Growth and Development Services (GDS)

Growth and Development Services (GDS) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering individuals and fostering community development. We specialize in mental health, youth leadership, and intergenerational programs. Our administrative office based in Northern Westchester supports programs in Westchester and New York City.

For more than 28 years, Growth and Development Services (GDS) has helped under-resourced inner-city youth to thrive, and Reach their Potential! GDS is a small nonprofit, community-based organization founded in 1996 created to provide essential mental health, leadership development, and intergenerational programs to youth and seniors challenged by social, emotional, behavioral, and educational issues who reside in under-resourced neighborhoods in Northern Manhattan and the Bronx.

GDS and The Excel Program have helped level the playing field for more than a thousand underserved young people, providing them with the skills, support, confidence, and motivation they need to succeed in school, in their communities, and in the workforce. GDS is led by Dr. Gary Altheim, a Clinical Psychologist. Dr. Altheim was recognized by the Child Mind Institute as a 2018 “Change Maker” for his dedication to the vulnerable teens in Upper Manhattan and for “changing life trajectories, enabling countless kids to count on a promising future.”

Youth participants inspire us with their acts of kindness toward their peers, elders with dementia, and the community. Youth Engaging Seniors (YES), GDS' latest initiative. Inner-city youth continue to build human connections, changing the lives of one another while bolstering their own social, emotional, and educational capabilities. As part of GDS' core program, Excel, youth are also offered the following components all year long; leadership development, college readiness, job/career readiness, wellness, mentoring, and mental health counseling services.

Visit www.excelgds.org to learn more about our transformational programs.