Cushions

A Cushion is used to keep something comfortable or protect it from damage. We aim to apply this principle to young people in our community. While one of our primary purposes is outreach to at risk youths, we recognize that life can put anyone “at risk” at any moment in time. We desire to create an all inclusive program that is regionally recognized as a fun safe place to hang out and learn life skills, developing STEAM programs with our “Youth Executive Board” as our leading force. Our mission is focused on youth outreach where ever they may be found in the community. Our priority is to lead in organizing, amplifying and protecting the youth voice of the Tri Cities.

Our current outreach activities include outreach at community parks with the Janette Taylor Skate Park in Richland being one of our focus areas. Many of the youths at that location come from broken families that have struggled through parental addiction as they grew up and now have tenancies themselves towards addictive actions. It has also been noted as a troubled spot in the Richland community. One of the aspects in our outreach is connectivity through music. We organize shows at the skate park for new bands that have not played in front of crowds yet, giving them a boost in the music scene. We bring pizza, sodas and water, networking with local kids and discuss issues they face in our community.

Please read through the rest of our site to get any idea on our youth driven spaces philosophy, learn about our youth executive board and explore our future goals for a facility in the Tri-cities where all youths are welcome to explore life and all its wonders.

Cushions aims to utilize a space where young people are comfortable and protected from damage. After all, that’s what a cushion is used for, to make comfortable or protect from damage. While our goal is to ultimately have our own space, a blank space where our young people can create and learn, we plan to meet those needs where ever we can. We intend to utilize both public and private spaces to learn and entertain and grow.

We at Cushions believe that it is important for the youth to lead our program. We are utilizing a concept that we call our youth driven spaces initiative. We develop our annual plan with the help of our Youth Executive Board. Their input is fundamental to the success of our program. They help keep the program fresh and relevant as our youth population changes over time. What was hip back in the day, is not necessarily awesome today. The youth voice is the cornerstone of our entire program. Additionally, our youth leaders, develop life skills while working with us, some examples of this are public speaking, budget planning and development, project coordination and resource research and development. It is a continuous cycle of growth and reinvention.

Cushions is also recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501C3 company. We are also listed with Washington’s Secretary of State and City of Richland as an active non profit, so any donations are tax deductible in accordance with current tax laws. If you would like to review our charitable status paperwork please let us know.

Coming Soon