Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Keefe.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
We are a non-profit youth development organization with a mission of empowering youth to rise as servant-leaders in their communities. We believe in the power of youth to shape our world and have become experts at equipping youth with the skills, character, and confidence to build thriving communities.
We actually began in 2008 when I was still working as a teacher at Marietta High School. In my work with youth, I saw firsthand how their faces lit up and they rose to the challenge when they were given the opportunity to address real issues they cared about.
Students grew the most personally while they were solving problems and giving to others. And this is what YELLS was built around – the power of youth and the transformative work of service learning.
These foundational beliefs led to our work on Franklin Gateway (formerly Franklin Road). I was particularly moved by this community – a neighborhood full of promise, yet working to overcome the struggles of poverty, language barriers, and misperceptions. When we brought our vision for the YELLS Mentoring Program to the Franklin Road Weed and Seed Initiative in 2008, it was clear that the unique Mentorship and Service Learning model filled a missing piece for the area’s youth programming. Joining forces with the Marietta Police Athletic League, Marietta City Schools, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and other community partners, the YELLS Mentoring Program model was customized and implemented to meet the needs of the Franklin Road community. Since this time, we’ve forged a diverse spectrum of community partners in order to develop the vision of a program that mobilizes youth and community members as agents of change and empowerment.
We’ve grown to offer a daily Afterschool Program for K-5th grade youth and a Community Action Cafe teen program where high school students run our center as both a cafe and community-building hub.
YELLS is my calling. I’ve found that while I can’t change the world all on my own, our YELLS youth can change the world as they spread their impact to others.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
YELLS aspires to make a deep and meaningful impact in the lives of our youth, their community, and ultimately the world. These are lofty goals, and we’re constantly striving to reach them. We challenge our youth to stretch themselves, and we model this every day.
The non-profit world is also a roller coaster ride. I’ve come to expect that exciting news such as a new grant or opportunity is often followed by a reality-check in the form of a new challenge. Fundraising, retaining high quality staff on a tight budget, and managing multiple programs and events definitely keep us busy. Understanding that challenges are just a part of the journey has helped me and YELLS persevere.
One of our greatest challenges we’ve faced is navigating finding a new home within our community and continuing to serve our Franklin Gateway youth and families after losing three of our program sites. We were extremely blessed to receive years of in-kind space and utilities in local apartment complexes, including an entire home that served as our Afterschool Program location. We were displaced from these as they were torn down through the Marietta Redevelopment Bond. At the same time, we were committed to sustaining our services to offer the hope, unity, and empowerment our families needed more than ever, as many faced the same displacement. Fortunately, we’ve rebounded in a new location and strengthened our services. Now, our challenge is sustaining the costs for rent and utilities.
Please tell us about Youth Empowerment through Learning, Leading, and Serving.
YELLS has a solution to the problem that communities like Franklin Gateway face. We bring hope because we invest in the PEOPLE within a community. Our asset-based model places faith in youth and their families as the solutions to the problems and the challenges they face. This breaks the cycle of community decline and problems and replaces it with stories of success and pride.
We’re able to accomplish this through our three core programs:
- YELLS Mentoring Program: The YELLS Mentoring Program matches 20 high school “Bigs” with 20 elementary school “Littles,” and provides a service-learning curriculum that prepares them to design powerful youth-led service initiatives together.
- YELLS Afterschool Program: The YELLS Afterschool Program provides positive youth development and academic support to 55 elementary youth daily. The YELLS model engages the entire family through parent volunteering and participation in educational and community-building workshops.
- YELLS Community Action Café: The YELLS Community Action Café equips 25 teens with real-world business and leadership skills as they manage a real coffee shop that serves as a hub for community-wide education, engagement, and empowerment.
Once we empower youth and their parents to tackle the problems they face within their own lives and their communities right now, they are equipped and motivated to do this for life, and our world continues to become a better place.
We’re proud of the fact that we truly believe in raising youth and community voices. One story we’re most proud of:
YELLS youth have gained a real voice in the political process. A YELLS teen was appointed by City Council to the Marietta Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee as the voice for Marietta youth and for Franklin Gateway. This came after teens made their voices heard regarding the decision to change the name of their Franklin Road community. Franklin Gateway used to be named Franklin Road, and there were plans to change its name to Gateway Boulevard. Youth felt strongly about the identity of their neighborhood and invited the Mayor to come to YELLS. They publicized the event, packed the house with community members, developed their own questions, and moderated the entire evening. Everyone in attendance was blown away by our teen’s poise and professionalism as they facilitated productive and meaningful discussion between the community and government. City Council listened and compromised! They chose Franklin Gateway as the new name, but not until our teens had the chance to give their approval before Council – and they approved unanimously. Youth learned their voices truly do matter.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I was always nostalgic and idealistic. One of my favorite childhood memories was riding bikes with my best friend and trying to recreate the scenes from the movie Now and Then.
Pricing:
- A donation of $1,000 will nurture a Big and Little match pair for one whole year in our YELLS Mentoring Program, providing leadership, service-learning, and mentoring.
- A donation of $3,972 will provide the rent that will allow us to open our doors for daily afterschool programming, a teen-led Community Action Cafe , English classes for families, and a constant flow of youth-led events and workshops to uplift the community.
Contact Info:
- Address: 779 Franklin Gateway
Marietta, GA 30067 - Website: www.YELLSinc.org
- Phone: 678-895-2854
- Email: laura@YELLSinc.org
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/yellsinc/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/yellsinc
- Twitter: twitter.com/_yellsinc
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