Check out John Geyerman, our past executive director, explaining how to resolve conflicts nonviolently.
Saturday, June 30
Krista and Kristen on Networking
Lean about nonprofit marketing from our resident experts. Krista is a master of solicitation and Kristen has a wealth of knowledge on the professional side of networking.
Program Summary (click here for a downloadable version)
StandUp For Kids Phoenix
Community-based Service to Homeless Youth
StandUp For Kids is a 501(c)(3) national nonprofit charitable organization that finds and serves homeless and at-risk youth 24 and under. StandUp For Kids (SUFK) Phoenix runs two main programs, Street Outreach and our Youth Center, which help up to 100 youth per week in Phoenix and Tempe. SUFK was founded in 1990 in San Diego, CA, by retired naval officer, Richard L. Koca. It quickly spread throughout the U.S. and continues to grow with approximately 60 programs in over 25 states. Created in 1992, SUFK Phoenix is one of the oldest and most established SUFK programs in the nation.
Homeless Youth in Maricopa County
On any given night in Maricopa County, there are around 120 youth under the age of 18 on the streets and in shelters. In a year, there are over 2,200 homeless youth between the ages of 13 and 24, including those who have run away, been thrown away, or have fallen out of the foster care system. Youth face significant challenges meeting their needs, including food, water, shelter, hygiene, employment, transportation, housing, education, and health care. While many organizations exist to provide services to the homeless, complicated procedures make it difficult for unaccompanied youth to navigate on their own. Youth struggle to find community or build relationships, as many service agencies are understaffed. Also, programs often expose youth to dangerous situations or clients.
SUFK Phoenix Programs
Street Outreach
On street outreach, we find youth under 24 and provide food, water, hygiene products, clothing, and referrals to social services. Our teams serve both downtown Phoenix and Mill Avenue in Tempe. In Phoenix, we drive our purple, StandUp van to several shelters to serve the many youth who congregate in the area. In Tempe, we don backpacks and walk Mill Avenue. Outreach is valuable to youth because it helps meet immediate needs and connect them with other services. It also provides an opportunity for volunteers to treat them with compassion. Since many youth face social stigma on the streets, outreach is a much needed demonstration of basic dignity. It is also important for volunteers to build rapport with the youth and invite them to the Our House Youth Center.
Our House Youth Center
Our House was established to provide a safe environment for homeless youth. At the drop-in center, youth can get hot meals, take a shower, wash clothes, and use the computer. We work with youth one on one to establish and pursue goals, including aiding them in attaining IDs, receiving medical attention, building résumés, finding jobs, locating housing, getting into school, and more. Youth can use the center’s address for job and housing applications. We also offer weekly guitar lessons, games, dancing, sports, and other engaging activities. We strive to create a family environment of tolerance and acceptance, with the goal of building a community of mutual respect and support. Unlike being handed food in a line from an anonymous volunteer, at Our House youth and volunteers cook, eat meals, and clean up together. In these simple interactions, youth and volunteers alike come to know and trust each other more. By creating genuine trust, we can work better together to navigate the various human service agencies and find employment, housing, and educational opportunities.
Program Efficiency and Effectiveness
SUFK has been recognized by both the Bush and Clinton administrations and the U.S. Department of Justice for its impact and scope of programs. Charity Navigator recognizes SUFK as one of the most efficient and effective nonprofits in the United States.
SUFK Phoenix is no exception. We serve between 50 and 100 youth each week.
Each year, we provide:
• 1,200 bags of outreach food
• 2,600 family-style meals at the youth house
• 1,000 hygiene products
• 600 showers
• 800 loads of laundry
• 2,000 referrals/youth objectives
• 4,000 direct volunteer hours
Because SUFK is all donation and all volunteer, it delivers the above services at low out-of-pocket cost. Our programs run on 83% donated goods and services, while the other 17% are direct costs (paid for by donated funds).
Supporting SUFK Phoenix
Efficiency
Because of the generous in-kind donations of the community, every $1 donated to SUFK Phoenix becomes $5 of service to homeless youth.
Effectiveness
By working downtown and in Tempe, SUFK Phoenix serves approximately 35% of the population of all homeless youth in Maricopa County each year.
Program Stability
Funds help maintain service delivery even if a particular item runs out.
Program Expansion
Regular giving allows SUFK to further develop programs that help youth become confident, successful adults. We would like to expand the hours of operation of the youth center, develop and run a GED prep retreat, engage in outreach more often and in more cities, and open a youth house in Tempe.
Community-based Service to Homeless Youth
StandUp For Kids is a 501(c)(3) national nonprofit charitable organization that finds and serves homeless and at-risk youth 24 and under. StandUp For Kids (SUFK) Phoenix runs two main programs, Street Outreach and our Youth Center, which help up to 100 youth per week in Phoenix and Tempe. SUFK was founded in 1990 in San Diego, CA, by retired naval officer, Richard L. Koca. It quickly spread throughout the U.S. and continues to grow with approximately 60 programs in over 25 states. Created in 1992, SUFK Phoenix is one of the oldest and most established SUFK programs in the nation.
Homeless Youth in Maricopa County
On any given night in Maricopa County, there are around 120 youth under the age of 18 on the streets and in shelters. In a year, there are over 2,200 homeless youth between the ages of 13 and 24, including those who have run away, been thrown away, or have fallen out of the foster care system. Youth face significant challenges meeting their needs, including food, water, shelter, hygiene, employment, transportation, housing, education, and health care. While many organizations exist to provide services to the homeless, complicated procedures make it difficult for unaccompanied youth to navigate on their own. Youth struggle to find community or build relationships, as many service agencies are understaffed. Also, programs often expose youth to dangerous situations or clients.
SUFK Phoenix Programs
Street Outreach
On street outreach, we find youth under 24 and provide food, water, hygiene products, clothing, and referrals to social services. Our teams serve both downtown Phoenix and Mill Avenue in Tempe. In Phoenix, we drive our purple, StandUp van to several shelters to serve the many youth who congregate in the area. In Tempe, we don backpacks and walk Mill Avenue. Outreach is valuable to youth because it helps meet immediate needs and connect them with other services. It also provides an opportunity for volunteers to treat them with compassion. Since many youth face social stigma on the streets, outreach is a much needed demonstration of basic dignity. It is also important for volunteers to build rapport with the youth and invite them to the Our House Youth Center.
Our House Youth Center
Our House was established to provide a safe environment for homeless youth. At the drop-in center, youth can get hot meals, take a shower, wash clothes, and use the computer. We work with youth one on one to establish and pursue goals, including aiding them in attaining IDs, receiving medical attention, building résumés, finding jobs, locating housing, getting into school, and more. Youth can use the center’s address for job and housing applications. We also offer weekly guitar lessons, games, dancing, sports, and other engaging activities. We strive to create a family environment of tolerance and acceptance, with the goal of building a community of mutual respect and support. Unlike being handed food in a line from an anonymous volunteer, at Our House youth and volunteers cook, eat meals, and clean up together. In these simple interactions, youth and volunteers alike come to know and trust each other more. By creating genuine trust, we can work better together to navigate the various human service agencies and find employment, housing, and educational opportunities.
Program Efficiency and Effectiveness
SUFK has been recognized by both the Bush and Clinton administrations and the U.S. Department of Justice for its impact and scope of programs. Charity Navigator recognizes SUFK as one of the most efficient and effective nonprofits in the United States.
SUFK Phoenix is no exception. We serve between 50 and 100 youth each week.
Each year, we provide:
• 1,200 bags of outreach food
• 2,600 family-style meals at the youth house
• 1,000 hygiene products
• 600 showers
• 800 loads of laundry
• 2,000 referrals/youth objectives
• 4,000 direct volunteer hours
Because SUFK is all donation and all volunteer, it delivers the above services at low out-of-pocket cost. Our programs run on 83% donated goods and services, while the other 17% are direct costs (paid for by donated funds).
Supporting SUFK Phoenix
Efficiency
Because of the generous in-kind donations of the community, every $1 donated to SUFK Phoenix becomes $5 of service to homeless youth.
Effectiveness
By working downtown and in Tempe, SUFK Phoenix serves approximately 35% of the population of all homeless youth in Maricopa County each year.
Program Stability
Funds help maintain service delivery even if a particular item runs out.
Program Expansion
Regular giving allows SUFK to further develop programs that help youth become confident, successful adults. We would like to expand the hours of operation of the youth center, develop and run a GED prep retreat, engage in outreach more often and in more cities, and open a youth house in Tempe.
Wednesday, April 27
Tuesday, April 26
Becoming Faithful to a Narrative
Narrative fidelity is harder to come by than narrative probability. All probability requires is that the storyteller gets the events between the beginning and end more or less in a coherent line. Fidelity, however, requires the narrative to fit into the prior experiences of the audience. In a way, narrative fidelity demands that the story coheres with not only its events, but also all the rest of the stories the person knows and lives.
Fortunately, a flexible storyteller can tailor the tale to be faithful to the ones the audience already knows. By playing to prior experiences, the narrator builds on what the listener thinks is real, good, beautiful, and true. Alter the story a little, and one can make it more acceptable, more faithful to the world of the listener.
What is the recourse, however, if the storyteller is unwilling to change the tale?
In the context of this retreat, consider the two following narrative dilemmas.
There is a story about homelessness I want to believe. It is about ordinary people, committing themselves to making real change, both small and large. Reaching out, forging bonds, overcoming adversity, and changing nothing less than the landscape of society. I want to believe in real change, but I feel foolish doing so.
There are also stories about homelessness I want to understand. Stories about the trials homeless face. The realities of the shelter system, difficulties with police, and trouble getting food. I know these stories, but for some reason, I can’t quite understand them.
Both dilemmas are caused by a lack of narrative fidelity. I can’t believe the hopeful narrative of change because it just doesn’t seem, well, believable. It doesn’t measure up with my previous experience of homeless outreach, which is so often fraught with failure or disappointment. I don’t understand the narratives of urban homeless reality because they are so distant from my own experiences they hardly seem real.
Now, a flexible storyteller would change the narratives. But I don’t want to. I don’t want to violate the optimistic narrative, because I believe it worth trying to live up to. And I don’t want to change the painful realities of homelessness, because doing so would make invisible the suffering of actual people.
If the story must match my life to truly sink in,
And I am unwilling to change the story,
Then I must change my life.
Here beats the narrative heart of this weekend. The stories the youth told were not radically different than what one might expect. The forward thinking optimism and storying of the future were not unlike other planning sessions. Sometimes, it isn’t the stories that need changing. Sometimes it’s the listeners. Narrative fidelity suggests you only accept stories that resonate with prior experiences. If there are stories you want to believe, be strategic about the experiences you have in order to more fully believe them.
When I first conceived this retreat, I thought we would construct a narrative for the future of Stand Up For Kids Community Outreach. I discovered, however, that we already knew the story. The retreat fleshed out some details, true. More importantly, it readied our bodies, minds, and hearts to more honestly understand the trials of today, and more earnestly undertake the triumph of tomorrow.
Sunday, April 24
Returning Home
A quintessential step to the journey of a hero is the return home. Exhausted, taken to the limits of our souls and bodies, we adventurers turn our feet back down the path that had taken us to the edge of the world.
I am happy to return home. I cannot express how much I look forward to seeing my wife. I foolishly don't think I need a nap. My shower feels less like hygiene and more like a rebirth. I emerge with preternaturally smooth skin and I smell strange to myself.
The homeward journey is the only sensible ending to a heroes tale. The world of the ordinary, from which the hero was drawn in the beginning, is often the underlying drive for the myth in the first place. If the hero fails, home will be destroyed. While the return home isn't always positive (sometimes home is destroyed or the hero can't really fit in), the home is still the end of the story. It is the beginning, the end, and the ever-present counterpoint to the craziness of the supernatural world. Tolkein had it right: There and back again.
But I have just spent the weekend homeless getting to know homeless people I consider heroes. Because of this, I think the centrality of the home in the hero myth is a bit problematic.
Consider: how many heroes in stories have no home? Sure, some are wanderers, but even wanderers are often displaced from their rightful homes and become heroes when they take the fight to their oppressors and recover their home. Eternal wanderers are rarely more than colorful events in the travels of other heroes.
Perhaps our use of home as a necessary element of the hero myth is misguided. Think I'm over reading this? What in a myth has no homes? Beasts. Who has no respect for the belongings in homes? Scoundrels. Who destroys homes? Villains. It is through negation of home that characters have wildness, unpredictability, and evilness ascribed. When I think of ways society renders the homeless, beast, scoundrel, and villain are not too far off.
We must break ourselves of rendering the hero as essentially homed. We need to tell stories where the comfortable life is not the same as the good life. We need heroes who derive their morality from a place other than the home.
We need homeless heroes.
I am happy to return home. I cannot express how much I look forward to seeing my wife. I foolishly don't think I need a nap. My shower feels less like hygiene and more like a rebirth. I emerge with preternaturally smooth skin and I smell strange to myself.
The homeward journey is the only sensible ending to a heroes tale. The world of the ordinary, from which the hero was drawn in the beginning, is often the underlying drive for the myth in the first place. If the hero fails, home will be destroyed. While the return home isn't always positive (sometimes home is destroyed or the hero can't really fit in), the home is still the end of the story. It is the beginning, the end, and the ever-present counterpoint to the craziness of the supernatural world. Tolkein had it right: There and back again.
But I have just spent the weekend homeless getting to know homeless people I consider heroes. Because of this, I think the centrality of the home in the hero myth is a bit problematic.
Consider: how many heroes in stories have no home? Sure, some are wanderers, but even wanderers are often displaced from their rightful homes and become heroes when they take the fight to their oppressors and recover their home. Eternal wanderers are rarely more than colorful events in the travels of other heroes.
Perhaps our use of home as a necessary element of the hero myth is misguided. Think I'm over reading this? What in a myth has no homes? Beasts. Who has no respect for the belongings in homes? Scoundrels. Who destroys homes? Villains. It is through negation of home that characters have wildness, unpredictability, and evilness ascribed. When I think of ways society renders the homeless, beast, scoundrel, and villain are not too far off.
We must break ourselves of rendering the hero as essentially homed. We need to tell stories where the comfortable life is not the same as the good life. We need heroes who derive their morality from a place other than the home.
We need homeless heroes.
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