E4 YouthFrom E4 Youth, this month's Get Involved spotlight organization:
E4 Youth’s Mission
Founded in 2009, E4 Youth is a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit that uses the arts, sciences and technology to help underserved youth find and pursue pathways to successful careers in the creative economy through hands-on training, active mentorship and exposure to real-world opportunities.
The Problem
Despite evidence that shows that youth exposed to the arts get better grades, are more likely to graduate and earn a higher wage, access to the arts continues to decline. In Central Texas, young adults only have a 12% chance of earning a living wage without a postsecondary credential. In Travis County, there are 11,000 young adults that are disconnected from education and employment. Nationwide unemployment for Latinx youth is 1.6 times higher than their Anglo counterparts; for Black youth, unemployment is twice as high.
E4 Youth’s Solution
For more than a decade, E4 Youth has helped thousands of youth ages 16-22 learn to Engage, Educate, Employand Empower themselves. E4 Youth engages creative youth to help them identify their interests, educates them on how those interests can lead to creative careers, works with partners to employ them in internships and empowersthem to pursue their creative goals.
Austin Digital Heritage Project
Among E4 Youth’s core programs is the Austin Digital Heritage Project and E4 Virtual Archive (E4VA). This program leverages E4 Youth's immersive storytelling practices to promote digital and cultural literacy. Students in E4 Youth’s Creative Leadership Academy (CLA) work with industry professionals in immersive media and technology to collect and curate oral histories of Austin's older BIPOC residents into the E4VA. This year, CLA will expand its reach to thousands of Central Texas youth as they provide ongoing curriculum, professional development and technology integration support to Austin-based sister nonprofits Latinitas, Con Mi Madre and Creative Action.
How to Get Involved
E4 Youth is accepting volunteers for the Austin Digital Heritage Project. Volunteers can serve as coaches to help students in digital storytelling, build a virtual archive of oral histories and develop curriculum for VR Remix, which enables elementary-aged students to get involved through personal history storytelling.
Apply through E4 Youth’s Professional Volunteer Form at e4youth.org/volunteer. E4 Youth’s team members will follow up on applications to discuss next steps.
Follow E4 Youth
E4 Youth wants to continue building their community and helping underserved youth gain access to creative careers. Learn more about E4 Youth at e4youth.org. Follow them on Instagram at @e4youth and like them on Facebook at @E4Youth.
