Good Journey Development Foundation

Good Journey works with young people ages 8 to 25 in communities and in partnership with schools and community organizations. Through Good Journey programs, young people gain experience and learn to be leaders in their schools, communities, other organizations, jobs and with their families.

Summer Leadership Academy (Leadership Development & Academic Enrichment)
During seven weeks of the summer, young people participate and serve as volunteers and staff for Good Journey's Summer Leadership Academy. This summer's theme is So St. Louis, focusing on Black St. Louis History of people, places and events. Youth will also learn and participate in gardening, STEAM, outdoor games, Kiswahili language, art, poetry and more. During the summer, young people grow and become more collective in their thoughts and actions and have a better understanding of their relationship to community and the value of the community. The summer also includes field experiences throughout the St. Louis region that teach youth history and collective work and responsibility, engaging entrepreneurs and career and community leaders, making art that is self and community reflective, and much more.

Our Community Our World (Community Leadership Building)
Good Journey engages young people throughout the year through the Our Community Our World program. This program gets young people directly involved with community building through service projects and partnerships with community organizations. Young people have developed plans for a holistic community based art experience for children and a youth business incubator. They have participated in community clean-ups, started their own community garden and are in the third growing season (Bustani Ya Upenda - Garden of Love), and volunteered at the annual African Community Health Fair. They have participated with Advocates for Youth in the Resource Accountability Project doing research to determine how money donated to youth programs after the Ferguson Uprising is benefitted them and their peers. Youth participating in a cultural exchange to South Africa, were instrumental in developing school based social action groups, participating in citywide social justice actions, were student government leaders, participated in community improvement projects and were docents for community based African art exhibit, ART IN OUR WORLD at Exodus Gallery. Youth worked with the St. Louis African American History and Genealogy Society to research and digitally produce engaging information, and now youth produce podcasts on topics of interest to them.

Skills 4 Life (Life Skills)
Youth participate in cultural-based, interactive, character and skill building activities. They engage in thought-provoking discussions to express independent and collective perspectives while expressing their identity. Youth participate in challenging and skill building activities/games that promote critical decision making and understanding of related consequences. Youth participants have continued the right course, made good decisions and avoided recidivism and the juvenile system.

Art In Our World (Art & Culture, Communication, Organization & Leadership Development)
Good Journey's ART IN OUR WORLD engages youth in leadership development, the practice of confident communication and community service through the arts, as youth serve as exhibit docents. Youth experience a new culture, learn a unique art form from visiting African artists and understand the value of entrepreneurship in the creation of art. There are 4 main program components: (1) art exhibition, (2) art lessons/workshop (3) youth docents and (4) artist and community dialogue.

Xpress U Thru Art (Healing Art, Therapy, Healthy Living & Community Engagement)
A multi-week healing art program in which young people explore trauma, oppression, emotions, resiliency, the ability to develop self-care, to develop community care, and ability to positively project internally and externally through the creation of art. The guiding artist encourages young people in their work on art projects that speak to who they are and what they feel, while the guiding counselor helps them learn to communicate their experiences in ways that reinforce and build upon their humanity to create space for healing, and positively engage with community.

Community Involvement & Cultural Exchange and LIVE Black Youth Corps (Youth Organizing & Advocacy for Racial Justice)
This program engages youth with community projects, cultural exchange, and global leadership and ally building...