Nationally, November is recognized as Homeless Youth Awareness Month. Atlanta nonprofit, Lost-n-Found Youth (LnFY), is launching an awareness campaign between now and next November and beyond to inspire “outside the box” thinking and to evoke compassion. The campaign kicks off with the release of “The Box,” a video inspired by a poem conceived by two Atlanta-based creative collaborators.
Lost-n-Found Youth is Atlanta’s only nonprofit providing end-to-end services for homeless LGBTQ youth, ages 18 to 25. Their mission is to end homelessness and to raise awareness of the increasing percentage of youth who are forced to leave their homes because of family conflict after they come out as gay.
The awareness campaign emphasizes the importance of compassion for youth who identify as LGBTQ. The first stanza of the poem amplifies this key message: Encased in society’s box so tight, What they dictate, day and night; Who to love, what to be, Imagination’s plea, set us free. The campaign includes a series of video messages shared across multimedia channels including social media, traditional media outlets, events, and other digital platforms.
Prioritizing an awareness campaign driven by compassion, Executive Director Melanea Alvarez was led to the idea for The Box. A poem came to life through a creative collaboration of words, images, and music inspired by the profound voices of two individuals who “graduated” from the nonprofit’s 90-day program. They both have moved into their new permanent housing, both have jobs with stable income, and they are honing their life skills to continue to live independently.
The Box and the debut campaign are produced by Paul Carpenter and directed by Daniel Sagona of the BGG Agency. The original music track was scored and composed by Damian Martin and Sashimi Sam Music.
In honor of Lost-n-Found Youth’s new campaign, Alvarez spoke to Georgia Voice about the impact of awareness and the role art…
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