Help Lara Start a Youth Program
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Fresh out of college, Lara was the program director at TEENS, Inc. in Nederland, Colorado, where she got to lead a youth employment program called VIEW. In VIEW, teens were able to represent an issue that they cared about through any art medium they chose, and educate their community about this issue through the arts. It was an awesome program, and the teens of VIEW accomplished some amazing things - learning to play instruments, writing a song, and making the music video below; writing and performing a play about teen health; even fundraising for, designing, and building a public art wall outside the teen center that successfully reduced the occurrence of illegal graffiti in town. Her students say even today that the things they accomplished in VIEW are some of the first things they can point to that they are really proud of.
Lara has missed VIEW ever since.
Fast forward a handful of years.
Lara is still super passionate about working with youth and having a positive impact in her community. She's got several ideas for new youth programs, and eventually wants to start her own non-profit. She's been talking to Tucson Youth Development about starting a program similar to VIEW for students at their two charter high schools. These students typically face significant barriers to education and employment including homelessness, teen pregnancy, learning disabilities and more - in fact, over 90% of TYD's students are low-income. This program would be an opportunity for these students to gain job experience through service-learning style projects that would make a positive impact in their community. Lara and Tucson Youth Development have worked together to craft a letter of intent and a detailed budget. The only thing missing is the funding.
With $15,000 Lara could hire 6 youth employees and facilitate the first 12-week program in Spring of 2019, getting this new program off the ground and better positioning it to receive grant funding for future sessions.
Your support would mean the world not only to Lara and her new husband as they begin this phase of their life together, but to six youth who would get an opportunity that otherwise wouldn't be available to them, in a state that has seen its funding for arts in education slashed in recent years. We live in increasingly uncertain times, and any amount you are able to give could be life-changing for Tucson's youth.
Lara has missed VIEW ever since.
Fast forward a handful of years.
Lara is still super passionate about working with youth and having a positive impact in her community. She's got several ideas for new youth programs, and eventually wants to start her own non-profit. She's been talking to Tucson Youth Development about starting a program similar to VIEW for students at their two charter high schools. These students typically face significant barriers to education and employment including homelessness, teen pregnancy, learning disabilities and more - in fact, over 90% of TYD's students are low-income. This program would be an opportunity for these students to gain job experience through service-learning style projects that would make a positive impact in their community. Lara and Tucson Youth Development have worked together to craft a letter of intent and a detailed budget. The only thing missing is the funding.
With $15,000 Lara could hire 6 youth employees and facilitate the first 12-week program in Spring of 2019, getting this new program off the ground and better positioning it to receive grant funding for future sessions.
Your support would mean the world not only to Lara and her new husband as they begin this phase of their life together, but to six youth who would get an opportunity that otherwise wouldn't be available to them, in a state that has seen its funding for arts in education slashed in recent years. We live in increasingly uncertain times, and any amount you are able to give could be life-changing for Tucson's youth.
Organizer
Lara Ruggles
Organizer
Tucson, AZ
