Youth Taking Charge
www.youthtakingcharge.org

 

Home

Bio
Schedule
Quotes & Reviews
CDs
Listen
Photos
Booking
Contact

Performance
Teaching
Music Therapy
Songwriting
Publishing
Recording
YAPI

   

In October of 2004, Brenda Freed met DuAnne Redus, Founder and Director of the non-profit organization, the Lifeworks Institute. DuAnne told Brenda her vision of creating a somewhat self-sustaining non-profit (social entrepreneurialism) that focused on prevention programs for middle school youth.  Because Brenda has a passion for helping youth (YAPI) she immediately shared DuAnne's vision. The two women worked closely together researching statistics from the Texas Youth Commission and the Casey Foundation and found there was a need for prevention programs to reduce drop out rate and the number of youth entering the juvenile justice system.   To better reflect their new focus the name of the organization was changed to Youth Taking Charge www.youthtakingcharge.org.

The mission of Youth Taking Charge (YTC) is to prevent situational poverty (social, emotional, psychological or economical) from becoming generational poverty.

  • Prevention in Texas is commonly seen as protecting the public from juvenile delinquents by incarcerating tens of thousands of them each year, in turn, costing taxpayers millions of dollars.   Incarceration does not prepare youth for the transitions into higher education and employment, and therefore creates generational poverty and all the accompanying societal problems.  
  • YTC focuses on youth crisis prevention by intervening before youth become part of the problem.   YTC provides personal development programs beginning with middle-school youth.    Consistent service, education and support are offered throughout high school during 5-day residential summer camps, two refresher week-end retreats and one-to-one mentoring from local college students receiving credit for their mentoring and service learning projects.   YTC also offers hands-on entrepreneurial business training in a real business, strengths-based service learning and apprentice jobs with mentors.   These programs are currently funded through donations and grants.   In the future, however, programs will be partially funded through a self-sustainable business, making the organization less dependent on annual grants and donations other than those required to maintain our current non-profit status.   
  • For self-sustainable financial support, YTC is raising capital to buy an event-based smoothie kiosk.   YTC is currently partnered with and sponsored by Smooth Sips to Go, Inc. who provides the kiosk and product for the entrepreneurial business training at the camp.   
  • The results of this action will be more youth served through consistent programs, a lowered risk of youth entering the juvenile justice system and dropping out of school, increased savings to taxpayers, more youth better prepared for transitions into higher education and employment, and more generational health created making Hays County in Texas a model of success in the social context.  

Brenda is currently on the Board and Program Director for Youth Taking Charge.  To learn more about Youth Taking Charge, to volunteer or to make a donation see www.youthtakingcharge.org