Every few years, a healthy organization creates a strategic plan for the next 3-5 years. That process felt almost impossible during the last few years, and Young Audiences is not alone in choosing this year to step back, evaluate our work, and dream of new possibilities. Our community is beginning to recover from years of pandemic-related disruptions, and we are challenged to meet the new needs of students, artists, and our own staff as we grapple with the legacies of shutdowns, racial reckoning, and the many other cultural shifts that have occurred during the last several years. This moment in time requires a wide view, to understand the forces that have shaped our world and our organization, and to envision the future we want to help shape.

In this moment, with a blend of new and veteran staff and board leadership, we have chosen to engage in a year-long process of listening, reflecting, and visioning about what it is that our community needs, and the unique ways that Young Audiences can be of service. This process has helped us to discern our organizational priorities, as well as the values and mission that are the foundation of our work. 

Some of these priorities will be large and visible, including a new name and branding identity, and a new partnership structure for Right Brain. Others will be less immediately visible, but essential to a sustainable future: a deep investment in equity across our organization and a culture-shift toward advocacy and abundance. However, they are all connected by our vision of a world where arts and creativity are valued as essential, and abundantly accessible to all.

Our six decades of bringing the arts to young people in Oregon and SW Washington have given us a strong foundation on which to build this bold vision of the future, and our dedicated staff, board, and artists are all deeply engaged in creating the pathways to make it possible. 

Thank you to everyone who has engaged in this process and shared your wisdom and perspectives. This strategic plan will guide us through the next years, whatever they may bring, by helping us center our mission, our vision, and our values as we make decisions and adapt to a rapidly changing world. 

Thank you, 

Lauren Jost and Lisa Harley
Executive Director and Board President 

 

See our entire Strategic Plan HERE