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Philanthropists John and Marsha Goldman wanted to enact change in East Palo Alto in 2010, but they didn’t want to do it alone.
So, they funded local research to answer a question: What do youth and families want to see in their city?
Over a seven-year period, over 100 youth engaged in conceptualizing what EPACENTER could be, said Nadine Rambeau, executive director of the nonprofit.
“They wanted a youth development center that focused on arts and creativity,” she said. “They selected the land that the building is on, they worked with the architect on the design of the facility.”
Born from curiosity and dreams of change, EPACENTER, an East Palo Alto creative youth development center designed by kids, gives 6- to 25-year-olds the opportunity to participate in local art, design and technological classes.
The project was in the works for over seven years before the organization broke ground in 2018, and was completed by 2022.
“It’s kind of amazing to see something grow from the ground up and see the different iterations of the idea kind of blossom and grow as more people become involved,” Rambeau said.
Over the 12 years that it was built, kids who dreamed up the project returned as art teachers and board members, she said – they continue to pave the direction of the center.
EPACENTER offers classes from music, to dance, to graphic design, fashion design, film, animation and much more. Some courses now include Digital Arts with AI, sculpture and architecture.
Local youth are also given the opportunity to pitch courses or projects they want to see.
“We have a student who wanted to work with his peers in teaching Lego robotics,” Rambeau said. “So now they’re teaching a class in Lego robotics at EPACENTER for younger students.”
Another student took inspiration from local politics and pitched a project to discuss immigration and family dynamics, she said.
“I think it’s important for them to see us investing seriously in what they would like to achieve at a young age,” Rambeau said.
Most recently, EPACENTER used a grant to cover 12 city electric boxes with art created by local youth and artists. Each box is also equipped with a QR code that allows the art to “come to life” with animations local kids created with clay and Play-Doh.
“I’m really excited to see what the youth involved at EPACENTER come up with next,” Rambeau said.
This year, the center served over 700 kids, and she hopes they can double that number in the future.
EPACENTER is a past recipient of the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund, earning a $20,000 grant in 2024. More information, including how to contribute, a list of people who’ve already donated and additional stories about the impact of the Holiday Fund at PaloAltoOnline.com/holiday_fund.
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