Spirit Awakening Foundation

2022 Accomplishments:In 2022, Spirit Awakening provided its programs and services at: Barry J. Nidorf; Central Juvenile Hall; Dorothy Kirby Center; Frontier High School; John Muir High School Early College Magnet; New Earth YouthBuild, and; Whittier High School. Spirit Awakening also continued to offer its free virtual Mentoring Leaders Program in 2022 for youth and young adults residing in LA County.With support from its grantors, partnering agencies and community members, in 2022, SAF was able to provide: 65 financial aid stipends (totaling $11,380); one college-bound scholarship and; one new laptop to participants in its programs.With support from its partnering agencies, in 2022, SAF was able to take 102 participants on a total of 17 culturally and artistically, all expenses paid field trips in LA County.In 2022, SAF: provided 371 youth development through the arts and mentorship program workshops in public high schools and continuation high schools; hosted 54 virtual Mentoring Leaders Workshops and; was scheduled to offer 669 creative writing, visual arts and mentorship classes in the juvenile camps and halls.In 2022, SAF served roughly 969 program participants in public high schools, continuation high schools, community centers, and juvenile camps and halls throughout LA County.According to its 2022 final evaluation survey results, Spirit Awakening helped:93% of its surveyed participants be more likely to help others;90% do better in school;90% try harder to get good grades;90% make decisions in their best interest that keep them out of trouble;89% think about how things they do will affect them in the future;88% feel they are people of worth, equal to others;88% better understand who they are;88% be more satisfied with themselves;87% have a more positive attitude towards life, and;87% better express their thoughts, feelings and emotions.Spirit Awakening continued to work on completing its first feature film "Spirit Awakening" in 2022. The film project has provided employment opportunities and pathways to creative arts and entertainment careers for some of Spirit Awakening's past and current program participants by hiring and casting them in pivotal roles and also having them work in the film's Art Department to assist with storyboarding and animation. The film is about healing and transformation and is based on the critically acclaimed one-woman play (also called "Spirit Awakening") penned and performed by Spirit Awakening's Founder/CEO/Executive Director, Akuyoe Graham.In 2022, Spirit Awakening's Founder/CEO/Executive Director and Chief Operations Officer continued to serve on a number of councils, committees and advisory boards including the: LA County Office of Violence Prevention Community Partnership Council (and its subsequent committees); University of California, Riverside Extension - Women in Leadership Executive Program Advisory Board; University of California, Riverside Extension - Design Thinking Executive Program Advisory Board, and; United Sierra Education Center (USEC) School Site Council.In 2022, Spirit Awakening hired its first part-time employee (Director of Special Projects).In 2022, Spirit Awakening's Founder/CEO/Executive Director, Akuyoe Graham, was identified as one of the 20 most inspiring women entrepreneurs in The Women Leaders Magazine.In 2022, Spirit Awakening was selected for the Best of Santa Monica Nonprofit Award for the fifth consecutive year and received the Candid Gold Seal of Transparency on GuideStar.Spirit Awakening was able to successfully host its annual public celebration, Voices of the Unheard, virtually in November 2022 during which compilations of essays, poems and metaphysical musings written by incarcerated youth in SAFs programs were performed by guest artists and past/current program participants.