Omni Center

The intersection of Art, Identity, Elevation, and Community

OPENING SOON!

The Omni Center, located at 1020 N. State St. at Northwest Youth Services' Administrative office, hosts an art-based service for Black, Indigenous, and Brown (BIB) youth ages 16-25.

At NWYS, we have observed two issues in the Whatcom community:

1. There are no engagement services in Bellingham for BIB youth outside of work, school, or home that foster healing, passion and career advancement, and alternative life-affirming care.

2. Diversion services and programs often target individuals at later stages in the criminal legal system.

The Omni Center extends art based radical services to BIB youth that build job and life skills for resume building, college applications, and cultural affirmation and exploration. By advocating community care over self-care and youth centering and empowerment, we can practice proactive diversion. This places resources back in youth hands and builds pathways to economic mobility early. The Omni Center is the intentional movement of responding to history, not reacting to it.

At The Omni Center we have a photography studio with an editing room and a designated podcast studio.

PHOTOJOURNALISM COURSE

This curriculum based 13-week course uses photojournalism as a catalyst for healing and processing in BIB youth.

You will obtain transferable job and life skills for resume building, job applications, and college applications for careers and paths in journalism and related subsects. Over the 13 weeks, you will plan, create, edit, curate, and present a photo gallery exhibit like Humans of New York. Your Capstone Project will be a full gallery show with a presentation on your body of work.

You will be compensated for your participation and completion of the course.

Prerequisites:

- You have knowledge and basic experience with digital photography.

- You have an interest in pursuing a job or college path in journalism or photography.

- You have an interest in taking the next step in journalism or photography.

-You identify as Black, Indigenous, or Brown.