Northfield Union of Youth Inc

Currently, NUY operates three core youth-led initiatives:

1. The Key Youth Center

2. The Wallflower Project

3. Wallflower House

The Key

The Key is located in Downtown NorthfieldCelebrating over 30 years of youth leadership, The Key is the nation’s longest-running youth-run youth center. It provides a safe, substance-free place for young people to connect with peers, caring adults, and the Northfield community. The Key is open daily from 2:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. for youth ages 12–20. All programming is free, with no registration required.

Programming at The Key includes:

• Art and Music Nights: Youth explore creativity through visual arts, music, and performance.

• Community Dinners: Weekly shared meals that build connection and provide nourishment.

• Youth Board and Leadership Development: Youth guide programming, help make decisions, and shape the direction of The Key.

• Field Trips and Retreats: From kayaking and museum visits to volunteer events and local festivals, youth expand their experiences and sense of belonging.

• Mental Health Programming: Weekly sessions that build coping skills, emotional resilience, and peer support in a safe, stigma-free space.

• Substance Use Disorder Support: Weekly meetings led by our certified peer recovery specialist, focused on harm reduction, recovery support, and building healthy coping strategies.

• Basic Needs Support: Free food, hygiene products, laundry access, and referrals to resources for youth and families.
  
  

The Key’s programming centers on connection, creativity, and youth voice. Every activity is built around youth-identified needs and designed to strengthen trust, empowerment, and community.

The Wallflower Project

Offering safe shelter and hope for youth experiencing homelessness, the Wallflower Project provides temporary, safe, and supportive housing for youth ages 16–24 through a host home model. The program connects youth with caring community members who open their homes while NUY provides wraparound case management, resource navigation, and long-term housing planning.

In the past year, the Wallflower Project has helped youth secure their first apartments, provided emergency hotel stays, and matched youth with trusted hosts for transitional stability. The program is focused on restoring safety, dignity, and belonging for every young person it serves.

Wallflower House

Wallflower House Opened in February 2025

A home that opens doors to stability and independence, the Wallflower House builds on the success of the Wallflower Project by offering longer-term housing and support for youth ages 18-24 in transition. This safe, stable environment provides young people with the opportunity to focus on their education, employment, and well-being while learning independent living skills.

The Wallflower House is a cornerstone in NUY’s vision for a Northfield where every young person has access to safe housing, meaningful connections, and the opportunity to thrive.

NUY makes an amazing impact on so many Northfield youth.  Just listen to what some local youth said about the Key:

• "The Key is a place that, regardless of what you're feeling or going through at any given time, you'll feel welcome and accepted. It's a very hard thing to walk out of The Key feeling bad. With all the smiles and laughs, it's a happy place to be :)"
• "The Key is warm when it's cold out. It's cool when it's hot out. It's a home-away-from-home and one that's walking distance from the high school. It's a hub of all my best friends. It's where I go to hang out, do homework, soak up some good culture, and be with my non-blood-related family. I have gained so much from The Key, that I can't list it all. All the things that I am and love are from this beautiful oasis, The Key. Everything that gives me joy in life is in some way related to The Key. Creativity and oddity are a somewhat unspoken requirement, or a strongly supported suggestion at The Key. I'm a Key-kid. That's what The Key means to me. I can only describe it as such."
• “The Key is a place where I go to feel empowered to affect meaningful change. I’ve connected to and built relationships with adults and peers from all around our community.”

 

It's an exciting time to become a supporter of NUY!  We believe that every youth deserves the support and encouragement that we can provide as an organization.  We also believe that the solutions to change lie in the hearts and minds of youth.  We need your support and help to continue this ground-level work of empowering youth to own their future and to have the support to dream bigger.