• The need for holistic, proactive support to trauma-impacted youth and families to address the root causes of multidimensional trauma (related to poverty, homelessness, addiction, incarceration, abuse, etc.), change their life trajectories, and prevent the next generation from following the same path.

• There is a need to take a whole-of-family approach that seeks to heal intergenerational trauma and enable transformation into a healthy family unit.

• There is a need for targeted and consistent counseling and mentorship to support the process of individual healing and transformation.

• There is a need to create safe spaces where individuals can heal, build self-esteem, and develop an empowering mindset in a supportive peer community.

• There is a need for trauma-impacted individuals to build essential life skills and knowledge to break free from barriers and take steps to create a better future.

• The need to save taxpayer money through preventative programs that relieve the burden on social services and the criminal justice system.

Assumptions

• Individuals with unaddressed trauma have a desire to transform their lives for the better.

• Essential stakeholders, such as program volunteers and partner organizations providing necessary services, will continue to be active, willing partners throughout the program implementation.

• Funders (foundations, government entities, corporations and individuals) continue to prioritize investment in the long-term sustainability of the program.

External Conditions

• Changes in the operating environment for social services and support for trauma-impacted youth and families (such as policy change at state or federal level) could impact the program’s implementation or availability of support.

• Families may be prevented from actively prioritizing and/or engaging in program activities due to trauma or poverty-related barriers.

• Willingness from families to participate in the program may be negatively influenced by parents/guardians who are entrenched in a poverty mindset, viewing external intervention as a threat to their familiar narrative.

Beneficiaries

• Direct beneficiaries: Trauma-impacted youth and young adults aged 12 to 25 and their parents/guardians. SEYFS's core client population comprises low to moderate-income households on Tulsa’s Northside. 

• Indirect beneficiaries: Community at large, future generations, employers/workforce, the criminal justice system, taxpayers, etc.

Changing Pathways

IF SEYFS fosters the conditions for holistic healing and equips participants with essential life skills and knowledge, THEN youth and families can be empowered to overcome histories of trauma and actively pursue full, productive lives.

• Participants attend annual summits and other ad hoc events to connect with a supportive peer community.

• Participants receive referrals to counseling, education, and other resources to understand, cope with, and heal from trauma.

• Participants receive targeted coaching and mentorship to define their individual purpose, set goals, and express themselves.

• Through participation in targeted workshops led by business and community influencers, youth and families receive instruction in practical life skills and knowledge, including financial literacy, college/career readiness, mental health, and healthy communication. 

• Youth receive in-school instruction on life skills using the social and emotional learning approach, which supports and reinforces positive self-management and behavior.

• Staff, board members, and volunteers that bring lived experience, established networks, and targeted expertise related to holistic therapy and coaching to overcome trauma

• 10+ years of programming serving thousands of students and families to date with demonstrated results in sustained individual transformation and long-term success

• Robust partnerships with schools, counseling agencies, nonprofits, and other community institutions that provide in-kind support and services

• Successful record of accomplishment delivering weekly in-school curriculum in several Tulsa-area middle and high schools

• Successful track record hosting annual large-scale summits at locations nationwide, targeting youth and families (Girls’ Teen Summit, Rise Up Young Men, etc.)