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Youth Voice, Youth Choice is a new Participatory Budgeting (PB) Initiative from the City of Seattle. Focusing on engaging people who have historically not been involved in government, PB is a democratic process where community members directly decide how to spend part of a public budget.

Youth Voice, Youth Choice involves four steps. First, community members will come up with ideas for public projects they would like to see in their communities. Second, youth volunteers will turn those ideas into concrete proposals with support from the Department of Neighborhoods and City staff. Third, Seattle youth will vote for the projects they would like to see implemented in their communities. Fourth, the winning projects will be funded and implemented by the City of Seattle and other local agencies.

Spring has almost sprung, and our partners' education programs are in full swing! Check out these opportunities below and make the most of the season.

Henry Teen Collective @ Henry Art Gallery February 25 through May 12 Thursdays, 3:30–5:00 PM

Big, super happy, exciting news: TeenTix just added FOUR new partner organizations to our list! Wowza, this list is growing fast--give a warm welcome to our newest additions: Hugo House, Moisture Festival, West of Lenin, and Mirror Stage!

Very exciting news is on the horizon--TeenTix is working with a group of incredible folks to build a mobile app so you can have your pass/our calendar wherever you go!

The thing is--we can't do it without your feedback. Fill out this survey and enter to win ~prizes~: tickets to Brooklyn Bridge @ SCT, Unexpected Productions, and a couple of framed SEATTLE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE and SEATTLE OF THE DEAD old-movie-themed posters. The survey closes on February 3rd, so fill it out TODAY! The sooner we have your help, the more time our team has to work on it and make it the best app of your life. #trill

Is this real life, or are we dreaming? *pinch* OH YEAH NO IT'S REAL. Teatro ZinZanni is now a TeenTix partner! (Our 60th, at that!)

Please join TeenTix in welcoming foundry10 into our growing list of FRENZ (aka Community Partners)! Foundry10 is a not-for-profit educational organization. They see learning as an opportunity to be curious and explore both inside of classrooms and beyond. Their work includes running programs, collaborating with teachers and industry partners, and conducting scientific research, all to build an expanded and accessible understanding of what it means to learn.

Always offering some sort of awesome, student-led free or extremely low-cost opportunities ($1 a class, what!)–especially in the areas of dance (from hip-hop to ballet) the performing arts, and music-making–they're most active in the fringes of Seattle. For instance, check out what they have going on in the next few weeks in Tacoma and Edmonds!

It's in YOUR power to ensure that life-changing arts experiences remain within reach for all teens! Donate to TeenTix before December 31st.

Tis' the season for giving, and when you give to TeenTix you can start the new year knowing that you did your part to keep safe, enriching, empowering, inspiring arts experiences accessible to ALL young people.

TeenTix’s The New Guard: Teen Arts Leadership Society is holding inaugural elections for its ~Leadership Board~, expanding beyond the singular role of President, held by Coco Allred of Skyline High School.

Joining Coco will be the newly-formed roles of Vice President, Secretary/Historian, Finance/Philanthropy Chair, Events Chair, and Peer Engagement Chair.

In June I graduated high school, and in a few weeks I’ll be moving out of my parents’ home and beginning college. Summer is drawing to a close and reflecting back on it, Culture Writing 101 was one of the coolest (although it was pretty hot) parts of my summer.

The first class was right after my freshman orientation at the University of Washington Seattle campus. I got stuck in rush-hour traffic and ended up being late to the first day! But the minute I walked in, I felt welcome. As I sat down and was greeted by the lovely Ijeoma Oluo, our teacher, I immediately felt like this was where I belonged. We discussed current events and news items and I found myself among peers who shared my opinions and love and passion for social justice that I’ve felt all my life. At my predominantly white, suburban, middle-class high school, people often care more about prom or football games than police brutality or LGBTQIA+ issues. In this class I even found people who read the same feminist blogs as I did!

Hey there TeenTixers!

It appears that Wicked-mania is upon us. We've been getting a lot of calls and emails in our office wondering whether Wicked at The Paramount is TeenTix-eligible. Some of you have even been showing up at The Paramount hoping to buy Wicked tickets with your TeenTix pass. We're sorry to have to tell you that WICKED AT THE PARAMOUNT IS NOT TEENTIX ELIGIBLE. You see, Wicked is presented by STG, which is not a TeenTix partner organization. (Shout out to STG! We love you! Thanks again for that rad party you threw us!)

About a month ago, I shadowed the jobs of members of the Starbucks Newsroom at Starbucks Headquarters. Yes, coffee heaven. Often when we imagine what something will be like, we tend to picture it better than how it is in reality. (I still consider myself a child in this aspect.) However, when I went to coffee heaven, I was out-imagined by Starbucks. The bittersweet aroma of roasted coffee beans filled the air as I walked up to the elevator. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight—the eighth floor was where I was supposed to wait. Once I met with the Newsroom Director, we went straight into the newsroom meeting. Here, I met the rest of the newsroom staff, people with diverse interests and roles in the newsroom. The meetings started out with a delicious tea tasting. The staff talked about news ideas, stories they needed to follow up with, and new systems to make communication easier between the editors and the photographer.

A small presentation was made by the photographer. She laid out a set of pictures. They were iconic pictures and posters, including "V-J Day in Times Square" and Joe Rosenthal's "Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima." She then took out another photo she took of a soldier smiling so widely you naturally wonder what he is looking at. I saw the humanity in her photos—something spontaneous, mind-boggling, and hauntingly beautiful. As a musician, an artist, and a performer, I saw the members of the newsroom and their souls shine through their work. Their work, their life, and their being was their art.

Here at TeenTix, we love our supporters more than life itself. Without you, there are no $5.00 teen tickets to the arts, no TeenTix Press Corps, no New Guard, no empowered young arts citizens, no bright future. Nothing. Seriously, you are ensuring the future of civilization. So, hey, thanks for that! We put together this little report as a thank you, a celebration, and a manifesto. Please check it out and learn more about the movement we call TeenTix.

Read our 2014 Annual Report by clicking here.

Do you care about keeping art accessible for young people? How are you with menial duties? Do you like working alongside a group of awesome, fun people who care about art? Come and work with us! We are currently hiring for a Summer 2015 Intern.

Start Date: Flexible, as early as May 2015 End Date: Flexible, late August or early September 2015 Supervisor: Ashraf Hasham, TeenTix Deputy Director Deadline: Rolling

Are you always trying to get people to go to shows? Do you value diversity + access? Are you vaguely interested in a career in the arts? Or, perhaps, you're simply the only person you know who likes opera.

Then, it seems, you're a perfect candidate for The New Guard: Teen Arts Leadership Society! What is The New Guard, you ask? (We assume you asked. We can't hear you but we're pretty sure you're telepathically communicating to ask us this question.)

We are thrilled to announce our new writing class, Culture Writing, with writer Ijeoma Oluo!

Ijeoma's work has been featured in The Guardian, City Arts Magazine, the Stranger, Huffington Post, Jezebel, NY Magazine, Medium, Ravishly, SheKnows, XOJane, Time Magazine, The Awl, and The Monarch Review. Most recently, she blew up the internet by compassionately engaging a racist Twitter troll on Martin Luther King Day. (You can follow Ijeoma @ijeomaoluo and you should.) Culture Writing will be a two-month class responding to the explosive growth of serious writing about popular culture. Topics explored will include personal narrative in pop culture writing, race, class, and gender, media literacy, and internet culture. Students will learn to craft better writing, engage more critically with the culture they consume, and give and receive constructive feedback. Culture Writing will be held in July and August at the Seattle Center. It is open to all incoming 11th & 12th graders and college freshmen. If you would like to be notified when applications for Culture Writing become available, click here.

Are you a Cornish student with a work/study award? Want to help keep art accessible for young people? Come and work with us!

Our wonderful Member Services Coordinator, Nazlah, is headed off on an academic adventure in Scotland, so we have an immediate opening. Only current Cornish College of Arts students with work/study awards may apply.

Today, I am super thrilled to share that TeenTix has hired Ashraf Hasham to fill the newly created position of Deputy Director. Ashraf's association with TeenTix began when he joined The New Guard (then called the TeenTix Steering Committee) as a 16-year-old junior at Ballard High School. After graduating from Ballard, Ashraf earned his degree in Arts Administration from Wagner College in New York, and then returned to Seattle, where he has held positions at TeenTix partner organizations Henry Art Gallery and On the Boards. I knew Ashraf was special right off the bat--anyone who has met him knows what I'm talking about. He's got an incredible spirit, and he's super smart, dedicated, and driven. It's really exciting to have someone on staff who came up through our programs. Who could be in a better position to make sure that we are doing a great job serving young people? Put that together with the expertise that Ashraf has gained through earning his degree in working in arts nonprofits, and you have someone who is going to do really good things for this organization. I could not be happier.

Please join me in welcoming Ashraf!

You did it! Thanks to the your generous donations and the support of ArtsFund, the Raynier Foundation, and Power2Give, TeenTix raised $7190 to fund our move to our brand new headquarters! This is a huge moment in our transition from Seattle Center public program to independent organization, and it is so great to know that we have a community surrounding us that believes in our work. Thank you.

Yesterday, we heard from many of you who had planned to give but couldn't because we had already hit our goal. First of all, WHAT A GREAT PROBLEM TO HAVE. We love you guys. Second of all, don't worry--you can still help support TeenTix and arts accessibility for youth.

"MOHAI's Youth Advisors (MYA) is a place for high school students to investigate, explore, and be empowered to create a more teen-friendly museum. This team of 15 high school students, ages 14-18, will meet twice monthly, set goals, and review deliverables. Tasks will include spending time with visitors in the galleries, interviewing peers, attending and reviewing other cultural programs in the area, and program development at MOHAI."

Each year, we gather together our friends, members, and partner organizations to recognize them for the hard work they do. It's a little party we like to call The Teeny Awards. And this year, IT RULED.

Not only did we throw a bangin' party fully equipped with cupcakes, a photo booth, carnival-style swag toss, and button making--we spent the night laughing our butts off with host Lindy West, got to give away an enormous raffle prize of an entire year's worth of arts tickets, generously donated by our partner orgs, and then we had a dance party to finish it all off. We are telling you, this party was almost as good as meeting Lil Bub. Or Taylor Swift. Forreal.