You Were Homeless As a Teenager. Where Are You Now? YouthLink has been serving at-risk kids in Minneapolis for 25 years. Those who�ve come through our doors have become parents, teachers, accountants and computer programmers. Some of them have become wildly successful; others have created low-key lives that concentrate on family and neighborhood.
Every year, another generation of young people who have been kicked out of their homes, left their homes because they were unsafe and/or lost their families to drugs, prison and death walks through the doors at YouthLink. When they leave ready to make it on their own, we usually lose track of them. They move into new jobs or school and because they no longer need us, we become part of their history. Because our focus is on making sure the next generation crossing the threshold gets all of our attention and support, we don�t take the time needed to stay in touch. But now, on our 25th anniversary as a nonprofit, we want to stop and say, hey! Where did you all go? What have you been doing since we last saw you? We want to hear stories, hear what these individuals have learned and, most importantly, what they would tell the kids still coming through our doors today. We call these used-to-be young people our alumni and we are proud of who they were and who they�ve become. Why are we doing this Alumni Search? Because we want to really know how effective our work is in the long term. We want to know if the things we do and say when we�re sitting across from a young person end up affecting who they are as adults ten, fifteen, twenty-five years after they�ve left us. We want to know what parts of our work we should never change and where we still need improvement. Whenever possible, we want to link the young people we see today with adults who really know what it�s like for the youth. Who can honestly say, �yeah, I �ve been there.� How are we finding Alumni? Throughout the summer, people in cars, people waiting for buses and walking down the sidewalk are going to pass by pink colored posters hung on lamp posts, coffee shop walls, and public bulletin boards. The posters ask �Have you ever hung out at Project OffStreets� with contact information listed below. We are looking for PSA opportunities, for donated bulletin board space, and for donated magazine and newspaper advertising that will carry versions of this poster. And we are looking for the power of word of mouth. What we�re finding is that one alumni usually knows another alumni and so on and so on. If you or anyone you know once came through any of our programs (Project OffStreets, Minneapolis Youth Diversion Program, Youth Diversion, NewPath Partners, YouthLink), please get in touch with us. You can call 612-252-1275 or email [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------- Susan Raffo Development Director YouthLink 41 North 12th Street Minneapolis, MN 55403 phone: 612.252.1280 fax: 612.252.1201 www.youthlinkmn.org TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
