E4 Youth

E4 Youth turns stories into skills and skills into opportunity.

We connect young creatives to real pathways for growth and careers, helping them be seen, heard, and hired as cultural innovators and creative entrepreneurs. E4 Youth collaborates with business leaders in creative media related industries to expose and nurture talent from traditionally under-represented groups including people of color and women. Each year we provide access to tours, creative port

folio building opportunities, internships, education and career guidance to hundreds of promising youth.

09/05/2026

There’s room in the story for YOU 🫵🏾

We’d love for you to help shape the WOW Heritage Center before the doors even open. Step into the process, share what matters to you, and help us build what comes next, together.

Here’s how you can get involved! Learn more at e4youth.org.

09/02/2026

For decades, Nelson Linder’s work with the Austin NAACP has placed him in the middle of conversations that have shaped Black life in Austin, including police accountability, racial inequity, and the need for better mental health training.

When he shares these stories, he reminds us that the changes we see today didn’t just happen. They came because people in our community spoke up, organized, held systems accountable, and continued pushing for better.

So much of our history lives in the people who were there, the stories our elders tell, and the memories our communities continue to carry. We have to make space for these stories so they aren’t lost, and so the generations coming behind us understand what it took to get here.

As we prepare to open the WOW Heritage Center this October, we want to hear your stories too. If you have memories or experiences connected to Rosewood, East Austin, or Black Austin, we invite you to share them with us and help preserve our history for generations to come.

Learn more at e4youth.org.

Oral History Interview with Nelson Linder, Recorded by E4 Youth’s Interns. What Once Was project, 2025.

09/01/2026

Reverend Jacob Fontaine is your guide through our AR Tour, and the historic Gold Dollar Building is an important part of the story!

His story is deeply connected to the history of East Austin and the Black communities who helped shape this city.

👉🏾 Swipe to learn more about Reverend Fontaine, the Gold Dollar Building, and why its history is so important to Austin.

08/28/2026

Rosewood community members, we want to hear from you! 📣📣

As we prepare to open the WOW Heritage Center, we want the community to be part of shaping what comes next. Our Rosewood Community Engagement Series is an opportunity to come into the space, share your ideas, and be part of the conversation.

Session 1 will bring neighbors and community voices together to help shape the Center before opening day.

Interested in joining us? Add your name to the interest list at whatoncewas.org/calendar/.

08/26/2026

We don’t believe in just educating our students in the classroom. We want them out in the real world, creating, leading, collaborating, and putting their skills into action!

That’s why we give our students opportunities to step up as:

👉🏾 Co-creators

👉🏾 Peer mentors

👉🏾 Project leads

👉🏾 Cultural facilitators

Because our students aren’t just recipients of our programs. They’re active agents in them, helping shape the work, lead their peers, and bring new ideas to the table.

This is what it looks like to empower the next generation to take the lead!

Learn more at e4youth.org.

08/24/2026

Heyyy Ilana! She’s a journalism major at HTU with experience in entrepreneurship and marketing. She has a passion for entertainment, film, and storytelling, and we already know one day we’ll see her name on the big screen working in film and television!

Ilana Curtis, Spring 2026 E4 Youth Intern.

Learn more about our internship programs at e4youth.org.

08/21/2026

As neighborhoods continue to change, Ms. Ora Houston reminds us why documenting and preserving community history matters for future generations.

Through oral histories and community archives, we’re working to ensure the stories, voices, and legacy of Rosewood Courts are preserved for future generations.

Learn more about our work in Rosewood Courts and the oral histories we’re preserving at whatoncewas.org.

Oral History Interview with Ora Houston, E4 Youth Living Legend, Recorded by E4 Youth’s Interns. What Once Was project, 2024. Shared with permission.

08/20/2026

Come dream with us! 💭

We’re so excited to finally invite y’all into the space. The WOW Center is still coming together, but we wanted to open the doors, share what we’re building, and hear what you think.

This space belongs to the community just as much as it belongs to us, so if you’ve got ideas, dreams, or hopes for what it could become, we want to hear them.

👉🏾 Shoot us an email at [email protected]!

08/17/2026

Ms. Trin-I-Tee! 👏🏾👏🏾

Houston native. Poet. Activist. Storyteller.

You may have seen her on CBS Austin or performing on more than 50 stages across Central Texas. Through her work, she uses creativity to challenge colonialism, institutionalized racism, and the systems that shape our communities.

We’re proud to have her as part of the E4 Youth team.

Say heyyy to Trin-I-Tee in the comments!

🔗 Learn more about our programs at e4youth.org.

Trin-I-Tee, Spring 2026 E4 Youth Intern.

08/14/2026

We’re in the SPACE! 👏🏾

The WOW Center is coming together! Our offices and community spaces are built out, and now we’re just working on filling them up.

We’ve still got work to do, but of course we wanted to bring y’all along for the journey. Come check out the progress!

If you’d like to support the WOW Center, we want to hear from you! Shoot us an email at [email protected].

Address

Austin, TX

Website

http://e4youth.org/donate/, https://linktr.ee/e4youth, https://whatoncewas.org/

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