Michael Arterberry Executive Director & Founder

Michael Arterberry is the Executive Director of Youth Voices Center and the founder of the Power of Peace program. He brings nearly three decades of experience in youth development, counseling, and social work, along with a deep personal commitment to supporting young people during the critical adolescent years. Michael holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Iona College and has spent his career working at the intersection of education, mental health, and community-based prevention.

Youth Voices Center was founded in 2008 in response to the growing need for proactive, strengths-based programming that addresses the social and emotional challenges facing today’s youth. Michael’s leadership is informed by both professional training and lived experience, including growing up in an under-resourced community and benefiting from the guidance of positive adult mentors who set high expectations and helped shape his path forward. Those early influences continue to guide Youth Voices Center’s emphasis on leadership development, accountability, and positive identity formation.

The Power of Peace program was inspired in part by Michael’s work as a counselor with the Alternative to Violence Project at Green Haven Correctional Facility, where he witnessed the transformative impact of experiential, values-based programming. Recognizing the preventative power of these approaches, he adapted key principles for adolescents, launching Power of Peace to strengthen school climate, reduce conflict, and promote empathy and respect in school and community settings.

Michael’s work has been recognized through numerous honors, including the USA Network Characters Unite Award and the 100 Men of Color Award for leadership in education, mentorship, and community service. He has also been named Educator of the Year by the Youth Community Outreach Program (Y-COP).

Under Michael’s leadership, Youth Voices Center has served more than 12,000 young people across New York State and continues to partner with schools, districts, and community organizations to create safer, more inclusive environments where young people can thrive.

 

Michael Arterberry is the Executive Director of Youth Voices Center, Inc. and the creator of the Power of Peace Program.

Michael began his tenure working with youth by obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from Iona College.

In founding YVC in 2008, Michael drew heavily on his understanding and empathy for the pressures and difficulties of the teenage years. In addition to his own experiences growing up in poverty, Michael has worked with thousands of teens in a range of settings over the past 24 years as a social worker and counselor. As a teenager, Michael was fortunate to receive guidance from positive adult role models who helped him to overcome adversities and set high expectations for his future. Grateful for the role these mentors played in his own development, Michael decided to dedicate his professional life to helping teenagers navigate the difficult adolescent years.

Michael decided to form YVC while working on the Alternative to Violence Project (AVP) in Green Haven Correctional Facility. Serving as a counselor in AVP, Michael was impressed by the progress of inmates who entered the program with plenty of hesitation and resistance and left the program raving about how much it transformed their perception of themselves and others. Realizing the power of this type of experiential program, Michael founded YVC and launched the Power of Peace program to transform the lives of youth.

In 2010, Michael was selected out of hundreds of nominees to receive a USA Network Characters Unite Award, given to individuals who demonstrate exceptional commitment to combating prejudice and discrimination while increasing tolerance and acceptance within their community.

In 2014, he was the recipient of the 100 Men of Color Award for leadership in education, government, mentorship, entrepreneurial success and community service.

And most recently, he was awarded the EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD from Y-COP, the Youth Community Outreach Program in Mt. Vernon at the First Annual Dinner Dance on September 29th, 2016.

To learn more about Michael and how he encourages others, please visit his Blog and Subscribe for updates.

Michael is also the subject of his wife’s first religion based, spirituality book, “God Was Holding My Hand,” in which Rachel Arterberry chronicles his journey of coming to know the Lord. Spanning from his tumultuous childhood, to a college football injury that turned into spinal cord surgery, Michael becomes self aware that God was holding his hand each step of the way. For more information on the book, please click here.

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