The Breakthrough Foundation

The Breakthrough Foundation was a non-profit training and consulting organization established in 1980. Know today as Youth at Risk, its programs continue to demonstrate that individuals have the power to produce breakthroughs in their lives, their work, and their communities. Youth at Risk has been acclaimed as effective with young people aged 16 – 20 who either have a history of violence, drugs and crime or are clearly headed in that direction.

In the face of an atmosphere of resignation and hopelessness, a new reality is being created: extraordinary results are being produced and sustained in the lives of young people who had long ago decided, “Nothing matters, and my life doesn’t count.” Professionals in the Youth at Risk field are seeing that an endless cycle of destructive behavior and punishment is not inevitable and are seeing opportunities to take action personally and directly that make a difference in their communities.

The work of the Breakthrough Foundation was made possible through the contribution of thousands of individual sponsors who invested their time and money. The “10 day Course”, a core element of the Youth at Risk Program, was developed by Werner Erhard.