Today we’d like to introduce you to Bre Donnelly.
Hi Bre, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I began my career as a young entrepreneur, creating products and clubs dedicated to social change. This progressed into my love for community and social work where I developed a commitment to working with young people. I began in community mental health where I worked with teens and young adults experiencing mental health concerns, advocating for the prevention of relationship violence, and supporting local community organizing efforts. I then began working in the education sector as a middle school social worker which I have continued for the past three years. In my work in community mental health and in education I have moved between supporting students and families individually and advocating and creating systemic changes in the oppressive systems that they experience daily. I then joined the Moonshot EdVentures fellowship where I co-designed Joy as Resistance with the community and piloted its efficacy. Since then we have launched Joy as Resistance as a community and with a wonderful board of directors. I just hired my employee. We have served over 50 clients and are in three schools. We have a bus which was donated to us which will be our mobile clinic!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road! The biggest thing I run up against is that there is no other program like it. We intersect in the worlds of mental health, education, youth work and nonprofit and we don’t fit typical models of any of those categories. We take a decolonized and individualized approach to mental health often meeting the client where they are emotionally AND physically. We see therapy as learning and as a space that can be very educational. We try to minimize adultism and do not like to compete with other nonprofits, but to collaborate instead.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
The goal of our nonprofit is to support queer youth in the Denver Metro area by providing mental health and wellness services to K-12 youth. We have received feedback that transportation is a huge barrier for queer youth, so our idea for a mobile health clinic was born out of this idea. No matter the location of services, we hope to increase resilience and connection skills and decrease suicidal ideation, homelessness, and substance use for queer youth. We are focused on supporting students with their full identities, including helping each other along in their journeys.
We will have individual and group counseling as well as community building initiatives like inclusive sexual education, financial literacy, and a mentorship program. In addition, we provide GSA start up support and professional development for schools and nonprofits, and partner with parents, families, and communities in learning to support LGBTQ+ youth. We are currently renovating a school bus into a mobile clinic which will travel around the Denver metro area to provide services!
How do you define success?
I define success as living in alignment with your authenticity. Success is individual and looks different for each person. I think living outside of authenticity causes incredible harm to us and often others.
Contact Info:
- Email: bre@joyasresistance.org
- Website: www.joyasresistance.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joyasresistanceco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joy-as-resistance/
Image Credits
Martha Daley – Logo Picture
