‍ Rise Up! Power Up! Lift Up!

🔹 🔹🔹

🔹MEET POWER UP WITH YOUTH 🔹

Power Up With YOUth connects young people with the people, organizations, institutions, information, resources, and opportunities they need to develop their character and skills, understand their democracy and their communities, find their place in them, and participate in shaping their future.

We believe young people are more than students preparing for tomorrow. They are people with voices, ideas, talents, and the ability to contribute to their communities today.

Our work brings young people and the people who pour into them together to explore the real world, ask questions, build understanding, discover possibilities, and turn what they learn into meaningful action.

🔹🔹MEET THE REDEMPTION PROJECT 🔹🔹

‍ ‍

The Redemption Project (TRP) was established in 2004 as California nonprofit corporation IRS 501( c)(3) tax exempt EIN 20-1462434.

In early 2024, leaders of The Redemption Project traveled to Selma, Alabama, to learn about voting, civic participation, and the people who helped shape American history. We saw young people and adults with more than information. We saw skills, confidence, and respect both ways. Young people had opportunities to use what they learned in their real world using their own voices.

The experience raised an important question: What happens when young people take what they learn beyond the classroom and use it to make a difference where they live?

TRP created Power Up With YOUth in answer to that question.

Power Up With YOUth is where young people connect, power up and work with helpers toward stronger, healthier, justice-centered communities across San Diego. TRP is what helps make that work possible.

What TRP believes

We believe young people are not just preparing for the future. They are part of the present. They have voices, ideas, talents, questions, and the ability to contribute right now.

We believe young people become powerful when they empower themselves with the knowledge, wisdom, skills, opportunities, and support to make informed choices and turn those choices into action.

And we believe we connect and power up together. Young people don’t power up alone. They need people who listen, encourage, teach, challenge, open doors, share knowledge, and create opportunities.

That’s why Power Up With YOUth brings young people together with people who pour into youth—educators, families, mentors, community leaders, organizations, institutions, and others who believe young people have something valuable to contribute now.

We believe everyone has something to learn. Everyone has something to offer.

🔹The Redemption Project Mission

TRP creates pathways for people to learn, grow and transform their lives and communities for the better.

Through Power Up With Youth, we extend that commitment to the next generation - equipping young people with the knowledge, skills, wisdom, opportunities and support they need to understand their world, discover their potential and help shape a brighter future.

🔹The Redemption Project Vision

A future where our communities shape the systems that serve them, restore what’s been neglected, and rise with lasting support and shared power.

🔹The Redemption Project Purpose

TRP is a home for bold, real-world place-based initiatives and programs led authentically by young people, rooted in family, and focused on leaning, nd long-term community wellness.

Whether we’re increasing voter turnout, supporting families impacted by incarceration, or transforming public space into places of memory and meaning—we lead with care, collaboration, and commitment to the future.

🔹THE POWER UP WITH YOUTH STORY🔹

Power Up With YOUth is a TRP intergenerational initiative focused on bringing Youth-led change to our people, our place, our purpose, our possibilities, and lifting us all to a better future. It is composed of
🔹Young leaders bringing energy and vision
🔹Educators, community members and mentors sharing concerns, dreams, wisdom and access.
🔹Elected Officials who are accountable and committed to finding resources and sharing networks and access.
🔹Together, we are building on time-tested values: democracy, connection, care, justice, and mutual support.

Our Inspiration:
In March 2024, we traveled to Selma Alabama for the 59th anniversary of the George Pettis Bridge crossing, a key moment in the struggle for civil and voting rights. We were inspired by the young leaders we met in Selma who were imagining and communicating new possibilities, leading their communities to thrive, and creating lasting change

We returned to San Diego determined to engage our young people as leaders and help them connect what they learned from history to the needs of their own schools and communities.

We brought together young leaders, educators, mentors, and elected officials around a shared commitment to democracy, connection, care, justice, and mutual support.

We challenge young people and the people who support them to hold themselves, one another, public officials, and community organizations accountable for the commitments they make.

We committed to keep Power Up authentically led by young people. Youth- led means young people help decide what matters, shape what happens, and use their own voices and abilities to turn ideas into sustainable action - they have a real voice, real choices, and real influence over the work - not simply a role in an adult- designed program. Adults connect and help. Adults don’t take over. ‍

🔹Young people chose the name. They chose the video game term “Power uP” to reflect their intention to “boost their ability to get in the game, play well, and win tough challenges”

🔹Young people help set the direction

🔹Young voices influence decisions

🔹Young people have meaningful responsibility and meaningful work

🔹Young people can see and take and receive credit for the results of their contributions. ‍
🔹If young people disagree with the adults’ preferred plan, their views have a genuine chance of changing it!

We listen to young leaders.

Up The Turnout was our first campaign. It’s intent was to increase voter turnout by engaging these youth to encourage their peers, friends, and families to vote.

They worked and they made history!‍ ‍
120 students age 10-17 at 8 San Diego Schools engaged over 1,200 voters to participate in the 2024 election.

However, during our Up The Turnout campaign, young people saw that too few residents were engaged in their communities. They told us they wanted to expand their work beyond voter participation to include community advocacy.

We heard them.

We broadened our efforts to create more opportunities for civic engagement, leadership, and community action.

Through education, research, mentorship, training, and hands-on experience, we help young people develop the skills to lead, advocate, collaborate, and contribute to a more inclusive and equitable community

Our Power Up Mission

To provide mentorship, resources, and guidance that develop and empower San Diego youth with the purpose, confidence, and skills to lead hands-on community improvement and voter participation projects.

Our Power Up Vision

A future where equipped, inspired, and supported young people use their unique powers to shape just, healthy, and prosperous communities.

Our Power Up Values

Our values guide how we learn, lead, work together, and make a difference.

1. Youth Leadership Young people build confidence and leadership skills, inspire others, and lead meaningful change.

2. Engagement Learning comes alive through hands-on experiences and resources that invite young people to participate, explore, and make a difference.

3. Inclusivity Every voice matters. We create spaces where all people feel welcomed, respected, valued, and able to contribute.

4. Accountability We take responsibility for our commitments, follow through on what we start, and hold ourselves and one another accountable.

5. Shared Growth We grow together through honesty, transparency, justice, learning, and shared success.

6. Reclaiming Time We turn promises into timely, focused, meaningful action—without losing sight of balance or the people our work is meant to serve.

7. Collaboration Young people and the people who support them share ideas, contribute their strengths, solve problems, and celebrate progress together.

8. Fun We use fun to fuel creativity, build connections, sustain energy, and make meaningful engagement something people want to be part of.

🔹Our Power Up Standard - We Connect. We help.🔹‍ ‍
Every program, partnership, activity, resource and opportunity should do at least one of two things:
Connect people with what they need or help them make meaningful progress.

That’s how we measure our work.
🔹 Did we connect young people with knowledge, wisdom, skills, people, resources, and opportunities?

🔹 Did we help them use those connections to develop their potential, strengthen their communities, and turn ideas into action?

Before we act, we ask: Does it connect? Does it help ?The best work does both! If it does neither, we need to rethink it.