Lane County Youth Services

6/28/01

Encore Theatre

PO Box 50816

Eugene, OR 97405

Dear Eliza and Encore Members:

I want to express the deep appreciation the Department of Youth Services has for the work you have been doing with our youth. Each year of Encore's involvement with DYS has proven to provide a new experience. The commitment of your troupe members to listen to our young people's life stories, ideas, and beliefs and to reciprocate with their own life stories creates a bond of encouragement and hope. Challenging our young people to express themselves honestly, to engage in honest and supportive relationships with Encore troupe members and to present themselves to an audience offers them healing, acceptance and a place of belonging in our community.

The work Encore is doing with Lane County and the youth in our system is helping to address the cultural issues of oppression that separate young from old, poor from wealthy, youth of color from the dominant culture, youth who have experienced oppression in any form from the systems that perpetuate that oppression. These steps are taken on individual and personal levels between the Encore members and the youth who participate in the program, as well as on a systemic level as youth are empowered to speak their truth and creatively express themselves and be supported in a community. In your program, the youth clearly are seen as equal contributing members. Encore is participating in creating inclusiveness and bridging the gap between systems and beliefs that separate.

Thank you for your great contributions! We would like to expand the work between Encore and Youth Services. Let us continue to move forward together!

Sincerely,

Lynne Schroeder

Acting Director

Lane County Youth Services