March 2022

Dear alumni, parents, guardians, educators, and community supporters-

I write to you today with deep gratitude and excitement for what Project VOYCE (PV) has in store for our 2022 Summer Academy. For the last seven years, I have had the privilege of working with PV in various capacities. I started as a graduate research assistant supporting the integration of Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) before becoming the lead Summer Academy facilitator for several years. As I transitioned to supporting PV as a community-based researcher, I was given the opportunity to develop a powerful new model for youth development organizations that centers equitable partnerships and healing justice, becoming the Executive Director in 2019.

Through summer and afterschool programming, PV works to create protected spaces that provide a mix of services, supports, and opportunities necessary for historically underrepresented youth in the Denver Metro Area to stay engaged in developing their individual skills and abilities. In Summer Academy, youth ages 14-24 partner with adults in structured activities and peer engagement and are provided participation stipends. This approach is intentional and distinctively relevant for PV youth so that economic need does not prevent youth from participating.

What excites me most about this upcoming summer is that for the last nine months, we have partnered with youth to co-design and revise our programming and curriculum. We have been hard at work to integrate healing-centered and community-based methods of self-discovery, guidance, and transformational leadership. We are so thrilled to share the fruits of this collaborative labor with a new cohort of emergent young leaders.

For over 15 years, youth have said that PV is unlike any other space they occupy. PV has continually been a space where youth express that they are respected, genuinely empowered, and truly supported. One Summer Academy participant shared in their exit interview, “Project VOYCE is one of the only organizations that I see giving full power to youth and valuing their thoughts and ideas to the extent of believing in them.” Alumni of our programming have become staff within our organization, leaders at partner organizations, run for student government positions, accepted reputable fellowships, won awards, and run for political office to serve the Denver Metro community.

For more information and to sign-up, please visit bit.ly/pvsummer2022. I invite you to share this letter and an open invitation to youth that want to be activated, supported, and connected to a robust network of peers and partners.

Thank you for partnering with us to amplify youth voice!

Sincerely,

Vanessa Roberts

Executive Director