What they are saying about Y.E.P.

Just a few of the things people are saying about the project….

Parents

“Y.E.P. was life-changing for Kate. She enjoyed the intelligent, heartfelt discussions with new friends who valued each other’s experiences and opinions. She learned how to actively share her feelings through movement, song, poetry, and theatre. “
~ Y.E.P. Parent

“I expected my son to have a good time at the Youth Exchange Project. He likes to write and talk to his peers about life as a teenager and he loves being part of a group of like minded kids. What I didn’t expect was how he was willing to talk about and explore the social justice topics and how much he and his peers had to say about violence in and fear of violence in school; how they feel dismissed by many of the adults in their school and community and how much they were willing to explore those hard subjects. I am so thankful that this organization is staffed with adults who recognize that our teenagers are capable of much when they find people who not only listen but hear them.”
~ Y.E.P. Parent

“Teenagers are pretty self-involved, at least mine is. The beauty of this program is that it pushes these kids to look somewhere other than the mirror, and consider their place in and responsibility to the rest of the world.”
~ Y.E.P. Parent

“Our youth has something to say and this project supports them saying it AND helps them explore the feelings about these difficult discussions”.
~ Y.E.P. Parent

Audience Members

“ What an amazing Performance!! So proud of the actors and the staff. Job well done! Thanks for the wonderful opportunity.” ~ Audience Member

“ This was great! Very inspiring to see youth collaborating on issues we care about because WE ARE THE FUTURE!” ~ Audience Member

“Moving performances by these incredible teens. Impressive!!” ~ Audience Member

Participants

 “I learned that I can trust myself. When I just let myself go, I can create amazing things while leaning on the skills I already have.”~ Y.E.P. Participant

“If you want to feel empowered to change the world, learn that you have skills you never thought you had, and unlock knowledge you didn’t know was inside of you, you should join the youth exchange project. I’ve learned SO MUCH in two weeks.” ~ Y.E.P. Participant

“ I’m coming back next year!”

~ Y.E.P. Participant

“Mrs. Shawnna made me think, she pushed me to answer questions and she gave me the confidence that I needed to have to be able to speak up during group conversations.”

~Y.E.P. Participant

“ Thank you for this opportunity. I learned so much about myself and others. This was a great experience.” ~ Y.E.P. Participant

“I am definitely going to recommend this program to all of my friends!”

~ Y.E.P. Participant

“It was better than sitting around all day.”

~Y.E.P. Participant

“I learned that conversations are important to cultivate understanding of people from different walks of life. Those conversations must go with change. If there is no change involved, nothing happens. Theatre is Social Justice.” ~ Y.E.P. Participant