Our students' experience is the primary focus of our organization. Your support has provided incredible opportunities beyond learning about photography that will shape their lives for many years to come.

Evan came to Youth in Focus right before the pandemic at his parents' suggestion but ended up staying because, "it just felt like a uniquely safe and inclusive space where I could be creative without worry."

Over the last three years, Evan fully integrated himself into the program, fell in love with the darkroom, has taken every film photography class we’ve offered, and even experimented with a medium format vintage Yashica camera.  Last spring, Evan took the initiative to ask for an internship opportunity. This was a huge step for Evan, who usually prefers to be behind the camera and not front and center. So, we jumped at the opportunity to launch our first paid student internship offering with Evan and helped him further develop both his photography and life skills. During the Summer of 2022, Evan served as our Camp Assistant, interfacing with campers and their parents, assisting campers in learning how to use their equipment, documenting camp activities through photography, and helping with office tasks."During my internship, I was really able to expand my social skills, especially from a leadership position. I liked learning how to scan, print photos, archive, and of course laminate. Really, every part of it was a great experience for me as I was able to learn so much about both photography and office work."

When asked about the internship's lasting impact, Evan said, “It helped me expand my social battery and abilities to socialize. It was a good first job even though it didn’t feel like a job, I felt like I was getting free money to do something I loved. It’s funny I was organizing my photos on my computer recently and started organizing them the way you guys taught me. So now I’m definitely better at organizing my files online.”

"We too wanted to express our appreciation for the great developmental experience you all provided for Evan. The internship was a huge boost to his leadership skills and confidence. It was also an incredible opportunity to learn what it's like to go to work every day, experience lots of different tasks and people, and work hard to contribute to something important." Ted K., Evan’s Dad.We are honored to serve these youth and their families, and we are thankful for your support that enables us to grow our programming and offerings.  Please consider supporting us! Gifts of any size are gratefully accepted. Recurring monthly gift payments are a wonderful way to make a monthly gift that adds up over time.