Yellow brick road: street outreach
Yellow Brick Road is a non-religious, non-political, and non-judgmental street-outreach program for homeless and/or street-dependent youth in Portland. It was formed in 1984 by JT (Jerry) Fest to address the needs of young people experiencing homelessness in Portland Oregon. From its inception it was intended (and continues to be) volunteer-run. In 1990 it became one of the Willamette Bridge programs, which is the collection of services specifically geared towards homeless youth in the Janus Youth continuum of services.
I first discovered YBR about 11 years ago when I did an internet search for something to the effect of “volunteer with youth in Portland.” I read about volunteers walking around downtown Portland every night of the week, handing out first aid supplies, harm reduction supplies (condoms, bleach kits for cleaning hypodermic needles, etc.), resource information and connecting respectfully with the young people they encountered. I knew that’s what I wanted to do as a volunteer, but being a single mom with a young child left little time to do so. I knew I’d have to wait. Eight years later I was finally able to take on a volunteer commitment. I had not forgotten about YBR and so I finally became a volunteer in March of 2011.
From the onset, I really loved making connections with the people I met out on the street. The most important aspect of what YBR volunteers do is just that: making meaningful connections and having positive interactions with a population that often does not experience either of those from strangers.
My work with youth stems from a desire to be a positive adult in the lives of young people, especially adolescence. Teenaged people are often judged quite harshly in our culture and encounter negative stereotypes and experience disrespect, often at home and regularly in the community. (Just listen to how people talk about teenagers!) I’ve long since wanted to be a change agent in the way that we treat and view youth, and to be that positive adult that is respectful and certainly not paternalistic.
There are a multitude of reasons why a young person may be experiencing homelessness. Leaving an unsafe home environment is one of the most common reasons; a large portion of homeless youth have experienced sexual, physical, and/or emotional violence in the home. Also, young people in the foster care system are sometimes placed in homes that are abusive and being on the street—and having a street family—is sometimes a better alternative. Of course, some people (though a minority, to be sure) choose homelessness for the excitement or to fit in with a particular peer group, or for personal moral reasons (not wanting to support capitalist, consumerist culture).
My experience thus far with YBR has been really great. The volunteer commitment is 6 months long but I enjoyed being out on the street enough to continue to volunteer. Meeting all sorts of folks and being able to offer a little bit of kindness and caring has been really rewarding for me. The biggest impact that came from being with YBR is that it led me to study social work at PSU. A career choice was decided upon due to this volunteer position! I think that’s pretty huge.
The impact on my community is not something that I can really speak to, as I haven’t been in the habit of asking the folks I meet to inform me of how they experience me :) I’d like to think that my presence has been positive, and that by being with YBR I’m able to make even just a small impact on some people’s lives.
I first discovered YBR about 11 years ago when I did an internet search for something to the effect of “volunteer with youth in Portland.” I read about volunteers walking around downtown Portland every night of the week, handing out first aid supplies, harm reduction supplies (condoms, bleach kits for cleaning hypodermic needles, etc.), resource information and connecting respectfully with the young people they encountered. I knew that’s what I wanted to do as a volunteer, but being a single mom with a young child left little time to do so. I knew I’d have to wait. Eight years later I was finally able to take on a volunteer commitment. I had not forgotten about YBR and so I finally became a volunteer in March of 2011.
From the onset, I really loved making connections with the people I met out on the street. The most important aspect of what YBR volunteers do is just that: making meaningful connections and having positive interactions with a population that often does not experience either of those from strangers.
My work with youth stems from a desire to be a positive adult in the lives of young people, especially adolescence. Teenaged people are often judged quite harshly in our culture and encounter negative stereotypes and experience disrespect, often at home and regularly in the community. (Just listen to how people talk about teenagers!) I’ve long since wanted to be a change agent in the way that we treat and view youth, and to be that positive adult that is respectful and certainly not paternalistic.
There are a multitude of reasons why a young person may be experiencing homelessness. Leaving an unsafe home environment is one of the most common reasons; a large portion of homeless youth have experienced sexual, physical, and/or emotional violence in the home. Also, young people in the foster care system are sometimes placed in homes that are abusive and being on the street—and having a street family—is sometimes a better alternative. Of course, some people (though a minority, to be sure) choose homelessness for the excitement or to fit in with a particular peer group, or for personal moral reasons (not wanting to support capitalist, consumerist culture).
My experience thus far with YBR has been really great. The volunteer commitment is 6 months long but I enjoyed being out on the street enough to continue to volunteer. Meeting all sorts of folks and being able to offer a little bit of kindness and caring has been really rewarding for me. The biggest impact that came from being with YBR is that it led me to study social work at PSU. A career choice was decided upon due to this volunteer position! I think that’s pretty huge.
The impact on my community is not something that I can really speak to, as I haven’t been in the habit of asking the folks I meet to inform me of how they experience me :) I’d like to think that my presence has been positive, and that by being with YBR I’m able to make even just a small impact on some people’s lives.