CYAP is Closing on October 1st.
After nearly fourteen years of dreaming, learning, and building power together with the youth of South Carolina, we are announcing that the Carolina Youth Action Project is sunsetting this year. We are so grateful to our wonderful, colorful culmination of young people, funders, former members, coaches, comrades, and strategic organizing partners. Your strength, support, joy, and steadfastness during our time as both Girls Rock Charleston and as Carolina Youth Action Project have helped us achieve so much throughout our history.
Our Reason
This was a heavy decision made between staff directors and Board members. Truly radical and transformative movement work, as well as the folks dedicated to doing it, are actively being targeted by our legislature. It has been increasingly challenging to do the community service we want to do without continuing to spread ourselves thin in an effort to appease the standards of the nonprofit industrial complex. In many cases throughout the years, our goals felt pretty opposite of what could be met within a 501(c)3 framework. Now with more funding cuts, team-wide burnout, heightened attacks on our community's identities, safety, and security, as well as many other external and internal obstacles, the truth may be that this iteration of CYAP isn’t the most sustainable version of what young folks in South Carolina need right now.
Our Timeline
Our official closure will be October 1st. During the time from now until October, our Board of Directors will take time to close down accounts, make sure paid staff receive severance, and prepare the official dissolution of the organization. We'll also share many of our impact insights, favorite memories, and our resource materials via social media and e-blasts.
Our Future
This month, we will be publishing the second volume of JESSAMINE which folks contributed art, interviews, and writing to earlier this year. We are very excited to say that JESSAMINE, our zine of writing, art, and craft for creative youth across South Carolina, will continue as a volunteer-run collective unattached to the Carolina Youth Action Project name. CYAP's Instagram will become the official account of JESSAMINE, so you can continue to follow the account to stay up to date on all things zine related. All proceeds from purchasing of the zines have always, and will continue, to fund the contributors, the zine's printing, and its distribution.
As individual organizers, we will continue to mobilize with our peers, study, and resist oppression beyond the CYAP space. We will continue to build power within our neighborhoods, pods, and we will always continue working towards a liberated world.
We are so appreciative to all the folks who have shown up for us during such a difficult time and transition. It has been amazing to spend time convening with the friends and family of CYAP over the years, especially with the challenges we're all navigating and carrying each day. As we close, we honor all of our roots: as a Girls Rock Camp chapter, as a creative outlet, as an afterschool program, as a literary publication, as a talking circle, and as a third space for young people to speak their minds and campaign.
We love y'all. Thank you so much.