The Foundation Florida Endowment Foundation for Florida’s Graduates

VOiCE is a multi-media youth center concept designed to give young people real-world, work-based learning opportunities in journalism, creative writing, song-writing, composing, graphic design, communications and publishing. The center, located in Palatka, Florida, is operated by the Florida Endowment Foundation for Florida’s Graduates and will infuse both Jobs for Florida’s Graduates (JFG) and Girls Get IT (GGIT!) services. VOiCE is being made possible through our partnerships with Representative Joe Pickens, the Florida Department of Education, the Verizon Foundation, Mobile Modular’s, The City of Palatka, Putnam County, Putnam County School District, the North East Florida Educational Consortium, and the First Coast Workforce Development Board.

VOiCE was started by a group of JFG students from Palatka High School who sought out a local businessman who owned a condemned building in a drug infested area of their town. He agreed to donate the building so they could have a safe place to be when they weren’t in school. After researching the history of the building, walking through all the options with the students and talking to some of the locals; it was clear how we could honor the rich heritage while creating a stimulating learning environment.

VOiCE is a multi-media center designed to encourage youth self-expression and empowerment. To that end, students are going to design and publish a community newspaper, design and publish a retrospective on the history of jazz in the area, build and manage a recording studio and host jam sessions between our students and the local, elderly jazz musicians who played on that very spot over 50 years ago.