Back in 2010, during Invisible People's 2nd national road trip, I was introduced to Urban Peak's work fighting youth homelessness in Denver. To be honest, it was a life-changing moment for me. Thanks to Urban Peak allowing me to tag along for a few days, I learned about labor trafficking of homeless youth in America. Here is the story from that 2010 visit of Jeremy and Alicia [[ Ссылка ]] two youth I met during that visit who has been stranded by a sales crew. I also learned about domestic sex trafficking of homeless youth, which really opened my eyes and heart to a such a horrible crisis. You can watch that interview here: Homeless Youth Labor and Sex Trafficking in America [ Ссылка ]
This week I revisited Urban Peak and I was so very happy to see the growth of their facility and programs. Their drop in center was awesome before, but the new improvements are very noticeable. What stuck out the most, to me, was that the top floor had been transformed into an education and learning center. I love walking through seeing homeless youth working to better their lives through education.
Each stop on this road trip I am trying to pick out a topic that relates to fighting youth homelessness and is different than what has already been highlighted. In the following video Charlie Annerino, employment services specialist at Urban Peak, speaks about the joys and challenges of using employment and education to fight youth homelessness.
I have a lot of respect for social service workers like Charlie who work with broken youth. Teenagers are hard as is, now add teenagers who have grown up on the streets and have probably experienced more trauma than most adults see in a lifetime. Although challenging, helping kids learn life skills through employment and education is very important. Please support services in your community like Urban Peak.
This Invisible People road trip is made possible by Sevenly and Virgin Mobile USA, who are partnering to end youth homelessness through Virgin Mobile USA's initiative, RE*Generation.
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About Invisible People:
Since its launch in November 2008, Invisible People has leveraged the power of video and the massive reach of social media to share the compelling, gritty, and unfiltered stories of homeless people from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. The vlog (video blog) gets up close and personal with veterans, mothers, children, layoff victims and others who have been forced onto the streets by a variety of circumstances. Each week, they’re on InvisiblePeople.tv, and high traffic sites such as YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, proving to a global audience that while they may often be ignored, they are far from invisible.
Invisible People goes beyond the rhetoric, statistics, political debates, and limitations of social services to examine poverty in America via a medium that audiences of all ages can understand, and can’t ignore. The vlog puts into context one of our nation’s most troubling and prevalent issues through personal stories captured by the lens of Mark Horvath – its founder – and brings into focus the pain, hardship and hopelessness that millions face each day. One story at a time, videos posted on InvisiblePeople.tv shatter the stereotypes of America’s homeless, force shifts in perception and deliver a call to action that is being answered by national brands, nonprofit organizations and everyday citizens now committed to opening their eyes and their hearts to those too often forgotten.
Invisible People is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the way we think about people experiencing homelessness.
