What Happens When a Teen Feels Seen
A student wrote us a letter.
We’ll call her “A,” a high school student who spent the summer with us. She wrote it by hand, folded it up, and left it with our team. When we read it, we had to pause and just sit with it for a minute.
"I was a lost teen," she wrote. "But being here made me realize that partying and getting high isn't the only way to have fun and be happy."
That line isn't a condemnation of her past choices. It's a discovery. She found something she didn't even know she was looking for.
The Letter That Reminds Us Why We're Here
Here's what A wrote:
Dear Urban Ventures,
I don't even know where to begin because no words feel big enough to thank you for what this summer has meant to me. You made it feel like family.
You gave me more than just memories, you gave us joy, safety, and a summer that mattered. I'll never forget.
I was a lost teen… but being here made me realize that partying and getting high isn't the only way to have fun and be happy. I didn't know how much I needed this summer until it happened. Thank you for making me feel seen, included, and like I truly belonged.
With all love and appreciation,
A
Notice what she doesn't say.
She doesn't say we "saved" her. She doesn't say we "fixed" anything. She says we made her feel seen. She felt like she belonged.
For many teenagers in Minneapolis, belonging isn't a given. Safety isn't assumed. And the idea that joy and community might be found somewhere other than the streets? That's a revelation.
How It Happened
A's summer didn't happen by accident.
It happened because our team showed up every single day. It happened because we've spent years building programs that create space for young people to discover who they are. It happened because donors and volunteers believe teenagers like A deserve more than just getting by.
And here's what we know: A isn't unique. She's one of dozens of young people who experienced something similar this summer. Most of them won't write us letters. Most of them will just quietly carry forward what they discovered here, that they're worth investing in, that community is real, that there's another way.
The Context Behind the Letter
When we read A's letter, we also thought about her family. About parents and guardians who are working multiple jobs, navigating systems that weren't built with them in mind, trying to keep their kids safe in a neighborhood where safety takes work.
In many zip codes, summer means camps and enrichment and travel. In Phillips and Powderhorn, summer often means figuring out how to keep teenagers engaged when options are limited.
A's letter is a reminder that when we do this work well, we're supporting entire families.
The Work Ahead
One summer isn't enough. A didn't just need a good summer. She needs sustained community. She needs consistent adults who show up. She needs pathways that continue to open, not just for months, but for years.
That's why we're committed to the long game. That's why our work spans early childhood through high school graduation and beyond. That's why we're not interested in quick fixes or feel-good moments that don't lead anywhere.
A's transformation matters. And the only way it continues to matter is if we're still here for the next season, the next summer, and the summer after that, and the decade after that.
What You Should Know
If you support Urban Ventures, you should know that A's letter is for you too.
Your generosity creates the conditions for letters like this. Your belief that young people in our neighborhood deserve world-class opportunities makes summers like this possible. Your commitment A and students like her have a place to belong.
We're grateful. And we're energized. Because if one summer can help a teenager realize she's worth more than she thought, imagine what we can do together over a lifetime.
If you'd like to learn more about our youth programs or support this work, we’d love to connect.
And if you're a young person reading this and wondering if there's a place for you here, there is. You belong here too.
