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 and offering 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 pain, grow their own dreams, and learn to thrive is her way of making meaning of that life-changing day.

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Mission

Illuminating youth as leaders while inspiring creativity, courage and collaboration throughout the whole community.

Vision

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

We Believe...

We believe young people have a right to participate in and make decisions about the spaces they occupy. We also believe that leadership takes many different forms. We create opportunities for youth to practice the multitude of ways they can lead themselves and their community.

We believe art is a powerful tool for expression, restoration and transformation - both individually and collectively. We serve as a safety net for creativity, by valuing the process of art-making and invite everyone to explore and experiment with the tools available at our studio.

We believe that community is a precious resource. Our space thrives on the idea that connection and belonging is essential to personal and societal well-being. We embrace uniqueness as strength and encourage everyone to bring their whole self to the table.

Our Code of Community

Courageous heARTS is a safe place to be YOU! As part of this community, we encourage you to:

• accept everyone as they are and respect their boundaries
• take creative risks and try new things
• and don't take stuff too seriously!