Here is how the seven organizations utilized their Youth Voices mini-grants:
The Park West Foundation’s Empowering Fostering Youth Through TECHnology (EFyTECH) program used a mini-grant for one-time stipends to youth with lived residential placement experiences. One of those young people, Kayla Goshay, was featured on Michigan Radio’s July 29 Stateside episode after participating in an EFyTECH youth-led conversation in late June.
LCMHA held a button-making competition for youth to design mental health and diversity-focused buttons for families served by the organization. Youths judged the designs, and winners were awarded monetary prizes.
Staying Power-Staying Home utilized the mini-grant funds to compensate young people instrumental in creating the production Spoke from the Soil: When Love Is a Thing Called Home. In the performance, youth used their roles to shed light on systemic injustices and the interconnectedness of houselessness/economic oppression, the school-to-prison pipeline, persecution, and carceral system involvement.
The Ottawa County Collaborative to Strengthen Youth and Families hosted a creative showcase that featured artwork by three youths impacted by the juvenile justice system. The audience was juvenile justice and mental health professionals and community members. Watch this local news story to learn more about the youth and their artwork.
The Right Door for Hope, Recovery, and Wellness used their mini-grant to compensate five young adults for their artwork displayed at the Express Yourself gallery on September 9th.
With their mini-grant from MCYJ, the Washtenaw Alliance for Virtual Education (WAVE) compensated seven graduation speakers. WAVE is also planning several writing contests and will use some remaining funds to compensate student writers.
WOWMIN, Inc. hosted a Youth Arts & Crafts Day and awarded stipends to eight young people, ages 12 through 17, for sharing their stories through creative expression.