CLAY
CLAY scholars are passionate about creating change in their schools and communities, addressing issues like teen dating violence, racism, and implicit bias. Through advocacy, they perform at Good Foot events, lead workshops, and engage in community organizing. The program emphasizes teamwork, discussions, and building relationships among scholars before diving into their work. Trained to facilitate activities, CLAY scholars use their advocacy skills to promote social change through classroom facilitation, performances, and creating zines, aiming to challenge thought processes and disrupt violence through prevention and education.
2024
This year, we were fortunate to have three interns join us to support our new cohort of CLAY scholars. The interns led teamwork activities, managed this year’s advocacy resource project, and played a key role in engaging with the Power UP Scholars. Together, the scholars created zines for their community, focusing on self-acceptance and topics like gun violence, jealousy, and mental health. They gathered community feedback and devoted many hours to refining and finalizing their impactful work.
2023
This cohort kicked off with relationship building and volunteering at events like WSCADV’s Refuse to Abuse 5K and RBAC’s Back to School Bash. For their annual presentation, the scholars chose to address the impact of drug abuse, a topic they had witnessed firsthand. Later in the year, they created a skit on teen dating violence, emphasizing Lifelines and how to seek support for both those harmed and those causing harm. Their work showcased creativity and a deep commitment to addressing important issues.
2022
The CLAY Scholars started their journey with Youth Collective before Good Foot secured a permanent office space. They began with team-building activities and gradually facilitated group lessons, leading to a personalized Lifelines presentation during the Soft Opening. For fall and winter events, they created skits highlighting gender stereotyping, implicit bias, and racism. These skits later evolved to focus on the impact of teen dating violence in the absence of social and emotional literacy.
