About Us
What We Do
EPACENTER is a creative youth development organization that develops students’ critical, creative, and socio-emotional skills and builds their sense of belonging.
Our name (pronounced “epicenter”) refers to the energetic city of East Palo Alto (EPA).
We offer classes in AI, Culinary Arts, Robotics, Architecture, Percussion, Piano, Visual Arts, Content Creation, Rap and Singing, Environmental Art, Painting, Ballet, Beat Making, Costume and Fashion Design, Animation, Music Production, Digital Painting, Japanese Culture Club, Gymnastics, and more! We also offer internships in social media, filmmaking, and audio engineering.
East Palo Alto’s power and potential is evident in our young people. At EPACENTER, we provide opportunities for youth and young adults to realize their potential through civic and social engagement, and community service.
Conceived and developed by the youth of East Palo Alto and designed by world-renowned architect Kulapat Yantrasast, our new creative youth development center is a major hub of opportunity for all youth in the greater East Palo Alto area.
From the home of the Ohlone people, to Japanese American flower growers, to African–American leaders who incorporated the City, to the more recent and growing Latino and Polynesian cultures, EPACENTER celebrates both the place where we are rooted and those who live in it.
“I’ve developed so many different skills socially and emotionally alongside my community. I feel a sense of purpose at EPACENTER.”
– staci edwards, EPACENTER FOUNDING YOUTH MEMBER AND CURRENT BOARD MEMBER
Our Mission
Our mission is to increase opportunities for youth to discover and amplify their talents, realize their potential, and impact the world through art, design, and technology.
Values
We believe that youth have the right to determine the world they will inherit as adults.
We value the rights of young people to shape their world, and to create civic, social, educational, economic, and environmental circumstances that enable them to live healthy, productive, and sustainable lives.
We also engage youth in organizational decision-making, key leadership roles, and cultural leadership opportunities.
