Each One Reach One

This is an amazing organization! Each staff person is committed and invested in the mission of the organization and the success of the young people they serve. I wish I still lived in California.

I went to juvenile hall to see performances developed through a program with Each One Reach One. Each youth had completed a short, heartfelt play, which was performed by actors alongside the youth. After having seen the jail cells, with these oh, so young faces peering out, it was especially moving to hear their words and be in a place where their voices and stories can be heard. Quite empowering for these kids, to know that they have a voice and have stories worth telling.

Another great year for Each One Reach One. The last Playwriting show changed my life. One young man wrote a 27 page play in one week about Alzheimer's Disease. Having a grandfather who suffered from this terrible disease, I broke down. How can we incarcerated talent like that?

Each One Reach One provides not only great services for our youth, but we also believe that through the arts we can make a difference.

I have been affiliated to EORO for almost 20 years. The work they do with youth is amazing. I love attending their Playwriting Shows. The young writes tell unbelievable, and sometimes heartbreaking stories. The mentors that work with them are so talented and dedicated towards their success! Amazing!

EORO succeeds year in / year out because of the extraordinary team, guidance of board members and the woman at the helm - Robin, the Executive Director of EORO. Robin's vision has consistently exceeded expectations and for that reason I, and so many others, continue to donate, volunteer and support their efforts. Their name says it all - Each One Reach One - they serve a much needed population tirelessly, with hope, no egos, with love and with tried and true programming that empowers. EORO uses their money wisely, they are accountable and their hearts are focused to "reach one" - they are making a difference! We are a very lucky community! Join EORO and help make a difference.

Each One Reach One is successful in their goals as they work with at risk/incarcerated youth. Their programs are innovative, creative, and show how combining art, education, boundary's, and mutual respect lead to positive outcomes. Having watched youth participate in writing skits performed by professional actors I was moved beyond words. It was empowering and cathartic for the youth, both those who participated and those watching the performances.

Each One Reach One has been a great support system for my siblings and I!
Thank you EORO!

Each One Reach One gives young men and women who have fallen victim to the prison industrial complex a voice, a mentor, skill development, and a path through educational opportunities to overcome a system that profits off of them being locked in a cell. If you are new to EORO and live in or around the Bay Area, please attend a playwriting show as soon as possible to see the work firsthand. You can also read the work of EORO's young playwrights on the website. The stories will make you laugh, cry, feel joy and pain, and I can almost guarantee they'll inspire you to get involved.

I LOVE and continue to support this highly effective, dynamic and heartfelt organization! I was on the EORO Board from 2006-2009, looking for board service and they were just the right fit. EORO continues to defy expectations, to be cutting edge, leading with service, efficacy, and collaborating with community partners to continually break new ground. Anticipating the pipeline of need, they are expanding to serve youth "coming out from inside" to get their GEDs, enroll in community college, and keep expanding. Come on out for a playwriting show to learn firsthand how this terrific organization catalyzes growth, self-worth and actualizes potential!

I can't say enough about the amazing work Each One Reach One does! The organization exposes young adults to creative and expressive art, and for many of the participants, this is their first experience tapping into their creative side. As a former volunteer, I enjoyed watching participants grow and develop and realize their potential in the realm of the arts and education. Each One Reach One is a one of kind organization which allows youth to expand and deepen their knowledge and gives them the ability to overcome barriers.

Robins story and great love of this work and helping young people behind bars is beyond inspirational. The kids that experience this program have great transformations in such a short time. EORO is truly an exemplary organization.

This organization recognizes and cultivates the talent and potential of young people who have been incarcerated. It gives these youth a chance to find their voice and provides tools they may use to forge a new path. The plays that youth write are performed in very powerful staged readings. But what Each One Reach One does goes far beyond those readings. The programs provide health education, tutoring, and support through community college. It's one small organization doing its part to end mass incarceration by believing in the inherent greatness of these young people, even as they are being told by so many others that they are not worthy. This is why I choose to support EORO.

I love EORO--their mission, their staff, and their dedicated volunteers and board of directors. The impact they have on the lives of those who are invisible to too many of us is astonishing, helping young people most at risk re-imagine their lives and set (and accomplish) goals that will transform these youth, their families and their communities. With an arts and education focus, they are changing the world, one on one.

I have been a mentor in EORO's playwriting programs for nearly a decade now and I keep going back for the incredibly rich art being created through these programs. At the core of the program lies the belief that everyone has a story to tell, and everyone's story deserves to be heard. Helping participants give shape to the their imaginations, create alternate worlds through metaphors and work through a conflict is equally enriching for the participants and mentors alike. The sense of accomplishment these participants feel at the end of a program is truly rewarding. My hope is that this program can reach many more teenagers and continues to open up possibilities for those in juvenile halls.

Working and growing with Each One Reach One over the last four years has been life-changing for me. First, I was able to experience being a mentor and I will never forget the passionate, intelligent young people I met inside. I pray they are all free and safe. As complicated and challenging as they're lives are, I positive this program left each one of them with feeling encouraged, you could see it in their warm smiles and glowing faces after they're plays were performed to great applause. Then, EORO and I collaborated on my play about solitary confinement, The Box, which Premiered in San Francisco last July. Each One Reach One was the fiscal sponsor and went above and beyond to ensure things ran smoothly while we worked around the clock to raise the funds and bring this incredible production to life. I can't think of an organization with more integrity, vision....and ability to follow-through!

I mentor for Each One Reach One's play writing program for incarcerated youth. It is an incredible program. In my view, this program should be provided for children, youth, and adults everywhere. it is a powerful way for the participants to reflect upon and express their experience of life. The well structured and guided course gives the youth a clear and powerful voice. There is a staged reading by professional actors for a live audience giving positive recognition for each writer. This program empowers, transforms, and gives the possibility for change. I learned a lot through mentoring on the program and it helped with my writing. The arts are so very important to society. We all need to realize we need art! Aristotle said, "The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance." We all have an inner life that needs to be expressed. When this isn't expressed it can manifest itself in destructive ways. Each One Reach One provides a positive, constructive environment for youth to express the significance of their inner life. I heartily support their work!
~Matthew Sloan

I've been volunteering with the GED program in San Francisco for a little over four years. It's a consistently incredible experience. We try and keep the pairings between tutor and student consistent, so you really do get to build a relationship with the kid. It's great to watch their self-esteem and confidence in their abilities slowly grow over the months or even years.

I volunteer at Each One Reach One as a GED tutor. I've absolutely loved working with the kids. They are so motivated and come to study hall of their own volition, giving up their rec time to come in and do school work. I've been paired with a couple different boys now, and every one of them has been motivated and focused. It's also great that we're helping kids who probably don't get a lot of help on schoolwork at home and in school. I really believe that we're giving these kids a chance at a different life and offering them an opportunity they might not otherwise have.

I feel so blessed to be volunteering with EORO doing GED tutoring. They give volunteers the opportunity to help where it is most needed. I haven't been doing this long, but it is one of the most fulfilling things I have ever done. I look forward to continuing and hopefully expanding work with EORO.

Over a course of more than 10 years I have worked with EORO as an actor and playwriting mentor. The model is excellent: it is high quality, a one-to-one ratio for mentor/incarcerated youth. Actually more than that as we become a community during each two-week residency; mentors support each other and the youth support each other and we all support each other. Seriously, it becomes not merely (!!) an excellent tutorial and opportunity for the youth to learn, develop and express creative writing skills and critical thinking abilities; it is also an opportunity for them to experience the best aspects of the creative/collaborative process which is also important to their improved life paths.

I love this organization. In the four years I have been involved with them I have attended about a half dozen playwriting shows and it never gets old to see young people be given a chance to rewrite the script for the rest of their life. The work involves diverse volunteers and mentors from the community who join together to help break down the stereotypes and attitudes that keep at-risk kids down and destined to a cycle of incarceration. Amazingly powerful!

I attended one of Each One Reach One play performances at the detention center in San Mateo County. It was quite an experience to see but one I will most certainly will never forget. The young men that wrote the plays looked so happy and excited to see their plays preformed by actors and even more thrilled to have them acted out in front of an audience. I was struck by one young man's story and how he was released for the detention center but asked to come back so he could have his play preformed. It just shows how much he enjoyed participating in the play writing workshop and wanted to see his play through to the end. Each participant seamed excited to have their plays heard and appreciated. I think what Each One Reach One is doing for our incarcerated youth is trying to break the cycle and educate them while getting them on the right track.

I joined the board of Each One Reach One after attending one of the play reading performances at the San Francisco detention center. I was blown away by the plays written by these youth who were 'doing time' at the facility. The sensitivity, knowledge, love, self awareness that were expressed in their words filled me with amazement. I wanted to be part of an organization that could provide this type of opportunity for self expression to these kids. To see the pride in each boy's face as they accepted the applause and certificate for their achievement was priceless. I believe in the program and am committed to help it grow and succeed.

I have worked with EORO in their playwriting program as an actor and mentor. The greatest aspects of the program are it gives the incarcerated youth a voice and self-worth. I have experienced young folks saying "I didn't know I could actually write a play!" when mentoring, and I can see how proud of them selves they are. Parents who come to the staged readings are often teary-eyed they are so proud of their child's achievement. It is truly a moving experience for everyone involved and I know we've all helped make a difference in everyone's lives.

Each One Reach One is a fantastic program. I have been volunteering in their GED study hall for over two years now and I am amazed at how dedicated and curious these boys are. The questions they ask are fantastic and I love to see their faces light up when they finally understand something that seemed so daunting at first. Thank you to all the EORO staff that make this study hall possible.

I have been involved with EORO for over 10 years as an actor and mentor in the playwriting and served on the board of directors. Working with an incarcerated youth in the process of writing a play based on their greatest wish or fear in life is an incredible experience. Most often the material is very auto biographical and extremely heart felt. Sometimes the young men writiing deeper material than the girls. To be able to help a young person have a voice - that most often is not provided one is such a gift. The show day is so exciting with every student brimming with pride for their accomplishment. The added plus of having a family member attend the show inside detention and witness there success is ovewhelming. Watching the youth and their professional actors on stage taking their bows is a memory that sticks with me long after I leave. The pride on their faces is unforgettable and I feel so blessed to have contributed a small part towards that success by my acting.

Each week I sit across from a 17 year-old who is giving up his recreation time to study for the GED with a vision of his future. That is an amazing experience. The kids are appreciative and I always feel super-motivated to give as much as I can during our 2 hours. The last time many attended school regularly was in the 7th grade. In addition to the learning, the time gives us ways to connect on a human level. I am a middle-aged white woman who cares for them and this becomes a special, symbolic connection that I believe lasts beyond our time together. This charity provides one-on-one GED tutoring to incarcerated youth age 17 so that they acquire high schol knowledge, can apply to college, and create a relationship with an adult. The only challenge is that we as volunteers may only participate when there have been no disruptions on the campus for our safety and so the week-to-week schedule is not consistent. We meet one evening per week, but this is often cancelled. I appreciate them putting our safety first. I feel safe there. I feel like I am making a big difference in the lives of the students I get to work with. EORO also teaches a 2-week playwriting seminar which empowers students while engaging their imaginations, creating collaboration through theatrical play, and creative writing skills. At the end, they direct and their short plays are performed by professional actors in front of them and their families. The soul of this organization and its goals of educating and inspiring these kids who haven't had positive educational or enrichment experiences is incredible. I have also done the playwriting class. I love volunteering here. The founder and staff are excellent and inspiring, too.