Today’s youth is more at risk than any other generation!                                      

Gang activity, violence in schools, deteriorating family structures, substance abuse, and alarming media images are undermining their ability to safely navigate their path to adulthood.

 

I have launched this campaign on behalf of the YMOCS Art to Live Program with the hope that you will consider supporting our mission to create a safe environment and a community of trust for at-risk youth through photography and videography.

 

Our organization is based in Chicago where violence kills more young people than in any other city in America. Chicago is the ‘gang capital’ of the United States. Imagine a city where there are more than 100,000 gang members with only 12,000 members of the police force!!

 

In addition, poverty rates in many Chicago neighborhoods hover near 60%, further adding to the challenges that teens face. Studies show that high school students living in low-income families drop out of school six times the rate of peers from high-income families, and nearly half of all drop outs, ages 16-24, are unemployed. At-risk teenagers who are unable to cope with the stresses of life are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol, engage in criminal activity, participate in sexually promiscuous practices, and attempt suicide. Many of these vulnerable teens run away and eventually find themselves locked up in detention centers or living on the streets.

 

By teaching at-risk, urban youth how to take pictures and film videos, YMOCS Art to Live Program hopes to help them ‘find their voice,’ gain their self-confidence, develop critical thinking skills, and make more positive choices in their lives. We surround them with highly talented teachers and nurturing adult mentors who are committed to creating a strong community of support for them.

Our goal is to raise $50,000 so that we can purchase equipment, pay staff, and rent the facility for our mission-related activities.

Photography and video production are not only wonderful tools of self-expression for a troubled teen, but they also:

• Strengthen academic performance 

• Teach cooperation 

• Contribute to technological competence

• Build self-esteem and self-discipline

• Encourage imagination 

• Teach responsibility

• Deter delinquent behavior

With your help, we will be able to help at-risk youth take charge of their lives in a positive way. Your investment in them is an investment in stabilizing the unraveling social fabric of our society! Please remember that the youth of today will become tomorrow’s leaders. We need them to grow to maturity with the tools that are necessary to help our country thrive!