On December 3, an afternoon benefit event was held at the stunning Eucalyptus Hill estate of Cyndee Howard and Lesley Cunningham to raise funds for Youth Interactive (YI). This extraordinary nonprofit is transforming the lives of at-risk youth in Santa Barbara through a novel program of entrepreneurial and vocational training plus wraparound services.
About 90 guests mingled on the multilevel terrace and around the open-air contemporary home with panoramic ocean views before gathering for the program. Founder and CEO Nathalie Gensac welcomed the guests and shared her excitement about celebrating the first five years of YI’s operations in Santa Barbara. She previously created similar programs in Jamaica and India.
Gensac explained how teaching youth entrepreneurship and real-life skills is the way to change their lives. She sees education as the great equalizer, the way to level the playing field for disadvantaged students. YI’s programs reengage students in learning by redefining what education is. The statistics on YI students are astonishing: This past year, all seniors in the program graduated from high school and all went on to college. Considering these are at risk youth, 50 percent of whom have a criminal background, this is remarkable — as is the fact that those with a criminal background who have spent at least one year at YI have a recidivism rate of only 2 percent.