Sharefest 2019-2020 Impact Report
Unprecedented. New normal. These trying times. Updated protocols. Social distancing. Remote learning. Like you, we’ve heard it all. 2020 has put the world onto a ride we never wanted to be on and we aren’t sure when we can get off. But what has become apparent to us at Sharefest is the phrase missing in all of our new vernacular is: Fighting for vulnerable youth. The youth we serve have barriers stacked against them even in the best years. Often, their communities, schools and sometimes even their families give up on them. But we see something else. We see youth filled with untapped potential. We see youth who just need someone to believe in them. Even with everything they are up against, we are full of hope for our youth. As you’ll see in our 2019-2020 Impact Report, our programs work. Continuation students are graduating from high school. They are entering college and trade schools. Young men and women have mentors and networks to lean on for support and growth. Our youth are changing the trajectory of their lives and the lives of their families.
Unprecedented. New normal. These trying times. Updated protocols. Social distancing. Remote learning. Like you, we’ve heard it all. 2020 has put the world onto a ride we never wanted to be on and we aren’t sure when we can get off.
But what has become apparent to us at Sharefest is the phrase missing in all of our new vernacular is:
Fighting for vulnerable youth.
The youth we serve have barriers stacked against them even in the best years. Often, their communities, schools and sometimes even their families give up on them. But we see something else. We see youth filled with untapped potential. We see youth who just need someone to believe in them. Even with everything they are up against, we are full of hope for our youth.
As you’ll see in our 2019-2020 Impact Report, our programs work. Continuation students are graduating from high school. They are entering college and trade schools. Young men and women have mentors and networks to lean on for support and growth. Our youth are changing the trajectory of their lives and the lives of their families.
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OUR FUTURE IS STILL BRIGHT. 2020 has thrown the world for a loop,
but it has also allowed us to pause and focus on some initiatives we
have been wanting to pursue for years.
TRADES PROGRAM
About 60% of our students are interested in going into a trade. We are sitting on the
front end of a trade resurgence in the US and we want provide a pathway to a better life
for our students. We are well connected to local trades and have begun pursuing
partnerships to turn the Trades Program from idea to reality.
YOUTH REINVESTMENT GRANT (YRG)
We are 1 of only 7 organizations who were selected from 29 proposals to receive this
exclusive grant. YRG is a state funded grant that focuses on diversion. Their goal is to
keep students out of the criminal justice system. We received $600,000 over 3 years to
support mental health services, mentoring and case management in our existing
programming.
OUR FUTURE
SHAREFEST ALUMNI PROGRAM
Even with the accomplishment of graduating high school, many of our students don’t
pursue post-secondary education or they drop out. Loren Sweet approached us about
funding a Sharefest Alumni Program to provide ongoing mentorship for students who
choose community college. A recent study done by Drexel University found that low SES
student mentees in their mentoring program had a 90% retention rate! Our pilot
program launches in Fall 2020.
READY 2 RISE GRANT
In January 2020, we were awarded $203,000 from the California Community
Foundation's Ready 2 Rise initiative, an unprecedented public-private partnership with
the Los Angeles County Department of Probation designed to keep youth out of the
criminal justice system. These funds are enabling us to expand the Youth Leadership
Academy, bolster our staff outreach to community organizations and implement a new
student tracking database.
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