Effrem Grettenberger, the founder and CEO of EncoreSTL, crafted Encore4Youth to be a highly innovative and engaging program. Effrem came from a rough and relatively unstable childhood. However, while his peers were out on the streets, he found stability and structure to life in the arts/theater. From his life experiences, Effrem saw the need for genuine and enriching youth programs, to teach youth “how to act”, and build their self-confidence, public speaking, and other soft skills necessary to be successful in life. Not only does the program build a youth’s confidence, it also brings literal wealth to these youth families (through the paid youth jobs at Encore4Youth) and supports the passions of its youth.

Currently, Encore4Youth hosts annual youth summer camps in partnership with local St Louis youth organizations, such as STL Youth Jobs and Fathers and Family Support Center (FFSC), and long-time partner Thomas Dunn Learning Center .  During this year's Intensive Drama Therapy Summer Program, youth were given the opportunity to interact with guest speakers, participate in career and artistic workshops, and craft a final artistic piece that represents themselves. These programs are highly transformative for the youth. However, limited funding has made it so that we can only run the program for a limited time in the summer. With this campaign, we are hoping to raise funds to continue highly beneficial programs such as the Drama Therapy Camp  & Youth Stage Crew into the rest of the year and touch the lives of more youth.   

And more importantly, your donation supports a young thriving company dedicated to promoting positive narratives about African Americans and integrating performing arts with the community and social development. 

 

Every dollar donated supports EncoreSTL’s mission to transform our communities by empowering youth through highly innovative and creative programs. 

We want to thank all those who continue to support our efforts and dreams!

A Special Thank You to
Thomas Dunn Learning Center

George Warren Brown School
STL Youth Jobs 

Fathers & Family Support Center 

EncoreSTL Team Members: Emily Lin, Benisha Dorris-Williams