that prepare students for 21st-century careers, to behavior intervention strategies that create safer, more productive learning environments.
"Our vision is to develop our youth with the skills and mindset for 21st-century career opportunities — in an environment that is safe, clean, and supportive."
Help develop safe, clean, and prosperous environments for our children through unification and enrichment programs — from block cleanups and tree planting to vacant home board-ups and neighborhood beautification projects.
AYG believes that a child's environment shapes their potential. That's why we work alongside partners like Greening Detroit and community volunteers in neighborhoods like Morningside, East English Village, Cornerstone Village, Barton-McFarland, and Dexter/Linwood to create spaces where families feel safe and children can thrive.
"When students see their neighborhood cared for, they develop the pride and motivation to invest in their own futures."
From a single school partnership to a multi-neighborhood movement, AYG has grown steadily since our founding in 2011.
The Amil Youth Group was established by Charles Hyman with a clear purpose: to help close the achievement gap for Detroit's most underserved students. AYG launched its first programs at Burns Elementary/Middle School on the city's east side, beginning with tutoring and mentoring services for students facing chronic absenteeism and behavioral challenges.
During AYG's inaugural year at Burns Elementary/Middle School, the baseline attendance rate stood at just 52%. Discipline referrals were high, and many students lacked the support systems needed to succeed. AYG began building relationships with families, implementing after-school programs, and establishing the Homework Hotline to reach students beyond school hours.
By the second year, AYG's enrichment programs began showing dramatic results. Student attendance at Burns rose from 52% to 76% — a 24-percentage-point increase. Discipline referrals decreased by 47% as behavior intervention strategies took root. The success at Burns attracted attention from other Detroit schools and community partners.
AYG expanded to Central Collegiate Academy, bringing tutoring, mentoring, and student government programs to high school students. In our first year at Central Collegiate, district, state, and college assessment test scores increased, and the student dropout rate fell below 15% — a significant achievement for a school that had struggled with chronic attrition.
AYG formalized partnerships with seven key organizations: The Manhood Project, H&S Educational Service, Detroit Human Resource Center, United Way, The Greatness Camp, Greening Detroit, and Young Men of Excellence. These alliances amplified AYG's capacity to deliver mentoring, environmental stewardship, health education, and career development programs.
With partnerships in place, AYG launched its community mission in earnest. Block cleanups, vacant home board-ups, and tree planting events became regular activities in Morningside, East English Village, Cornerstone Village, Barton-McFarland, and Dexter/Linwood. Working with Greening Detroit, AYG engaged students and families in transforming their own neighborhoods.
Burns Elementary/Middle School's attendance rate surpassed 90% — a remarkable transformation from the 52% baseline in 2011. AYG expanded to Clark Elementary/Middle and East English Village, reaching more students across multiple neighborhoods. The organization's three-step implementation model — Volunteering, Planning, and Execution — proved scalable and sustainable.
The Amil Youth Group forged a new partnership with the Blazing Stars Foundation — a significant milestone in AYG's mission to expand resources and opportunities for Detroit's youth. The collaboration brought additional programmatic support, broadened the network of enrichment services available to students and families, and reinforced AYG's commitment to building a unified community infrastructure around youth success.
In 2025, AYG signed a landmark 10-year partnership agreement with Positive Light Learning Network, effective from 2025 through 2035. Positive Light Learning Network serves as AYG's dedicated educational software provider — supplying the digital learning platforms, tools, and resources that power the academic experience for every student AYG serves. This long-term commitment ensures that Detroit's youth will have consistent, high-quality access to educational technology for an entire decade, reinforcing AYG's vision to equip young people with the 21st-century skills they need to thrive.
Dedicated leaders who are passionate about empowering Detroit's youth and transforming communities from the ground up.
Charles Hyman founded the Amil Youth Group in 2011 with a vision to transform Detroit's most underserved schools and neighborhoods. Drawing on deep roots in the community and a passion for youth development, Charles built AYG from a single school partnership into a multi-program, multi-neighborhood organization that has improved attendance rates by nearly 40 percentage points and reduced discipline referrals by 47%.
Under his leadership, AYG has partnered with organizations including United Way, Greening Detroit, and The Manhood Project to deliver comprehensive enrichment programming that addresses both academic achievement and community well-being.
AYG collaborates with organizations across Detroit that share our commitment to youth development, community safety, and educational excellence.
Mentoring and leadership development for young men, building character and responsibility.
Providing supplemental educational resources, tutoring support, and academic enrichment.
Connecting families with essential services, career resources, and community support systems.
Supporting cradle-to-career initiatives, funding youth development, and strengthening communities.
Summer and weekend enrichment experiences that inspire greatness and cultivate potential.
Environmental stewardship through tree planting, green spaces, and neighborhood beautification.
Fostering academic excellence, civic responsibility, and positive identity development in young men.
Expanding youth resources and enrichment opportunities across Detroit — strengthening AYG's mission to build pathways to success for every young person in our community.
AYG's exclusive educational software provider — delivering cutting-edge digital learning platforms and tools to every student AYG serves, under a decade-long agreement signed in 2025.
AYG serves schools and communities across Detroit's east side and beyond.
Whether you're a volunteer, educator, community organization, or donor — there's a place for you in the AYG family. Join us in building a brighter future for Detroit's youth.