About Ozya
Ozya is incorporated as a Washington State not-for- profit organization in 2008 with a mission to develop multicultural youth leaders, increase citizenship through creative learning and artistic expression by addressing issues of social justice and community development.
Ozya combines the work of consultants such as Creating Learning Services, artists such as the Massive Monkees, community organizations like the Seattle Young People’s Project (SYPP) and Rainier Valley Cultural Center (RVCC).
The Ozya Leadership Laboratory trains multicultural emergent leaders in the critical skills of community organizing, combining hands on neighborhood practice with in-classroom group discussion and curriculum. Through DON’s Youth Initiative Grant, the Ozya Lab began, developing skills in 12 participants who used their new capacities to collect immigration stories. These stories represent the common and diverse experiences of South East Seattle residents, their often conflicting interactions with each other, as well as intergenerational issues within each group. These stories became the core of a neighborhood presentation” OZYA: AN URBAN ODYSSEY”, using spoken word, music and dance appropriate to youth and immigrant groups. Following the October performance at Rainier Valley Cultural Center’s (RVCC) Arts Gumbo Festival, Ozya Youth will facilitate audience discussions designed to achieve inclusive citizen engagement on issues such as discriminatory practices in business and education, gang activity and many other concerns relating to Seattle’s Race and Social Justice efforts at the neighborhood level.
Partners who will join us for DON’s “Emerging Leaders” project include RVCC who have been serving over 30 multicultural groups for the past decade, SYPP who has given over 2000 diverse youth opportunities to participate in public process since 1992, Creative Learning Services with a ten year track record of developing leaders and designing curriculum and the Southeast Senior Center (an outgrowth of Lee House) which finds innovative ways to engage, involve and empower over 2,000 South East Seattle seniors from a wide array of multicultural backgrounds.
Ozya Board Members:
Ozya
