Nurture Healthy Minds

Bolster academic skills and provide social-emotional and leadership development for youth aged 12-18 in a safe, supportive environment where students are encouraged to exercise agency, explore and embrace their identity and develop a strong sense of belonging in their schools and their community.

Offer LGBTQ+ teen social/support groups and education/support groups for parents and caregivers of LGBTQ+ youth, providing safe and affirming social environments for LGBTQ+ teens to connect with other teens and build resilience and joy and non-judgemental spaces to work with parents of LGBTQ+.

Use the creative arts to empower youth to pursue future education and employment opportunities by harnessing their talents, providing them with real-world, culturally-relevant experience in creative industries, and helping them build skills for the future through arts-based programming.

Implement and evaluate programming curriculum co-designed and facilitated with youth to embed the principles of healing justice into a holistic approach to leadership development. Prepare participants to be culturally aware leaders who demonstrate wisdom through the development of identity and advocacy skills to counter the impact of oppressive systems, build solidarity, and amplify youth voice.

Foster increased resiliency by offering a safe and supportive space for LGBTQ teens and youth of color ages of 12 and 17 who attend Family Resource Center's weekly Game Plan for Success Program.

Support youth mental health team in designing a program and safe space for themselves and the community, bringing the project to life in a new community center. What youth are most excited about, beyond the sense of safety and agency they have experienced in the program, is the idea of a safe space that they can call their own.

Operationalize all MACM programs into a multi-year peer support network program model to cultivate a sense of belonging in the same youth beyond participation 1 MACM program cohort into 9 consecutive cohorts. The MACM Works program is centered on the MACM 101 curriculum to create a trust foundation that the Make a Compassion Move, Make a Creative Move and Make a Career Move programs build on developing community service, artistic and entrepreneurial projects. #MACMWorks.

Use our human connections to nature to build youth and community health and resilience.

Build health equity for LGBTQIA2+ young people (ages 12-18) through ongoing community center prevention programming, virtual community center, education, and events led by LGBTQIA2+ elders. Additionally, programming will focus on building family support and connection as a prevention strategy.

Provide a platform for youth currently in and those who have aged out of foster care to express their emotions and connect with each other and the community through spoken word, song, art and comedy.