Street Youth Ministries

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Supporting Street Youth Ministries

HOW SYM IS FUNDEDSYM relies on revenues from fundraising events, the generosity of individual donors, corporate sponsorships, foundations, and the financial partnering of local churches.MAXIMIZING YOUR GIFTSYM values the resources and support of the community and strives to make every dollar count. In order to do this, we mobilize over 30 volunteers to work directly with youth in our programs, and many more to help run events, provide meals and maintain our Drop-in Center. We are also grateful for the generosity of University Presbyterian Church who houses our Drop-in Center and offices on their campus to help minimize our infrastructure costs. They also provide a community of support around the youth we serve. DONATE ONLINEClick here to give through our secure, online server.IN-KIND DONATIONSSYM accepts new and gently-used items such as clothing and toiletries. Please contact the SYM office for further information or drop them off in the yellow bin at the University Presbyterian Church Welcome Kiosk.

For questions regarding giving or how SYM uses their resources, please contact Rowena Harper , 206-524-7301 x111

GIVING

About

STAFF

YOUTH

SYM

About SYM

ABOUT SYM

Street Youth Ministries (SYM) is a non-profit, faith-based organization serving homeless and at-risk youth ages 13-25 in the Seattle area.

History
Mission Statement
UDSPA

History HISTORYIn March of 1993, a group of individuals and churches recognized the growing problem of youth homelessness in Seattle's University District and formed a partnership to address the issue. Today, SYM is committed to helping young people exit street life, and works with hundreds of youth each year.

Mission Statement MISSION STATEMENTTo provide youth in Seattle's University District with life-skills, resources and relationships that bring hope and healing to their lives and the community.

UDSPA UDISTRICT SERVICE PROVIDER'S ALLIANCEStreet Youth Ministries is a member agency of the University District Service Provider's Alliance (UDSPA), a coalition of nonprofits working together to provide a full range of services and support to Seattle's homeless and street-involved youth and young adults. For more information, visit www.udsp.org.

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Staff

Rowie

Rowena Harper

Executive Director

206.524.7301 x111

What's your favorite breakfast food? Coffee with flavored creamer, fried rice, eggs over medium and longanisa (yummy sausage popular in the Philippines; sort of like chorizo).What's your favorite midnight snack? Nothing. I don't usually eat from midnight until I wake. Every other hour after I wake, though, I'm usually eating something.What's the first thing you would do if you found out you won the lottery? I'd pay someone to clean out and organize my garage, make sure my family was taken care of and then give the rest to SYM.Who has made the biggest impact on your life so far, and why? My parents, without a doubt. They've taught me what it means to be selfless and have demonstrated to me, my sisters and our extended family what it looks like to love. They are amazing!How long have you been with SYM? Six years. Wow!What's your biggest pet peeve? When people tell you to "chill", in a mean way. What is your Alma Mater? High School - Kentridge ChargersCollege - UW Huskies!!!What do you like most about working with SYM? Serving a staff that is so gifted and so committed to caring for youth in ways that bring healing. I learn from them every day.

Kylene Lu

Volunteer Coordinator

206.524.7301 x186

What's your favorite breakfast food?Mmmm...breakfast is my favorite meal. I love breakfast for dinner. Too many great options to pick a fave, but if I were at a restaurant, I'd probably get a veggie omelette with hash browns and toast.What did you want to be when you were ten years old?A doctor. My parents were so disappointed when I discovered I was afraid of blood. What's your favorite midnight snack?Popcorn!Name one thing you miss about being a kid.Family dinners. My brothers now live in Michigan, Arizona and New York, so it makes family get-togethers a little more complicated. I don't remember loving them at the time, but I appreciate them now and that my parents made it a priority. What's the first thing you would do if you found out you won the lottery?Buy a boat and go wakeboarding.What is your Alma Mater?Biola University. Chyeeeah!What do you like most about working with youth?Probably their honesty. There is no sugarcoating or beating around the bush with our youth. They'll tell it like it is, and I appreciate and enjoy that.

Kate

Kate Reynolds

Case Manager

206.524.7301 x112

How long have you been with SYM?Since January of "O" ten. What's your favorite breakfast food?Plain yogurt, fruit and granola. What's the first thing you would do if you found out you won the lottery?Pay off my student loans. What's the most interesting trip you have ever taken? I have been to paris and Honduras, but I feel the most interesting trip is yet to come...when I win the lottery. If you could trade places with any other person for a week, living or dead, real or fictional, with whom would it be?I've always had a dream of running the Boston marathon. I don't even have a name, but would love to trade places with an Olympic-caliber runner who could bust out at the Boston marathon and not have to do any of the training for it.What do you like most about working with youth?The chance to know and be known and giving them a chance to know and be known. The honor of being invited into their lives.

Tyler Bauer

Program Coordinator

206.524.7301 x114

If you could trade places with any other person for a week, living or dead, real or fictional, with whom would it be?Perhaps one of my parents' friends in NM in the late 70s. I am curious as to what they were like as young people. What's more, they crossed some profound cultural boundaries, and I want a front seat to that.What did you want to be when you were ten years old?I wanted to be a baker. It was a long-lived phase. I think the idea came from the Swedish Chef on the Muppet Show. He seemed to have a good gig set up for himself. Plus, I was an absolutely bread-addicted kid. Baker was my best move. What's your biggest pet peeve? Eggshells, the kind you walk on. I have less and less room for them. I'm convinced that if we want real intimacy in our relationships we cannot indulge in bad relational habits and then try to punctuate it all with moments of niceness. C.S. Lewis thoughts on personal sensitivity as a form of manipulation have been formational for me.What was your favorite musical group when you were in Junior High? Oh dear. No contest, The Dead Milkmen. My friend Steve and I were obsessed. I still enjoy them from time to time. Name one thing you miss about being a kid.I miss experiencing the world with loads of wonder. Wonder keeps the world fresh, but it takes work as an adult, I've found. To this day, I still love the sensation of driving through a town I don't know. The work of it is experiencing that same wonder in the places I'm familiar with. How long have you been with SYM?Ten years come October of 2011. It feels more like three, to be honest, which I chalk up to loving the work. What is your Alma Mater?Whitworth University in Spokane, WA. I still keep in touch with my people from those days.What do you like most about working with youth?Their emotional honesty, resilience, and keen sense that things are not as they should be are infectious. Work with them invigorates me. Life with them helps me maintain perspective.

Brynnie

Brynn Fitzer

Life Skills & Activities Coordinator

206.524.7301 x113

If you had a superpower what would it be?I want the power of teleportation. Wouldn't it be awesome to spend the weekend in Prague? Sure, jetlag would be terrible...or would it? You wouldn't be exhausted and cramped from ten hours in coach. You'd just need to deal with a messed up bio clock. Think about getting home from work in a snow storm. Seriously, teleportation would be awesome.Why do you do this kind of work?I believe that as human beings we need to be seen and cared for. It is one of our most basic needs and is something everyone struggles with; children vying for parents' attention, adolescents trying to fit in and then, as adults, seeking out friendships and spouses for this. In the same way I find myself wanting to be cared about, it makes me happy to care for others.What food is your guilty pleasure?I am a huge fan of french fries in a Wendy's Frosty. I also appreciate potato chips in sandwiches.How long have you been in Seattle? Have you ever lived anywhere else? I moved to Seattle in 2007. The year previous I had lived in both Wisconsin and Indiana.Any other strange facts we should know?I have 10 toes and 11 toenails.

ABOUT OUR STAFF

BACK

ABOUT THE BOARD

Youth

ABOUT YOUTH

Estimates of how many young people are living on the streets of King County vary - ranging from 700 to 1,500 young people on any given night - but what is certain is that the number is altogether too high. For a number of reasons, every one of them tragic, young people brave the exposure and danger of the streets nightly, working hard to meet their needs in our city's public spaces. Driven by God's love for all people, Street Youth Ministries' aim since 1992 has been to befriend, care for, and empower these young people to exit street life into safe, stable places. The staff and volunteers, without exception, count it a great honor to be in the lives of the young people that take refuge in Street Youth Ministries' programs.

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Board

2012 BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICERSCesar Menendez - President Jun Young - Secretary Brook Anderson - Treasurer BOARD MEMBERSCraig CoxSuzanne LenanderMolly McCueJohn TippettNicola TowersBrian VaseyJohn Yanefski

For board inquiries, please contact Rowena Harper , Executiver Director, 206-524-7301 x111

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Our Spa

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Our Philosophy

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ABOUT

Services

Drop-in
Advocacy
Life Skills
Youth Activities

Drop-in

DROP-IN

Our drop-in center provides for basic and immediate needs of youth, including food, hygiene items, showers, clothing, and laundry. It is here that SYM staff and volunteers first meet youth, learn their stories and build relationships with them. Once youth are introduced to SYM, they can become involved more deeply in subsequent programs.

Advocacy

ADVOCACY

SYM advocates for youth through case management to determine specific needs and develop goals and plans aimed at moving youth toward stability. As youth take the many difficult steps toward independence, our staff provides accountability and encouragement.

Since no one agency can meet the complex and varied needs of youth, SYM actively networks with local youth services to ensure youth receive comprehensive support. In addition, SYM advocates for youth in circumstances where they need counsel or support, such as with employers and legal authorities.

For more information about case management, click here to

contact Kate Reynolds or call 206-524-7301 x112

Life Skills No Frame

LIFE SKILLS

Without mastering basic life skills, youth have little or no chance of leaving the streets. Through everyday interaction with volunteers and staff, youth learn various skills from practicing good hygiene and doing regular chores to finding a job.

Life skills offered or promoted at SYM include:

Budgeting

Hygiene/Self-Care

Education Resources

Chore Program

Time Management

Job Referrals

Utilizing Relevant Community Support

Resume building

Study skills

Home maintenance

Cooking Classes

For more information about life skills programs, click here to

contact Brynn Fitzer or call 206-524-7301 x113

Youth Activities ACTIVITIESLife on the streets of the University District can be dangerous, tiresome and discouraging. SYM takes youth out of this environment to see places with beautiful scenery, experience healthy activity and practice interacting with caring and positive adults. Activities include:Ski/Snowboard LessonsRock ClimbingSurfingPaintballPlays and Theatre ProductionsTrips to Wild WavesRiver RaftingWakeboardingWhirleyballHorseback Riding
2boats

If you have an idea for a getaway or would like to donate an activity, please Email Brynn Fitzer , our Life Skills and Activities Coordinator.

Need Help

I need help...

...getting somewhere safe

...meeting basic needs

...with something else

...with counseling

Transportation No Frame

getting somewhere safe

We offer Greyhound tickets to youth who are trying to get home if it's a safe and healthy environment.

Contact Tyler to apply or for more info: 206.524.7301 x114

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Drop-in

Drop-In

Come by the drop-in center on 47th Ave NE near 15th to get some of your basic needs met or to just hang out. Some of the services you can find at the drop-in include:showersfoodclothing & shoeslaundry facilitiesbooks & gameshygiene items (toothpaste, brush, shampoo, etc.)activities (anything from playing the Wii to tye-dying t-shirts)bus tickets, batteries, blankets, sleep bags (in exchange for a chore)massage chair
HOURSMonday: 7:30-9:30pmTuesday: 7:30-9:30pmThursday: 7:30-9:30pmFriday: 1-4pm

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Case Management No Frame

CASE MANAGEMENT and LIFE SKILLS

Come meet with an SYM staff member to talk about finding housing or shelter, getting clean, finding a job, education, dealing with legal issues or anything else you might need assistance with. Contact Kate for more info: 206.524.7301 x112We can also help with life skills, such as budgeting, education, debt-relief, time-management, building a resume, study skills and home maintenance. Give Brynn a call to find out more: 206.524.7301 x113 or CLICK HERE to see what Life Skills are currently being offered.

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Counseling No Frame

...with counseling

There are licensed mental health counselors available to meet with you and talk about life and any issues that may be on your mind. Contact Kate Reynolds by calling 206.524.7301 x112.

If you feel this is an emergency,

please call the Crisis Line at 1-866-4CRISIS.

The Crisis Line provides confidential,

24-hour counseling for persons in crisis.

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Life Skills Info

Life Skills

Life skills offerings vary from several week classes to one-time workshops.

Individual help is available for resume-building, budgeting and debt management. Contact Brynn for more info.

Staff Contact:

Brynn Fitzer

Lift Skills & Activities Coordinator

206.524.7301 x113

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For a little extra you can also:

Services

Volunteer

DIRECT SERVICE
NON-DIRECT SERVICE

DIRECT SERVICE DROP-INCome build relationships with youth during Drop-in! Evening Hours: M, T, Thurs, 7:00-10:00pmDaytime Hours: Friday, 12:30-4:30pm VOLUNTEER QUALIFICATIONS20 years of age or older Commit to one day a week for six months Desire to work with homeless youth and build positive relationships with themComplete application & clear WA State Patrol background checkVOLUNTEER APPLICATIONReady to jump in? Download the application below and Email it to Kylene or stick it in the mail. Feel free to also contact her with any questions at 206-524-7301 x186.

Volunteer Application_Revised_Oct10.doc

NON-DIRECT SERVICE MEAL TEAMWork with your own small group to plan, purchase and prepare a well-balanced meal for homeless youth. Must be willing to commit to one day a month for at least six months. OFFICE or EVENT VOLUNTEERHelp is sporadically needed with bigger administrative projects or SYM events. Email Kylene to be added to the on-call list. IN-KIND DRIVES or SERVICE PROJECTSTeam up! SYM is able to provide food, beverages, hygiene supplies, art supplies, socks, and underwear to youth due to the generosity of various groups that get together and gather much-needed items for the young people we serve. Additionally, groups are needed to clean, paint, and organize the Drop-in Center. FINANCIAL SUPPORTContact us to give over the phone or donate using our secure online form. SYM is a registered 501c3 and your donation is tax-deductible. For more information about volunteer opportunities, contact Kylene Lu at 206-524-7301 x186.

Volunteer

Events

WHO ARE YOU

Who are you?

YOUTH

SUPPORTER of SYM

YOUTH

Youth Activities

SYM goes on various outings each month.

They are free for youth and young adults that choose to come.

Food is sometimes included in the outing.

Click on the "Activity Calendar" button to see what we're doing this month.

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ACTIVITIY CALENDAR

Staff Contact:

Brynn Fitzer

Lift Skills & Activities Coordinator

206.524.7301 x113

SUPPORTERS No Frame

SYM holds three main benefits per year to share what we do and raise support for the ministry. We hosted our Theo Chocolate event in October, which went great! Thank you to everyone who showed up to learn more about us and help fund the work.

If you have questions or are interested in being an event volunteer, please Email Kylene Lu or call 206.524.7301 ext.186

Thank you!

Youth Calendar jan web.GIF

Click anywhere on calendar to enlarge. Times & dates subject to change.

Spa appointments

EVENTS

Contact

Gifts Certificates

STREET YOUTH MINISTRIES

4540 15th Ave NE | Seattle, WA 98105

PH: 206.524.7301 x186 | Fax: 206.523.1284

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STREET YOUTH MINISTRIES

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Street Youth Ministries

invites you to

"Breakfast at 9"

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Geneva Hall

University Presbyterian Church

4540 15th Ave NE, Seattle

JOIN US AND...

Hear a message from UPC Senior Director of Outreach, Ken Kierstead

Learn about the common misconceptions surrounding street-involved and homeless youth

Support SYM'’s work with homeless youth in the University District

Enjoy a delicious breakfast!

RSVP to Kylene Lu or 206-524-7301,

ext. 186 with number of guests and children by Friday, April 1st.

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DONATE

Get Connected:

206.524.7301 x186 | 4540 15th Ave NE | Seattle, WA 98105

a night of chocolate

You're invited to THEO CHOCOLATE FACTORY (3400 Phinney Ave N; Seattle 98103)

on Thursday, October 27th at 6:30pm

JOIN US AND...

taste an assortment of premium, organic, specialty chocolate

take a tour of the factory

enjoy delicious appetizers, wine, coffee and other beverages and

support homeless youth in your community!

We look forward to seeing you for a fun and relaxing evening with a purpose.

RSVP to Kylene Lu by October 19th or, if you have questions, call 206.524.7301 x186.

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Give to SYM now and double your gift!

LIFE SKILLS OFFERINGS

CLICK HERE to view theCHRISTMAS WISH LIST