Mission

The mission of courageous heARTS is to co-create experiences with young people by offering them a safe space, built with the intention to heal and empower-- through expressive arts, community building and leadership development.

Vision

Youth will discover, heal, and strengthen their hearts so they can thrive as active, engaged, and courageous leaders in their community.

 Values

courageous heARTS is an organization that understands its core values. By creating a space steeped in values, not rules, we assume good will and honor the spirit of connection and interdependence that is essential for all communities, including our own.

courage

the ability to do something that frightens one | strength in the face of pain or grief

purpose

a thing intended; an aim or plan | (medical) the healing process of a wound

integrity

the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness | the state of being whole and undivided 

gratitude

the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness

community

the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work

originality

the ability to think independently and creatively | the quality of being novel or unusual

positivity (positive)

thinking about the good qualities of someone or something | thinking that a good result will happen | hopeful or optimistic

leadership

the action of leading a group of people or an organization

A DREAM  MADE  REAL

The story of heARTS began when our founder, Lindsay Walz, was just 16 years old and she had the unique opportunity to support the start up of a nonprofit community center in rural Minnesota as a youth member of the Board of Directors. During her senior year, she was nominated to serve as the Vice President of the Board. Initially skeptical, Lindsay accepted the nomination and with it the opportunity to explore this newfound identity of leader - the one adults saw in her long before she saw it in herself.

Lindsay at sixteen, rehabbing an old store into a community center.

The seeds of her dream were planted during that first leadership experience. Opening her own youth center to offer the same opportunities that she had to learn and grow became the big dream that lit her path as she moved from high school to college, and into her professional career as a youth worker. Wherever the road took her, the dream remained constant.

Photo courtesy of Star Tribune.

The day Lindsay survived the 35W bridge collapse, she thought about that long-held dream and wondered if it was the reason she survived. Plagued by post-traumatic stress and survivor's guilt, she kept that thought close to her heart and began the slow recovery from that day. Her physical injuries required 5 days in the hospital and 5 months in a brace to heal a broken back-- and it took over 5 years to heal her wounded heart.

Lindsay used many tools to heal her heart, including intuitive painting. This creative practice gave voice to her healing in a way nothing else could. Just by putting a paint-dipped brush to paper she was able to process her story in new and profound ways. Over the course of her recovery, Lindsay lost herself a few times, but was always able to find her way back through art-- it became a beacon to her in the darkness.

The opportunities Lindsay had to heal- to make meaning and to grow- are a privilege she has not taken for granted. Creating a space where youth in the community can transform their own hurts, grow their own dreams, and learn to thrive is her way of making meaning of that life-changing day.

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