Avenues Report
Our mission is to work in partnership with our community to prevent youth homelessness and provide homeless and at-risk young people the resources and skills needed to lead healthy, productive lives.
Friday, November 2, 2012
www.newavenues.org
New Avenues for Youth’s
A special update for our supporters
Six Homeless Youth Q&A with Treasure Produce Short Film Hopefully the first of many film projects by the creative youth served by New Avenues Every year, New Avenues for Youth produces a short video to share with our community. These videos are an accessible way for supporters and other community members to learn more about our organization’s mission and, more often than not, provide a rare glimpse into the lives of young people we serve. This year, we took the video in a new and exciting direction: six of the youth we serve produced the video themselves, from start to finish. Through a partnership with Portland Community Media, the youth participated in an intensive week-
long film production workshop. Deondre, Nancy, Treasure, Butterfly, Avatar, and Marc learned how to operate professional video and audio equipment, explored the roles of film production crews, worked together to plan the video’s content, and then conducted all the interviews and shot all the footage they needed to produce the final product. The results were astounding. The youth’s
level of dedication to the video project was surpassed only by their creativity and skill in making their vision a reality. Time and time again, we are humbled by the amazing potential of the youth we serve, and it is projects like these that serve as crucial reminders that when given the proper resources and support, these young people will thrive. Click to view video
A youth we serve discusses her role in the film project and her love of poetry
What was your here. I hadn’t realized experience with the how far I’ve come. film project? I thought it was a You also write great opportunity poetry, right? to learn about how cameras work, since I’ve never done that before. Also, I learned a lot more about myself as an individual.
What was it like watching the final film?
I didn’t think it was going to be as touching as it was, because I didn’t know everyone’s story down here. And so to hear what they’ve been through... I don’t want to say it’s sad because I don’t think people want pity, but it’s tragic, because we’ve all been put in situations that led us
I’ve been writing since I was 13, right after my grandmother passed away. We were really close and she took care of me a lot. I didn’t know how to deal with that. I tend to keep things inside, and I’ve learned that poetry is a good way to show how you feel. And so some of it is really dark because of things I’ve been through, a lot of it is stuff that no one should ever have to go through. But right now I’m trying to find good in myself and life in order to write a good poem that’s not as dark.
Providing a path of hope and possibilities
Friday, November 2, 2012
Meet Mike Our longtime volunteer who cooks & serves breakfast every Monday How did you start volunteering here? My wife’s family is Joyce Furman’s family, and I had been wanting to volunteer for a couple years but the way my work went, it just wasn’t conducive. Now I work at home and have more free time. What do you do when you aren’t volunteering here? I’m a currency trader, so I trade stocks, currencies, and mutual funds. I work for myself. What keeps you coming in to volunteer every week? First of all, I love to cook. But I also love to help, and I think it’s part of my duty to help. I think money only goes so far when you donate and that everyone has an obligation to help out. Click here to learn about how you can help to make a difference in the lives of homeless youth
Adventures on the Rogue River A narrative by Transitional Housing Coordinator Leah Breen and Transitional Housing Counselor Crystal Lewis
second year in a row, New Avenues for Youth was lucky to be cho“senForto the take part in a Life Expanding Adventure Program (LEAP) trip down
the Rogue River in Southern Oregon. The ten youth who participated were a fantastic and brave group of young men and women, and the trip was an amazing success. Everyone was given their own inflatable kayak to maneuver down the river, and for the next three days we slept under the stars, paddled through class four rapids, and conquered over 40 miles of river. We saw bears, eagles, river otters and bats! The youths’ enthusiasm and joy was overwhelming. They were invited to reflect upon the river as a metaphor for all of life’s challenges. We believe this trip can be a catalyst for youth to understand that they have the ability to overcome tremendous barriers and become stronger individuals. Aside from the trip itself, the way in which we were able to make it happen was also inspiring. When it became clear that there may not be enough funding to cover the trip’s staffing costs, two staff that had attended to trip the previous year were so convinced of the transformative power of this experience that they reached out to their friends and family and raised the needed funds. Dozens of people gave small and large amounts to insure that this opportunity was given to the youth that New Avenues serves. We are so grateful for their donations! In the short time since the trip finished, we have already seen the youth who participated make great strides towards their goals. We hope this trip is an opportunity we can provide every year.
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New Group
Activities
Provide Healthy Outlets for Youth
It takes much more than basic services to turn lives around. So it is exciting to share that we have been expanding the array of safe, positive outlets for activities at New Avenues. Aside from our standard education, artist mentorship, and job training programs, we host volunteer opportunities, a weekly discussion group on LGBT issues (LGBT youth are disproportionally affected by homelessness), arts and crafts activities, and our newest addition: a weekly bike maintenance group, in which youth can learn skills that facilitate affordable, sustainable transportation options. These activities provide vital alternatives to substance use, teach valuable life skills, and provide an unintimidating way of engaging youth in our services so that they can begin to move along the path towards independence.
Friday, November 2, 2012
November is National Homeless Youth Awareness Month It’s been five years since Congress designated November as the month in which our country comes together to raise awareness about the struggles that homeless youth face and the problematic causes behind those struggles. Here are some telling statistics on why we’re doing the work we do:
An average of
THIRTEEN homeless youth
die each day due to assault,
illness or suicide
An estimated
20,000 homeless youth
live in Oregon
Over 80%
of homeless youth
suffered abuse
at the hands
of an adult
These statistics speak volumes about the dire situation that many youth in our community face. But these young people have an amazing level of resilience and ambition. By connecting them with the resources and support that have been missing from their lives, we can empower these young people to build the healthy, productive lives that we all strive for. Click here to learn how you can help
Urgent Need - Sleeping Bags - Blankets - Coats & Jackets Shelters in Portland have been filling up regularly, leaving anywhere from 6 to 12 youth with no place to sleep indoors for the night. To help protect these vulnerable young people from the elements, we are asking supporters like you to help us collect sleeping bags, blankets, and jackets. If you are able to donate any of these items, please contact us at 503-224-4339 or bring them by our administrative facility at 1220 SW Columbia. Thank you for your support!
We’re Hiring! The following positions at New Avenues are currently open: • Employment Program Coordinator • Special Events & Community Engagement Manager • Residential Counselor • Mental Health Counselor • On-Call Counselor Click for details
Thank you for making our 11th Annual Comedy Showcase such an amazing success: Howard S. Wright Construction Windermere Cronin & Caplan Realty Group Nike Legacy Health Lucky Limousine Fred Meyer Regence Chase Bank Flir KeyBank Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt The Bewick Family TMT Development Beecher & Carlson First Republic Bank R&H Construction The Greenbrier Company KGW Hotel Modera Curtis Trailers Pacific Talent, Inc. The Begonia Charitable Foundation Pete and Christine Nickerson