As we enter the season of giving and gratefulness, we are so thankful that you have supported our students and programming!

Paloma started taking classes at Youth in Focus in 2020. Here is what Paloma shares about her experience at Youth in Focus.

“Youth in focus has truly been a calm in the storm of my life. During every YiF class I have taken, I always feel inspired, uplifted, and welcomed. I have definitely grown my artistic voice and my confidence, and I am so grateful to YiF for helping me create a community and bond with fellow artists.”

At Youth in Focus, we believe in the power of photography. But even more than that, we believe in our youth. And we are constantly looking for ways to include their voice in all that we do. We invited Paloma to provide student feedback on our new visual and narrative branding (stay tuned for the big reveal in 2023!). Here’s what Paloma shares about the impact of that experience.“Another opportunity YiF has given me is the ability to have a voice in their new mission and logo. It is so important to include youth voices in the decisions you make as a youth-serving organization and Youth in Focus sets a great example.”

After participating in many classes, Paloma has taken her learning to new heights by joining ourJob Training Program where we partner advanced students with a teaching artist on professional photo assignments.“During my time in Youth in Focus classes, I would constantly think to myself “maybe this will be what I do in the future,” but I never thought it was an actual possibility until YiF invited me to their annual gala to help with event photography. Teaching artist Isabel taught me about framing a photo of a person and how to have confidence when approaching people to ask for a picture. By the end of the night, I was so proud of myself for finishing my first-ever event. I learned (and continue to learn) so much with YiF both in and outside of their amazing classes.”