p:ear

October 7, 2022

Amount Requested$10,000.00

Address

338 NW 6th Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97214

Beth Burns

Executive Director

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  • Broaden Perspectives Through Art, Culture, Literature or Extracurricular Experiences
Proposal Information

Funds are Being Requested for:

Program Support

Mission Statement

p:ear builds positive relationships with homeless youth, ages 15-25, through education, art, recreation and job training opportunities to affirm personal worth and create more meaningful and healthier lives.

Amount Requested

$10,000.00

Program Budget

$138,632.00

Organizational Budget

$1,886,170.00

Relationship to the Olseth Family Foundation

Yes

Summarize Your Request

p:ear respectfully requests support of our arts + culture program.

Art teaches young people how to survive their own lives with confidence, creativity, and hope, and transform a time of instability and transition into a time for personal growth and development. We believe that the enriching qualities of the arts are powerful and important and that all of us deserve beauty and depth in our lives.

Art builds bridges. Art is a powerful tool for communication, collaboration, promoting justice and affecting change. Art encourages us to express our opinion and experiences; challenges our point of views and beliefs; and exposes the inequities plaguing our society. Art can change the narrative of victimization to one of resilience and strength and connection.

For the past 20 years, p:ear's Arts and Culture program has been a force: to both bring dignity and voice to their experiences while exposing the systems and oppression that lead them to their homelessness. p:ear brings music, art, photography, film, theater, dance and literature into the lives of over 500 youth annually. The arts facilitate relationships. By building connections with these youth through the creation and exhibition of their artwork, staff and trained mentor-instructors form meaningful and trusting relationships. We are committed to supporting, learning from and amplifying the brave and creative leadership of our young artists.

Overview of the Grant Request

Population Served

Homeless Youth

Geographic Area Served

Portland Metro

List Three Measurable Goals That This Funding Will Help You Achieve.

1) Continue and strengthen our BIPOC Artist In Residence program: paid internships for 12 artists of color annually to design, lead and execute art projects for p:ear youth as well as to curate our 1st Thursday Gallery openings
2) Create multiple avenues for sharing their creative work with their peers and the community
3) Offer a range of engaging, popular art-based activities and workshops led by dynamic, and professional instructors

How Will You Accomplish These Goals?

1) p:ear’s BIPOC artist in residence program pays artists of color living wages to design, lead and execute art projects for p:ear youth for one month and will eventually also curate our 1st Thursday Gallery openings. Intentionally hiring artists of color to mentor / teach p:ear youth provides opportunities to learn new skills and share experiences and perspectives that better represent the youth accessing our space. Our hope is that through art, we will continue to examine the very present social, political, and economic structures of racism and oppression as we all pursue understanding our own racial position. This program just finished its first full year. It has been a joyous experiment and we are committed to keeping it going.
2) p:ear's Gallery has been closed since March 2020 due to the pandemic. We are committed to opening the gallery to showcase and highlight the work of youth and our guest artists in early 2023. Our goal is partner with 2-3 galleries / community spaces to show and sell youth art. Our next community opening is October 21st at Blue Sky Gallery. Serving as an open house where community members and p:ear youth engage in dialogue and appreciation of art, the p:ear gallery opens First Thursdays and is a celebration of the artistic achievements of p:ear youth.
3) Creativity is a critical tool for helping young people who’ve experienced trauma engage in self-expression. Our art programs offer healthy mentoring, as well as opportunities to earn income from p:ear gallery sales. Our amazing community of arts and culture partners offer opportunities to p:ear youth, ensuring that young people see their roles in Portland’s creative community. We will continue to create and nurture meaningful + authentic relationships with artists in our community to share their craft and passions with youth and to offer a wide range of engaging programming for youth.

Looking Forward, How Will You Measure These Goals?

The success of our goals is measured in a formal intake process, enrollment and ongoing tracking system which documents the number of kids participating each day in each activity, those who return and for how long, and a record of any notable event and/or referral service for each individual. Success is also measured by numbers of youth accessing p:ear, by sustained attendance, by positive change – applying to school, participating in an art show, and by making healthy choices about physical and emotional health.

Because the staff works closely with each young person at p:ear, they are able to track daily the progress and setbacks in their lives. This information is collected along with anecdotal observations and allows the staff to provide customized and appropriate services and support, as well as ascertain the impact of our programs on each young person. This data is also used to inform overall program modifications and improvements.

Implementation Plan

Start Date

12/01/2022

End Date

11/30/2023

Describe Most Significant Collaborations With Other Organizations And Efforts.

p:ear was created from an entrepreneurial spirit: we actively seek out change, embrace critical questioning, strive for innovation and work toward continuous improvement. We are rightly poised for the next challenge: moving through the impacts of the pandemic with programs that are trauma-informed, anti-racist, centered in relationships, and are uniquely driven by the communities they serve.

We are committed to partnerships that build organizational capacity, move beyond transactional and into true collaboration; inspire people to take part and learn more about the issues of homelessness, equity and justice; and propel all of us forward. We collaborate with a wide range of organizations, businesses, schools, and government institutions. Some of our current significant collaborations include: our BIPOC artists in residence; p:ear volunteers who help support all program needs; Nossa Familia Coffee (supporting our coffee works program); Sellwood Cycles (supporting bike works); My Voice Music (helping us envision a strong and culturally responsive music program at p:ear); Alano Club (offering painting and skating to p:ear youth to promote sobriety and healing from substance use disorders); Laika Studios (teaching workshops); White Bird Dance, Artist Repertory Theatre, Bodyvox (providing free tickets and access to cultural performances).

What Is The Projected Timeline For The Proposed Activities?

1 year
December 1, 2022 - November 30, 2023

Supplemental Information

Board Members
Current Year Organizational Budget

pear-2022-2023-Operating-Budget.pdf

Program Budget For Proposed Funding Period

Art-Program-Budget.pdf

Audited Financials (if applicable)

PEAR-Financial-Statements-2021.pdf

Other Entries
Approval Status

Unapproved