Nonprofit Serving Homeless Youth Reboots Art Programs and Celebrates 20th Anniversary

Portland, OR. The nonprofit called p:ear is celebrating its 20th Anniversary and offering pre-pandemic mentoring services. Over the pandemic, the organization continued serving homeless youth with new programs including many outdoor activities.

p:ear builds positive relationships with youth experiencing homelessness, ages 15 to 25, through education, art, recreation, and job training.

Since 2002, p:ear has mentored over 5,200 youth and provided over 320,000 hours of engaging programs.

p:ear has identified a strong model for working with homeless youth: assist them to recognize themselves as capable people while providing supportive mentoring and opportunities for growth.

Below is a video about the nonprofit’s art and music programs and its impact on the Portland community.

Administrators recall challenging moments on their Facebook page, but also many positive memories.

1. Trip to the Oregon Coast

2. Visit to a local farm

3. Macrame workshop with @threerosesmacrame

4. Hiking along the coast

5. Mural making with @pdxjramirez

6. Mural collaboration with @eyedrawp

7. Creating a custom bike for our Gala auction

8. Screen printing with @mamakanani

9. Virtual reality workshop

To learn more and support the programs, visit pearmentor.org.

February marks the 20th anniversary of the day p:ear first opened its doors and here’s a bit of history

From p:ear:

Time has flown by, and we are so proud of how far p:ear has come.

How did it all start?

After the loss of our jobs at the now-defunct Salvation Army Greenhouse, a brave call from a Nokia flip phone; and the acquisition of a floor of an abandoned building, this vision, this place, opened in February 2002 with the aim to build strong relationships with homeless youth to affirm their personal worth and to help them create more personally meaningful lives.

What we couldn’t have envisioned was the community that showed up alongside us to move this dream forward and beyond anything we could have imagined. p:ear is built and sustained by a community of creators, dreamers, fighters, leaders, financiers; a community willing to take risks, to redefine themselves and their lives because of a shared belief in the futures and value of these young people.

Stay tuned for more opportunities – events, campaigns, memory sharing, and more – to help us celebrate our 20th anniversary year!

Elisa Klein

I’ve been a professional journalist and writer since 1987, (and long-time reporter for KOIN-TV.) As a nationally published reporter, with a Master’s Degree in Journalism, I love to report positive news and information. Journalism has also connected me with another non-profit where I served as a leader; the Northwest’s biggest writer’s organization: The Willamette Writers.