Michael Berry chooses a vibrant orange chair surrounded by decorative plants and suffused with lamp light. For the Executive Director of Youth Guidance in Dallas, this is the best spot for talking about a recent partnership with Mizzen Education to revamp his program’s furniture and collaborative spaces for youth.
“At Youth Guidance, we want all kids to be authentically felt, seen, and heard,” Michael said. “That’s what we offer when we think of out-of-school time spaces,” in Youth Guidance’s two main programs for students at North Dallas High School. Without those spaces, “kids wouldn’t have a voice.”
That passion — for creating authentic spaces that empower youth — made Youth Guidance an ideal partner for Mizzen Education’s Beyond the Booth initiative in Dallas.
Through Beyond the Booth, Mizzen strives to ensure that the furniture, furnishings, and people-centered sensibility the team brings to exhibit halls have a life beyond the booth that benefits local out-of-school time programs. Far more than a furniture donation program, Beyond the Booth is a way to partner with communities and pool ideas and resources to create next-level spaces for young people.
“I can see us outfitting an entire program in the future.” — Carlos Santini, CEO, Mizzen Education
The concept is rooted in Mizzen Education’s mission. “Part of our mission statement talks about partnering with the out-of-school-time community, but there’s also this element of joy, curiosity, and love of learning,” said Mizzen Education’s CEO, Carlos Santini. “When we look at joy, there’s a direct connection to our exhibit space, and that then goes beyond the booth and into a classroom. I can see us outfitting an entire program in the future.”
Mizzen was in Dallas for the National AfterSchool Association’s 2024 Convention in mid-March and had designed one of its trademark exhibit booths — a popup lounge where attendees who’d come in from across the country could connect, refuel, and collaborate in a space where they felt at home.
Team Mizzen invited Youth Guidance to partner on Beyond the Booth. “We were inspired by the staff's ability to create a safe, engaging learning environment for youth, fostering mentoring and life skill development to help them achieve their goals," said Kristin Stayer, Vice President of Engagement & Educator Experiences at Mizzen Education.
“We know that in Dallas, there is a very vibrant social justice movement,” Carlos said. “A lot of great organizations are doing some really solid work around social justice and Youth Guidance is one. The Youth Guidance space is very unique. It’s not home. It's not school. It's that third place. It just made sense that our furnishings match the goals of that space."
“Through the popup lounge in our learning expo, Mizzen created a space for convention participants to live the 2024 Convention theme, “‘Be You, Be Here, Belong’,” said National AfterSchool Association Chief Operating Officer Heidi Ham. “We are so excited to see that spirit resonate beyond Convention at the program level, through the enhancement of intentional, inclusive, and welcoming spaces at Youth Guidance.”
“The intentionality and variety of furniture, of artwork, of colors, of textures, of lighting … in a physical space are all cues to let a person know that this environment is for them … That they belong.” — Kristin Stayer, VP of Engagement & Educator Experiences, Mizzen Education
“Environments that bring people in to create and celebrate opportunities for young people and educators to be their full selves are foundational to building belonging in any learning community,” Kristin said. “The intentionality and variety of furniture, of artwork, of colors, of textures, of lighting and signage that are chosen in a physical space are all cues to let a person know that this environment is for them; that they are welcome here. That they belong.”
This resonates with Jennifer Thompson and Nathaniel Palmer, Youth Specialists for the Youth Guidance programs within the Dallas Independent School District, where the walls sport colorful posters that read, “Everyone Welcome” and “Everyone Belongs.”
The goal of a [Youth Guidance] room is to “provide a safe space to show up as their authentic selves,” Jennifer said. “That is, being able to be comfortable in your skin, to realize your culture, your gender, your values, the things that make you who you are.”
“We create safe spaces for youth to create the narrative that they want for their lives”, said Nate. “Manhood and womanhood are fluid things. It’s not about the gender when we think of “Becoming A Man.”
After breaking down the booth at NAA’s Convention, Mizzen and Youth Guidance morphed into a moving-and-interior-design crew to outfit the Youth Guidance space with a cozy couch, jazzy accent chairs, and inviting textiles and plants.
The Youth Guidance team then invited Mizzen to experience their programs firsthand. “Rarely do I see an adult facilitator fully give up the space to the young people," Carlos observed. “It was one of the purest forms of community-building and youth voice that I've experienced.”
"We're planting the seeds,” Nate said, trying out a bright new couch that anchors a corner. “The power and the impact of creating a safe space to dialogue, to grow, to develop is rooted in something that's going to nurture a generation."
"A lot of [students] when they first came in were like, 'oh, it's like a coffee shop', said Jennifer. “What do you do in a coffee shop? You go, you relax, you have a latte with your girlfriends, and discuss and leave all your worries on the couch."
“Literally and figuratively, this space is so key. It has been transformed. The safe and brave space we want to provide for young people is this.” — Michael Berry, Executive Director, Youth Guidance - Dallas
“Literally and figuratively, this space is so key,” Michael said. “It has been transformed. The safe and brave space we want to provide for young people is this. The aesthetics are incredibly important—the lighting, the chair, the comfortability of it. Imagine what it does for a young person when they feel like ‘I have the resources to succeed.’ ‘I have the resources to be authentically felt, seen, and heard.’ We are honored by this partnership. It’s really going to take us to the next level.”