Amplifying the voices of youth and creating opportunity have been at the heart of EPACENTER since its inception.
The idea for EPACENTER, a creative youth development organization based in East Palo Alto, emerged in 2010 when the John & Marcia Goldman Foundation initiated a process to ask the city’s youth what they wanted and needed in their community to support their hopes and aspirations. Given a lack of good afterschool options and a dearth of creative opportunities, the concept of creating a welcoming, state-of-the art space, along with high quality programming across a range of creative disciplines, took off, with the youth driving the process.
Youth have been at the forefront of EPACENTER ever since – from naming the organization and designing its logo, to shaping its program offerings and selecting the architect. Over a dozen community charettes guided the architects in the design of a 25,000 square foot campus including studios, labs and workshops, as well as a theater, art gallery and amphitheater.
Based on feedback from youth, EPACENTER expanded its mission beyond art instruction to include the many ways that art, design and creativity intersect with the spectrum of realities these youth face – from art therapy and workforce development, to urban design projects and academic achievement.
Amplifying the voices of youth and creating opportunity have been at the heart of EPACENTER since its inception. For JMGF, EPACENTER encompasses so many of the foundation’s priorities, literally under one roof – supporting youth; making arts more accessible and available; demonstrating the far-reaching benefit of creativity from academic success, to job skills, to emotional resiliency; and seeking out and investing in community-driven solutions.
