Empower Youth Initiative 

Our after school program at Red Bank High School is expanding to include a component during school hours at the request of Principal Tillett. This 20 week program will consist of two 5 week art sessions and two 5 week entrepreneurial/marketing sessions, as local artists and business professionals in the Greater Chattanooga Area help students take the next step in exploring professional aspirations. This program will include a "Shark Tank" pitch competition and the opportunity for young artists to have their work in a local coffee shop gallery personally curated with the help of local artists.  The Youth Art Initiative is a community program financially supported by ArtsBuild and the Tennessee Arts Commission.

We've created a six page fundraising guide focused on educating, equipping, and empowering youth to use their gifts and talents to help their community. For 2024, our focus is food insecurity as we help youth in our community use their gifts and talents to build a food pantry and clothing closet at Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy. We have also created fundraising packets for Downside Up, Help Right Here, and White Oak Bicycle Co-Op. Our goal is to connect youth to organizations in their community, fostering a sense of responsibility and empathy that will inspire a lifetime of philanthropic engagement and social impact.

Our goal is simple: Help equip a group of high school students to LEAD BTCYI Initiatives in our community. We want them to have a seat at the table when it comes to planning, organizing, and executing our projects as Sydney and Brayden start taking BTCYI back on the road. Our dream has ALWAYS been focused on educating, equipping, and empowering youth to become LEADERS in their community. We’re excited to be working with a small group of students this year as we create our Ambassadors of Change program… with their input! So in 2024, you’ll be seeing their faces at events, in social media, and on the podcast.

We're currently looking for more students to be a part of this program in the 2024/2025 school year! If you're a junior or senior who is interested in applying to be an Ambassador of Change, click HERE.