WHY GIVE CHALLENGE

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The Copeland Center For Wellness & Recovery, non-profit organization, came from people getting together and asking what they could do for themselves to stay well. It was from the leadership of those folks in Vermont that led us to understand the power of people standing up and speaking about their own lives. Now our work is around the world and we are watching a generation of our first leaders reaching their golden years -- our work continues and continues to inspire new generations. The Copeland Center knows the value of a diversity of views. This year we are working to offer opportunities to a diverse group of youth to spread our message to people just starting their journeys as adults and to collaborate directly with young leaders of today and who will be the heart of our movement in the future. We are directing all WHY GIVE CHALLENGE funds from our fall appeal to the development of youth leaders in the recovery movement. We will be using funds to get young people to trainings and conferences, give them the opportunity to design and lead trainings, and provide mentorship along the way.

Will you join us in the WHY GIVE CHALLENGE by creating opportunities for youth?

Hello, I am Jonathan Gibbs.  I have a passion for providing high level organizational development and strategies for youth programs and systems. As a DC native who was given a wonderful opportunity to make an impact as a youth Leader. My mentors opened the opportunity for me to receive advance training and take it back to my community. I am a Youth Certified Peer Specialist, certified in Advanced Youth Development and WRAP. I want to invite you to contribute by opening opportunities for other youth that have the desire to make a difference, give to the "WHY GIVE CHALLENGE"       

Hi my name is Letty Elenes.

I want to invite you to join the "WHY GIVE CHALLENGE" Youth Empowerment is about giving youth the opportunity to be a part of, to be heard and most importantly to be valued in an authentic way. As a youth mentor I create opportunities as my mentors did for me when I needed it the most, paying it forward! I was blessed to have found a local WRAP group in my community. Since then, I have dedicated my life to systems transformation and creating youth leadership programing, which includes YOUTH WRAP! Support me by giving a young person an opportunity.

Hi, my name is Kimberly Marquez-Cortes  I want to invite you to join the "Why Give Challenge" by sharing just how valuable having opportunities as a young person impacted my life. As a teenager, like many other young people I was not taken seriously by the adults around me, my ideas and opinions were always overlooked and never taken into consideration. After years of feeling unheard I finally was introduced to a group of youth that would go on to change my life as I know it. For the first time in years I felt heard, my ideas were not only taken under consideration but were expanded on and I felt that I mattered and was making a difference. The adult mentors taught me to continue to ask questions at every meeting, workshop, and presentation I attended. My interest in the mental health system grew and so did my opportunities I was no longer just sitting in the audience at these workshops, through my hard work, I was given the opportunity to lead them both local and nationwide. I learned about WRAP and became a facilitator today, I am an Advanced WRAP Facilitator. I have had the privilege of working on amazing projects for the county I live in and supported larger projects on a national level. Without these types of opportunities and the adults that believed in me, I know for a fact, I would not be here today doing what I love. It is because of their belief in me that I can say I've done the work that I have. Please donate to continue spreading this work so that other youth who feel like they don't matter or that they don't make a difference in this world, know that they DO and they CAN all they need is the opportunity.