Currently, Memphis has a significantly large population of Opportunity Youth (OY), youth that have been disengaged or disconnected from workforce and educational opportunities. We've partnered with Memphis Shelby County government and community based organizations to conduct research to analyze and enhance services for Opportunity Youth disconnected from workforce and educational opportunities, supporting their economic mobility.

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In 2024, we conducted a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) project to empower 10 youth and young adults to go out and do research in their communities in Memphis to understand the challenges OY face when navigating the path towards positive economic mobility.

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As part of their work, they produced a final report, and I worked with the young adults to co-design the report titled 'My Voice, Our Choice.' They resonated with afrofuturist design, and wanted to see Memphis show up in the work through its rich cultural graffitti artwork and that's exactly what we did to design the report report! 

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Additionally, one of the project's key recommendation's was to create and Opportunity Youth Playbook intended to support local organizations, government, and employers who want to support and build programming for Opportunity Youth and young adults in Memphis-Shelby County through education and employment opportunities. I collaborated with the Memphis nonprofit The Blueprint Collective to design The Opportunity Playbook website to bring this youth-led recommendation to life.

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View each project below!