Never Counted Out

Inspired by teens on the unique book tour undertaken by novelist and filmmaker e.E. Charlton-Trujillo, Never Counted Out is an organization designed to empower youth on the fringe via the arts. We call this idea the Creative Revolution because we are taking the arts and utilizing them as a vehicle of empowerment and change. And we are doing this with edge, heart, and momentum. NCO functions a high-energy, meet-young-people-where-they-are organization dedicated to redefining how we see the at-risk teen population in America. We believe that this marginalized group crosses the lines of race, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and gender. In short, any young person can be at-risk. The common thread? They all share an experience of feeling on the outside of belonging. NCO is where outsiders thrive. Through our primary empowerment thread where artists donate a minimum of one hour per year to a program in their community or a community they visit, we are generating access for those youth who rarely have it. We are creating a dialogue of change and showing teens that they don’t have to wait for it to get better. It can be better now. By channeling their voice via writing, filmmaking, painting, music and/or photography. In a time of extreme bullying, dangerous self-harm, and pervasive suicide, NCO reaches out to teens with truth and imagination. From traditional to alternative education, from libraries to after-school programs, from juvenile detention to teen-focused events, this is where the revolution is happening. This is where young people reclaim who they are and are never counted out.