Who We Are
Partners Uplifting Our Daughters and Sons (PUDS) is a community-rooted, multi-city organization dedicated to empowering youth, strengthening families, and transforming communities through opportunity, healing, and leadership.
We believe young people thrive when they are surrounded by support, stability, and real pathways to success. Our work centers youth not as problems to be fixed, but as leaders, entrepreneurs, and change-makers with the power to shape their futures.
What We Do
PUDS delivers trauma-informed, culturally responsive programming that combines:
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Youth entrepreneurship and economic empowerment
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Violence prevention and leadership development
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Peer mental health and healing-centered support
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Family- and community-focused engagement
Our programs are designed to meet young people where they are, while equipping them with practical skills, confidence, and opportunities that extend far beyond the classroom.
Where We Work
PUDS currently operates across multiple cities and states, including:
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New York City
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Newark, New Jersey
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East Orange, New Jersey
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Boston, Massachusetts
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Birmingham, Alabama
Through partnerships with cities, schools, universities, and community organizations, we adapt our models to local needs while maintaining a strong, proven core approach.
Why We Expanded
Over time, our work with youth made one thing clear: young people’s outcomes are deeply connected to the stability, healing, and opportunity available within their families and communities.
In response, PUDS expanded its focus to include family-centered and justice-informed work, recognizing that supporting parents, caregivers, and justice-impacted individuals strengthens the environments where youth live, learn, and grow.
This holistic approach allows us to address root causes, not just symptoms, and to build lasting change across generations.
Our Leadership Approach
Over time, our work with youth made one thing clear: young people’s outcomes are deeply connected to the stability, healing, and opportunity available within their families and communities.
In response, PUDS expanded its focus to include family-centered and justice-informed work, recognizing that supporting parents, caregivers, and justice-impacted individuals strengthens the environments where youth live, learn, and grow.
This holistic approach allows us to address root causes, not just symptoms, and to build lasting change across generations.
Our Commitment
Rooted in dignity, accountability, and trust
Focused on long-term impact, not short-term intervention
Led by those closest to the challenges and the solutions
