Kalvin came to the Lynn YMCA because of a love of basketball, and it turned out to be so much more. Kalvin’s father was in jail, his mom was working around the clock and he was hanging out with the wrong crowd in his free time. At the Lynn YMCA, he learned about the Kaya program, a leadership development program designed to engage Cambodian youth in generating positive change in their community. Kalvin joined Kaya and his life changed. Surrounded by good friends in a safe environment and encouraged to make good choices, Kalvin’s behavior issues disappeared. “While doing Kaya, I left that wrong crowd and starting doing better stuff,” Kalvin said. His grades improved through the Y’s GPA study group and homework help after school. He became an active volunteer in his community and he is a leader in the Kaya program, now responsible for teaching traditional Cambodian dances to his peers. “If it wasn’t for Kaya, I would probably be in a gang right now.”