Santa Fe Reporter’s Zibby Wilder visited the YouthWorks kitchen this week to check out the dramatic growth of its culinary arts program.

Chef Carmen Rodriguez, former New Mexico Chef of the Year, and his wife Penny Rodriguez first met the YouthWorks culinary team when their catering company needed extra staff for a big event, and a friend suggested they contact YouthWorks.

Chef Carmen and Penny were impressed by the students, and following extensive discussion with Executive Director Melynn Schuyler, Carmen became the “godfather” of YouthWorks’ culinary program and Penny took on the role of special projects manager.

To read the full story of how the YouthWorks culinary arts program grew into one of Santa Fe’s “go-to” catering companies, click here.

KSFR, Santa Fe’s public radio station, featured YouthWorks in a two-part interview that aired on Monday and Tuesday, February 4 and 5.

Wake-Up Call Host/Producer MK Mendoza spoke with both staff and youth who are, as she said, “paving the way toward building community from the ground up.” 

In Part 1, MK interviewed Joe, who four years ago was living in Albuquerque, feeling low, and having a hard time in school. After his cousin mentioned YouthWorks, Joe decided to take a chance and moved to Santa Fe “with nothing” but a strong desire for his life to be different.

At YouthWorks, Joe found what he needed. Our small group + hands-on learning opportunities, “no youth left behind” commitment, community supports, and caring family style gave Joe the foundation he needed to build the life he wanted.

If you missed the segment, hear Joe’s story and more here.

Click here for Part Two to hear about the opportunities for youth to prepare for jobs in everything from construction/weatherization and fire prevention to culinary arts and health care.

YouthWorks Executive Director Melynn Schuyler cites efforts by the Santa Fe Housing Action Coalition in a My View opinion piece in the August 4 Santa Fe New Mexican.

As part of the coalition, YouthWorks has joined with a wide variety of stakeholders to strategize solutions, advocacy, and action to address Santa Fe’s housing crisis.

Click here to read about the efforts underway and how you can help.

When the City called, YouthWorks responded.

Following Monday night’s flooding, crews of young people from YouthWorks joined fire department staff and volunteers from Keep Santa Fe Beautiful to fill and hand out more than 6,000 sandbags to residents.

For further details on the City’s response to the storm, follow @MayorWebber or check the City’s incident/event updates.

At a session titled “Popping Your Bubble with Reality,” fifteen teens from Chile and Argentina, with the group Global Ties, visited YouthWorks on March 27 to hear students report on the school-to-prison pipeline and ways to break that link.

YouthWorks students Amanda and Matt have spent the last two years working on a project focused on this issue, in conjunction with the Museum of International Folk Art (MOIFA).

Their project has focused on identifying problems in U.S. public schools, raising awareness of the problems, and identifying ways schools can do a better job for our youth.

Too often, Matt and Amanda have learned, kids get in trouble at school or get caught in the criminal justice system not because they’re bad—but because they just get lost or they don’t have many good options or they make some bad choices and then they get stuck.

Some kids face bullying at school or racial discrimination and don’t want to attend. Some kids can’t afford textbooks or have to work or help take care of younger siblings. Others play hooky, break school rules, or hang around with peers who get them into trouble, and then end up in the criminal justice system.

At the end of the discussion, Amanda left the Global Ties and YouthWorks audience with some advice:

Next Step—The Mural

As part of the MOIFA project, earlier in the month, the YouthWorks community had invited guest artist Sam Leyba to work with the youth to paint a mural depicting the issue.

After learning some drawing techniques, the young people drew images about hopeful messages for youth in the future, which Sam put together in preparation for painting the mural on a YouthWorks wall.

On March 27, after the discussion led by Amanda and Matt, YouthWorks students and youth from Chile and Argentina all helped paint the first draft of the mural.

The unveiling of the final artwork will take place on Wednesday, April 18, from 2-4 pm.

The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing Company, 37 Fire Place, will host a comedy show to benefit YouthWorks on Friday, March 23, from 6 to 8 pm.

Admission is free, but a $10 donation is suggested. See details below.

YouthWorks begins a new session of personal care aide training on April 4.

Graduates who successfully complete the 10-week training program are prepared for entry-level employment and/or post-secondary education in the healthcare field, one of the fastest-growing occupations in the U.S.

For additional information, see below.

A visit to YouthWorks last summer gave artist Shelley Horton-Trippe the impetus for a new series of paintings.

As she described to Pasatiempo, here’s what happened when she arrived at YouthWorks:

The show High Brow Low Ride is featured at Phil Space, 1410 Second Street, from now through through April 27, 2018.

A portion of all sales will benefit programs at YouthWorks.

Seven YouthWorks students graduated today from a 10-week digital fabrication course at Make Santa Fe.

Through this progrm, participants gain a basic understanding of the Maker Movement in classroom discussions, hands-on training, through field trips, and through projects created independently and in teams using MAKE Santa Fe’s tools, network, and staff.

This course entails 10 weeks of programming, three days a week for five hours.

At graduation, students demonstrate through their portfolios and resumes proficient usage of various disciplines that may include metal fabrication, wood fabrication and carpentry, sewing, CAD drafting, 3D modeling, digital additive manufacturing, and digital subtractive manufacturing.

Participants in the class also develop skills in project planning and management, creating proposals, sketches, and prototypes, as well as writing about their ideas.

YouthWorks staff would like to thank SER Jobs for Progress for securing use of the maker space for the course and for providing students with post-training job and educational placement assistance.

Rabbi Neil Amswych, of Temple Beth Shalom, interviewed YouthWorks Executive Director Melynn Schuyler on KSFR at the end of November.

To hear the discussion about the needs of “at-risk” young people in our community—for safe shelter, counseling, education, and job training—click below.

 Soul Searching – YouthWorks

On his half-hour program Soul Searching, Rabbi Neil engages with faith leaders, academics, and members of the community to hear differing perspectives on key questions that we all ask at differing times in our lives.

The program airs on KSFR 101.1 the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 6:30 pm.

In today’s “My View” in the New Mexican, the Rev. H. Blaine Wimberly, pastor at Zia United Methodist Church, calls for support for homeless youth in Santa Fe.

Click here to read the full commentary in the New Mexican.

After beginning his YouthWorks apprenticeship as a chimney sweep earlier this month, Eddie Orozco got a rave review from his new boss.

Marc Black, master chimney sweep at Arthur Black Chimney & Dryer Exhaust, was so impressed with Eddie’s great work that he stopped by YouthWorks to express his thanks for having Eddie on the job.

Students from YouthWorks engage in discussion on September 22, 2017, with young European leaders from nearly a dozen countries who are visiting the U.S. to better understand American social, political, and economic issues.

The International Visitor Leadership program is sponsored by U.S. State Department and hosted by the Santa Fe Council on International Relations.

Four apprentices from YouthWorks are working with Littleglobe–a local nonprofit committed to interdisciplinary, collaborative art projects–to document stories from the neighborhood surrounding the developing Siler Yard: Arts + Creativity Center.

The apprentices are interviewing community members to tell their stories about how the project will affect them and to ensure that their voices and perspectives are being heard.

By participating in this project, the young people are learning interviewing, storytelling, and media production. As the project progresses, they will be incorporating their own stories and perspectives in the media making process.

These stories of the impact of the Siler Yard project will be shared at a community listening event and on radio broadcasts. Watch for details to come about when and where.

The clothing drive underway at YouthWorks makes all the difference in getting ready to interview for a job. Board member Fred Seibel provides a bit of advice on tie tying, and YouthWorks student Juan is suited up and ready for action.

YouthWorks is collecting gently used “career” attire for both men and woman, sizes extra-small to extra-large, like the outfits below.

If you can provide any of the following, drop them off from 8 am to 4:30 pm at 1504 Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe. The entrance is around the back, off Taos Street.

Suits * Suit Jackets  * Blazers
Blouses & Shirts * Skirts * Dress Slacks & Pants * Ties
Closed Toe Shoes * Non-Slip Shoes * Work Boots

For more information, contact Kineret Yardena at (505) 989-1855.