It’s way cool how connections are made. Lindsey lived and worked in England for a couple years. While there she met Megen Densham, now Megen Phillips, who became one of her great friends. Fast forward a few years. Lindsey lives in Texas, Megen lives in California. They remain friends. Fast forward a little more and now we’re on this trip hitting the California coast. Megen is following what we’re doing and says that we should totally meet up with her good friend Mark Ukleja who started something that’s right up our alley. Lindsey and I were invited over to The Ukleja house to have breakfast (a super tasty one) with Mark and his wife Amy. Mark told us a little about the project he started a few years back.

It’s called the State of Art Project. The goal is to “nurture the imagination of our youth to influence positive and sustainable change.” So how exactly does one do this? There are many ways, but Mark found the best way is to listen to what the “youth” love and pour into helping them succeed in that passion. Fine art is a great place to start, and that’s where Mark comes in. The format is after school and summer programs. The classes are held in the bottom floor of an old Victorian house located in Long Beach that once acted as a bed and breakfast. An older couple who own the place allow the non-profit to use the space at a very low rent. Mark hopes that the program grows so much over the next few years that the whole 3 stories will be needed.

What does the program look like? Well, after breakfast we got the opportunity to visit the class for the day. Josh, a good friend of Mark, was visiting with the purpose of teaching the guy’s class how to make a book from scratch. The first step in making a book is buying the supplies. Field Trip! The art supply store was maybe 6 blocks from the classroom, and Mark wasn’t going to allow the walk to be wasted time. So the class grabbed their cameras and took pictures as they walked. Previous classes had been focused on photography. At the store the students were educated on the types of paper that would work best in a book. They were then given the freedom to pick out whatever paper they wanted…as long as it fit into their $7 budget.

We had a great time talking with the students and seeing their excitement about the project they were working on.

Why does Mark do it? It is evident that he loves his community and believes the way to see that community grow in a positive direction is to be a positive, active force from within. That community consists of a strong mix of challenges. Just over a year ago a guy was shot and killed in the Ukleja’s front yard. Gang activity is big in the area, and too many times they have seen neighborhood kids fall into junk that leads them down a bad road. Being a friend and mentor to a teenage boy or girl can make a far reaching impact way beyond what one might think. Before spending his full time career developing and directing a non-profit working with kids, Mark developed and directed big ad campaigns with Saatchi & Saatchi ad agency in LA. Over time he grew frustrated with the way advertising pushes people to feel as though they need things that they really don’t. So he left. Much like others we’ve interviewed on this trip, he left a good, secure job with a desire to do a better job by loving and serving others. That is exactly what the State of Art Project is all about. On the surface it looks like an art class. When you look deeper you’ll find more of a mentoring kind of class, whether it be Mark himself, or one of his many friends and artists that come and donate their time and talents to serve these kids. They want to informally educate the kids on social skills, etiquette, and respect as well.

So how can you get involved with the State of Art Project? If you live in the Long Beach, CA area then you can volunteer to teach or just assist. You will be supporting an awesome program working to build character, creativity and kindness to kids.

Or what if you have similar passions and gifts as Mark? Why not start up a program in your area just the same. I bet he would be glad to share what he’s learned so you can build on the wisdom of one who has gone before you.