Close your eyes and think back to your teenage years, oh wait if your eyes are closed you can’t read this. OK, continue reading and circle back in your mind to your first love.  What did feel like?  What do you remember?  Now think about your first heart break, who helped you through it?  What about the crazy time you… Or what about when you were trying to figure out how your body works and what’s normal.  Who did you talk to?  Who did you trust with secrets and who held your hand through the roller coaster ride of adolescence?  If you are fortunate, maybe you had a rock star parent or a close family member that was your champion.

This is not the case for all teenagers and sometimes even good parents don’t have the capacity to give kids what they need during this critical period.  That’s where Teen HYPE comes in to fill the gap. Our social justice league of qualified youth development experts show up wherever young people are to serve as champions in development.  From classrooms to corner stores you can find our league on the ground helping young people get ready for the world. This year alone they will reach over 1300 youth in classrooms.  Since this month is all about love, I would be remiss if I didn’t express my deep love and gratitude for their commitment to Detroit’s youth.  It’s theater season for us and that means long days and weekends to support young people in the development of a quality production.  My love for our young people goes without saying …they hold a special place in my heart.  I am so proud of them and it’s truly a privilege to work in partnership with them.  Our youth leaders are game changers! They are on fire for this city and they are passionate about using their voice and their talents to raise awareness about the social justice issues that impact them daily.  If you want to see my loves in action, grab a couple of tickets and check out our upcoming theater production Hidden in the Shadows.  If you mention this blog, I will buy you a box of popcorn and you can tell me all about your first love and your teenage years.  ❤️😍

In partnership,

AMBRA REDRICK, CEO

March, April and May have been extremely busy for Teen HYPE. In these three short months, we have completed multiple runs of our annual stage play, hosted an outstanding art show, and held our annual Build the HYPE fundraising breakfast.

I am grateful for the partners who are in this work with us — our play and art show would not have been successful without the guidance of Mrs. Franky Hudson and our program staff, and our breakfast was made possible by the support of our sponsors DTE Energy Foundation, Comerica Bank, and PNC Bank. We also appreciate the assistance of volunteers from Quicken Loans.

What we have learned during our busy season is that though there were times when it seemed tough, if we rely on each other and work hard, we can do impactful work that makes a difference in the lives of young people. The joy of seeing our students be received like celebrities after their play performances, or supporting them at their prom send offs, or seeing them prepare for their summer jobs is unmatched. There is still much work to do — more young people to reach with leadership, arts, and health education programming, more young people to test and educate about HIV, more community members to engage. But for now, we will celebrate what we have accomplished. Teen HYPE is committed to serving young people and giving them a platform to shine.

Sincerely,

Ambra Redrick
CEO, Teen HYPE