About Us
Mission, Values and Goals
Who We Are
VOICES is all about youth development through in-depth mentoring in an interdisciplinary community-storytelling process.
The interdisciplinary areas VOICES currently focuses on include: oral history, journalism, fine art and documentary photography, creative nonfiction, poetry, and digital storytelling.
The youth we mentor strengthen key youth development areas including artistic skills, academic skills, emotional assets, leadership and social abilities, and professional development.
Youth who strengthen the above skills are much more likely to be healthy, economically independent, and community-engaged adults.
Our Goals
To increase youth abilities to examine and express their personal and community stories so they can more deeply explore their identity, their culture, and their possibilities.
To improve youth artistic, intellectual, professional, and emotional skills through documentary arts mentoring.
To deepen intergenerational connections by sharing stories, breaking down stereotypes, and creating an authentic youth/adult collaboration culture.
To strengthen our sense of community by bringing people together, sharing experiences, breaking invisible barriers, and increasing awareness of community issues–past, present, and future.
Regina Kelly
Executive Director
VOICES: Community Stories Past and Present, Inc.
Regina Kelly is the founding Executive Director of VOICES. She has overseen the implementation and deepening of community-stories programming at VOICES since its inception in 1998-1999. She has also grown and stabilized the organization since its humble beginnings when the budget hovered around $4,000. Kelly has been recognized locally and nationally for her leadership. As of 2005-2006, VOICES employs six staff and several guest artists, and has served hundreds of Pima County youth through in-depth mentorship in community storytelling. And the budget isn’t $4K anymore—it’s grown under Kelly’s leadership to approaching $300K.
“Many things have moved me deeply about The VOICES World War 2 Stories Projects over the years,” said Kelly. “This year, on the web project with City High, what was amazing was the thing that has always been amazing about this project: the way the relationship between the teenagers and the seniors change during and after the seniors share their story. They’re gentler with each other; more humble and respectful. There’s nothing like sharing your deepest, hardest, best stories with people to form a really honest bond. And there’s something really important about veterans sharing war stories with teenagers. You can enlist at 18 in this country. Young people need to know what war and combat really are from people who’ve really been through it. They also need to know what these vets suffered, experienced, and achieved on behalf of the country. It’s just so deeply humbling.”
Rachel K. Villarreal
Program Director
VOICES: Community Stories Past and Present, Inc.
As Program Director, Rachel Villarreal oversees the four VOICES projects, including The World War 2 Stories Project, The 110° After School Magazine Project, The San Xavier Looking Forward/Looking Back Project, and the South Park Generaciones Unidas Project. Villarreal is also completing her Ph.D. in Latin American History at the University of Arizona.
“As an historian, it was a thrill to be part of this project. To witness the students learning and growing through their exchanges with the veterans demonstrated the importance of bringing history to life for young people. This project encouraged them to wonder what life was like during the war and relate to a generation that on the surface seemed so different from them. I also really enjoyed seeing the process unfold for the students–from training and research to interviewing and photography and finally to powerful, thoughtful, and personal stories. I learned so much myself about the war and about this distinct generation; what an incredibly gracious and generous group of veterans. Thank you to them all for sharing their stories with us. I would also like to thank the City High School teachers, Brett Goble and Sarah Bromer, and Guest Artist Therese Perreault for their dedicated work and Adam Cooper and Ian Johnson for designing this fabulous website.”
Therese Perreault
Guest Artist/Photographer
VOICES: Community Stories Past and Present, Inc.
Therese Perreault is currently a guest photographer at VOICES, Inc. where she is working on a World War 2 Stories Project. She is also working with VOICES as a guest photographer with a South Park initiative. The South Park project is an intergenerational community project in which youth and senior citizens team up to photograph and write about their neighborhood.
“Working with City High School students was rewarding, and a learning experience for me as well. Photography played a formative role in the person I have become; it was important for me to share this powerful and unique medium with the students. The students were receptive, interested and respectful. The greatest rewards often came when a student wanted more…more photography and more conversation about photography.”
Deborah Dimmett
Community Stories Curriculum Project/WW2 Stories Project
Sierra Middle School Teacher
City High School
City High School strives to be a community of learners in which all members use their minds well and care about one another. We engage with challenging academics and the unique resources of our city and region in order to become active citizens and responsible stewards of our world.
City High School develops habits of heart and mind that will serve students in their lifelong pursuit of learning. These habits, such as reflection, inquiry, and expression, are both intellectual and affective and encourage students to develop consistent, rigorous, and ethical, and caring ways of approaching the world. Everything we do at City High School emphasizes the development of these habits.
Brett Goble
Teacher
City High School
Brett Goble is a Teacher and Co-Academic Director at City High School. He served on the planning team for the creation of the school, now in its second year of operation. City High School’s mission is to engage all students in meaningful and challenging curriculum by making use of resources and issues of the local community. His background is in social studies with an emphasis in history and economics. Currently he teaches an interdisciplinary humanities course called American Studies.
Sarah Bromer
Teacher
City High School
