Whitney said it best, “I believe the children are the future, teach them well and let them lead the way.”
The future is very much in the hands of the next generation and how we choose to invest in them now.
While the investment in some kids starts at home, that is not the reality for others. The Dream Quest Foundation is one of many youth organizations centered around building positive attitudes toward self and community for those considered at risk. Founded by Cleveland, Ohio native, mother, coach, teacher and community activist Shayla Wright, Dream Quest is a culmination of what Wright considers her life work and passion: helping kids.
“I came up with the idea of the foundation almost 11 years ago, right before I left Ohio. I tried to start it there, but in my small town, it wasn’t the time or place. Now I’m finishing up my Master’s in Clinic Mental Health and my daughters are getting bigger. It’s time to bring my dream back out. I think that everyone has their gift. Their potential. Something that is inside of them. Everybody has that gift, but everybody doesn’t have the know-how to reach it or there are obstacles. Dream Quest is getting over the obstacles and reaching your full potential,” Wright said.
“The foundation is for at-risk youth but I want to focus on foster care children and non-traditional households. We have a lot of resources for single moms but what about single dads? Or children living with grandparents and aunties. If you’re placed with family members you don’t get any money, like those resources. It’s a whole different beast and a lot of these kids have trauma, and no one is trauma-informed.”
Who is Dream Quest for?
“We actually target all [ages]. Not only are we targeting these kids but we want to provide resources for their caretakers and educators. I’m an educator so I spend time more waking hours with my kids (students) at school than I do with my own."
What does Dream Quest do?
“We have two flagship programs that we are really trying to push. Dream Quest University which is free to all kids, and it’s actually an app. It’s kind of like a Facebook style. They create their profile. We do daily chats. They are assigned a mentor. We do a live biweekly group. And then we are trying to get quarterly events, to teach them about entrepreneurship, [ or how] college might not be for everybody. [We teach about] Mental health because everything we learn, how we act, we learn in childhood. We have to get them early. Teach them the coping skills early. It’s not taught in schools.
"We have the Educator Wellness Program. I’m in education. After Covid, there are no teachers. There are so many demands. You need to do extra and extra and no pay. It’s almost the same as the app. We cater it to the schools. We provide sensory stress relief and areas in the school where they can go to because the kids are overwhelming. They need that outlet, the appreciation.
"We plan things, every other week. The burnout is real. We come every other month and do a self-care thing, whether it be yoga or painting. We are trying to get it out there. We are more in private schools right now. We are trying to build up momentum. We just want to keep up the morale.
"I can’t do anything about pay, but I know what little things can help. It helps the kids overall. I want to do the trauma-informed training, so [adults] can recognize how to spot and deal with children with special needs.
"I want to do more workshops in the community in general. We want to support our kids. But if we are giving them those skills and their caretakers and the people who are dealing with them every day don’t know how to deal then we aren’t doing all the work."
For more information about the Dream Quest Foundation, and how to donate or volunteer visit the website dreamquestfoundation.org.
Upcoming Event:
Dream Quest Summer Camp
• July 29 - August 29
• 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Ages 6 to 14
• Location: Seven Horseman Billiards, 715 W. Rowan Street
• Cost: $125 for the week or $25 per day drop-ins
• Meals included
• Daily games, recreational activities, and events.
• Registration is required at https://bit.ly/3zIM33Y

(Photo: Members of the Dream Quest Foundation visit Segra Stadium to watch the Woodpeckers. Photo courtesy of Dream Quest Foundation Facebook page)