Opening the World

Opening the World (OTW) is applying for this Elevate Prize because we are ready to scale our work and raise our services to the next level and flourish. Over the years we have accomplished so much with so little. This includes our founder, Jeannine Curley, receiving the Unsung Hero Award from the Dalai Lama, an honor only given to 250 people worldwide. With these funds our program could outreach and serve many more marginalized, disenfranchised youth, including their families, when appropriate. The quality of our programming would improve, more services would be offered, be more consistent, and sustainable as we would have the resources to hire support staff to implement our services. We would be able to bring further awareness on systemic, societal injustices and be part of the solution to shift these systems. OTW would offer more programming, including restorative therapy, job and life skills training, writing workshops, mentoring programs, and service opportunities. Additionally, Elevate funds will support OTW growth into more communities. Recently, we received non profit fiscal sponsorship in the founder’s small town in Smithers, British Columbia, Canada. We will deepen our national and global sustainable work and have a bigger impact within the world.

Opening the World (OTW) provides structure and opportunity to expand the horizons of marginalized youth. OTW’s mission is to empower and expose at-risk young adults (16-26) to a world beyond their own through volunteer, leadership, therapeutic, educational and cultural experiences within their communities and abroad. The organization was founded by Jeannine Curley in 2012 after a culmination of personal life experiences that gave way to this unique and 

highly successful program of intervention, engagement and transformation. Jeannine’s personal experiences with death at a young age led her to run from her grief. Running led her to impoverished countries and to eye opening experiences of dire poverty, hardships, generosity and kindness of mankind. 

OTW, an annual voluntary program (not court-mandated), provides a safe supportive environment for participants to share experiences, be motivated, and mentored by peers who have similar backgrounds. When ready, some OTW participants attend counseling sessions, volunteer in the community, attend job training and/or educational classes to further themselves, coordinate and facilitate planning meetings for community activities, fundraising events, and travel. Participants come from a variety of backgrounds including foster care, juvenile justice, drug or alcohol, abuse, trauma, domestic violence, mental health, extreme poverty, and criminal incarceration. 

Since 2012, OTW has empowered and exposed young adults to a world beyond their own through volunteer, educational, therapeutic, social, leadership, and cultural experiences within their communities and abroad. OTW’s priority population includes 16-26 year olds from low socio-economic backgrounds in Marin County, CA. OTW’s diverse participants have faced significant challenges in life. Participants have experienced; extreme poverty and homelessnes, juvenile and/or adult probation, drug or alcohol abuse, molestation, trauma, mental health issues (anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, severe trauma), single-parent households, Child & Family Services involvement. OTW is located in one of the most affluent Counties in the United States but which has some of the largest health and outcome disparities. The largest demographic living in poverty in Marin County are Females 35 - 44, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 25 - 34.

OTW unifies youth, struggling with multiple adverse childhood traumas and from disparate demographic backgrounds, forming a new diverse supportive community that fosters personal growth, community engagement, reduced biases, and learning. OTW’s proficiency has led to a robust and growing group of success stories. OTW graduates have persevered and beat the odds; 80% employed, 79% not returned to crime, and 83% volunteer.

“Troubled” and marginalized youth have been traditionally funneled through juvenile courts, jails, and institutions focused on keeping at-risk young adults separate from society. Neuroscience research in the past 10-15 years calls for new approaches to forming responsible adults capable of becoming stable and responsible members of society. OTW is a voluntary program. OTW innovative approach is to address all aspects of a youths’ life and recognize that real life changes take more than the typical evidence based program interventions. Participants are expected to actively engage through community projects and have a financial partnership through fundraising activities. Participants are expected to plan and attend workshops for creative writing, resume writing, therapeutic circle sessions, job training and mentor workshops. Overall, these approaches create a strong work ethic, foster self-esteem, confidence, provide life skills, have youth work together, as well as positively interact with the community. The most innovative part of OTW’s program is the trip abroad - to a community that is experiencing the aftermath of a hurricane or drought, to a refugee camp in Greece or a small rural village in the mountains of Nepal. It is these trips that truly open the world to the participating youth. 

Opening the World (OTW) is a unique program that provides structure and opportunity to expand the horizons of marginalized youth, empowering and exposing at-risk young adults to a world beyond their own through service opportunities and cultural experiences within their communities and abroad. Given OTW’s foundational belief of engaging and giving back to local and international communities we see growth in social entrepreneurship activities. Participants are forever changed by their experiences and hope to return to such meaningful and impactful work in their future professional lives. The resilience and inner strength that the OTW participants manifest is inspiring. 

OTW has completed community service trips (Nepal, U.S., Costa Rica, Canada/Alaska, Nepal/India, Florida/Cuba, Greece / Italy) where participants: painted and/or restored schools, orphanages, and homes. Built picnic tables, aqueducts and soccer fields. Interviewed refugees. Planted trees. Donated clothing, toys, school supplies, and artificial limbs to orphanages, schools, children’s hospitals, disabled communities.

OTW is creating change makers - immersing participants in worldwide problems that exist larger than themselves and showing them that they are part of the solution - they can make positive change happen. These youth are making an impact locally and globally now - as well as poised for future impact.