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Brave Spaces: Inside Youth in Action's Mission to Build Tomorrow's Leaders
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Rhode Island has long been known as the Ocean State. It has nearly 400 miles of coastline yet some of the young people who walk through Youth in Action's doors on Providence's South Side have never set foot on a beach.
It's a small but telling gap and helping Youth in Action (YIA) close it, alongside their wider mission, is exactly the kind of inspiring work 11th Hour Racing loves to support to create the next generation of ocean leaders through education, career pathways and maritime opportunities.
Rooted in social justice, YIA is a not-for-profit organization based in Providence, Rhode Island. On the surface, the organization describes itself as, “creating opportunities for youth to become their best selves,” but after talking to staff and students alike, it’s apparent the community YIA has built is in fact offering much, much more.
Predominantly focused on young people from black and brown communities, absolutely anyone is welcome because at YIA, who you are is never defined by where you come from.
YIA creates opportunities for youth to become their best selves. ©YouthinAction
"Our young people are living in areas where there are more environmental justice issues, they're living in lower income areas, they're attending schools that have more struggles and obstacles. That's where they are coming from,” explains Executive Director Stephanie Nunes.
“But those statistics are just the statistics; they don't qualify or define their character or their education. These young people are resilient, and they are coming with a lot of experience, knowledge, and leadership."
We delve into how YIA is shaping the lives of Providence’s youth.
Building brave spaces
We often hear organizations speak of safe spaces, but what about brave spaces?
For Stephanie, the two are inseparable. Safety comes first as without it, young people simply won't move. Once you have the foundation of safety, only then does growth become possible.
"It's about pushing them, but we can't push them if they don't feel safe,” she says. “That's our first step - how do you provide a space where they just feel safe, and then we can push them into the brave.”
Stephanie Nunes
"These young people are resilient, and they are coming with a lot of experience, knowledge, and leadership."
For many, YIA provides their first opportunity to get out on the water. ©YouthinAction
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In practice, this means equipping young people with something they may never have been given before: the belief that their voice matters.
"They're now coming into those rooms being like, 'no, my voice matters, because my staff at Youth in Action tell me my voice matters’,” Stephanie explains.
“It’s these little skills that push above and beyond their comfort level and show them what it looks like to be brave, so that when they leave us, they have this toolkit, this arsenal of experiences.”
“A second home”
Jonathan joined YIA only last year, and has since progressed to the role fondly known as a ‘coco’ - a co-coordinator - someone who helps lead within the organization. “It has become a second home to me here,” he explains. “Even in the short time I’ve been here, I’m sad I can’t stay longer and it’s already time for me to go to college.”
Adriel, another alumnus and ‘coco’ who is now four years in, describes a similar pull. The quality of the community and the sense of belonging are what set Youth in Action apart.
Providing a safe space is the crucial first step for all programs. ©YouthinAction
Providing a safe space is the crucial first step for all programs. ©YouthinAction
"I feel so welcome and I have so much fun, but I'm also advancing myself professionally,” Adriel explains.
“I'm learning new things, and I'm bettering myself as a person while also having that fun and joy. I'm not just doing this for fun, I'm not just doing this because it has benefits for me, but I'm also taking genuine knowledge from it and genuine skills."
That sense of growth isn't only personal. As a co-coordinator, Adriel watched it ripple outwards by seeing younger members flourish over time. "I saw so much growth in the students who are part of our core programming. Just seeing that growth in others, seeing so much change over the four years, has just been special. Knowing that the impact I had on other people is unique."
The ocean is calling
For many of YIA's young people, exposure to the outdoors is itself a new experience. "A lot of our young people are going camping for the first time with us. They're going hiking. Some of them are even going to the beach for the first time with Youth in Action," says Stephanie.
"We do believe that there is a lot of healing and joy and wellness that can take place in these outdoor spaces."
Adriel
“I'm learning new things, and I'm bettering myself as a person while also having that fun and joy."
Learning about nature and the outdoors takes the participants out of their comfort zones (NOTE: stock image, not YIA). ©Maaike Bernstrom 11thHourRacing / OceanHourFarm
This philosophy reached its furthest point with a recent trip to Washington, D.C. for a conference on ocean conservation during Capitol Hill Ocean Week. For Jonathan, it was an enlightening experience that shifted his perspective.
"It was such a transformative thing that I thought about changing my major to more policy work, because of how much that conference changed my perspective," he says.
Hearing Jonathan say this is exactly the kind of realization Stephanie describes as central to YIA's mission - taking young people, many from urban, under-resourced neighborhoods, into spaces and environments that expand their experience of the natural world, and give them a sense of what's possible for their own futures.
"I’d also like to say, it’s really great to have that trusting relationship with 11th Hour Racing, a partner who is aware of the programming that we're doing, believes in the programming, and is supporting us at a level that's really transformative," she says.
We’ll close this article with a wonderful quote from Jonathan that exemplifies the culture at YIA: "What's said at Youth in Action stays at Youth in Action...and what's learned at Youth in Action leaves Youth in Action."
About Youth in Action
Founded in 1997, YIA was one of the pioneers of “youth-led” work in Providence, following a time of major revitalization in the city, both in infrastructure and in culture. The organization, originally founded by a group of young people motivated to make change in the community, grew to be a flagship for youth driven work in the city. Today, Youth In Action serves close to 200 youth, weekly.
Hero image credit: ©YouthinAction
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