Our Mission

The Power of Hope unleashes the positive potential of youth through arts-centered intergenerational and multicultural learning programs that value self-awareness, leadership, community and social change.

The Power of Hope programs are for youth and young adults who want to take an active role in creating a positive future, develop their leadership skills, build stronger communities and have a great time in the process!

We are a non-religious, non-profit organization operating in Washington state and British Columbia. We offer multi-day programs for youth in the summer and during the school year. Our Youth Voices programs in Seattle, Bellingham and Victoria, BC offer youth ways to connect to the Power of Hope through in-school and after-school programs that offer experiential and nontraditional learning opportunities. We also offer workshops and trainings for adults who want to expand their skills in using creativity in their work with youth.

In all of our programs, we encourage youth to discover their own creativity and sense of purpose and to develop their leadership skills as they return to their communities and speak out about issues that matter to them and become community changemakers.

Our History

The Power of Hope was founded in 1996 by Charlie Murphy and Peggy Taylor out of the belief that young people-regardless of their circumstances-are an untapped resource for community renewal and social change. We are living in a time of rapid cultural change in which young people are exposed to levels of personal and societal stress unknown even a generation ago. Schools often lack the capacity to deal with our increasingly multicultural population, and families are working harder than ever to simply survive. Young people lack attention from adults who can provide them with the guidance and support to live meaningful lives.

By acknowledging the creative potential of our youth rather than treating them as "problems" to be solved, we have witnessed over and over again remarkable transformations of youth from positions of hopelessness, anger and self-destruction to positions of leadership, hope and empowerment.

The Power of Hope respects people of all cultures and backgrounds.