Dream Young grows through pandemic

VALDOSTA – The Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce hosts an average of at least one ribbon-cutting ceremony per week. The Chamber Ambassadors and staff join together to celebrate and welcome new businesses to the community. Ribbon cuttings are a great kick off to a business’ beginnings in the Valdosta area.

Dream Young Arts and Media cut its ribbon on the front steps of the chamber in March 2020 with similar expectations but COVID-19 brought about an interesting twist, chamber officials said in a statement. Despite the challenges, Dream Young has continued to push forward and serve the region.

Dream Young Arts and Media is an advocate for the disabled and special needs community, “in which it brings awareness to the issues that people in that community face,” chamber officials said.

DYAM has been in operation as a nonprofit training center for people with developmental disabilities since October 2010. Originally based out of Tampa, Fla., DYAM moved its headquarters to Valdosta in October 2018. 

“Dream Young was looking to move away from the major city life and chose Valdosta for its peaceful atmosphere,” chamber officials said.

The goal at Dream Young is to help shine light on businesses that cater to people with special needs nationwide. The nonprofit educates people by providing information that is required to help understand the lives of people living with special needs.

To increase its impact, the Dream Young founders work with various programs, caregivers, parents and other nonprofit and for-profit organizations.

“DYAM engages with the community through music, podcast video, vlogs, email, phone, etc.,” chamber officials said. “The nonprofit gets emails and phone calls from all over the United States asking for help. Dream Young has also helped people with disabled family members and the elderly by giving them in-area resources where they can go for assistance.

“Dream Young’s philosophy is to ensure equality and fight discrimination through education. The organization is a valuable resource for connecting with the disabled communities.”

Along with advocating for the special needs community, the nonprofit sells merchandise with positive messages that is available on its website.

Dream Young was the last member of the chamber to have a ribbon-cutting ceremony before everything shut down due to COVID-19. 

“The ribbon cutting was a way to showcase the advocacy program locally and celebrate becoming a new member at the chamber,” chamber officials said.

“When COVID hit, we refocused our attention to starting a virtual presence for awareness,” Nikki Vincent, co-founder, said.

The nonprofit had a training center but the pandemic brought that to a halt. So, DYAM started a podcast, “Project Dream Young,” allowing the founders to promote their work through video and social media.

“We still want to help people but now we’re getting through to a lot more people than we were when we just had the training center,” Vincent said.

DYAM partnered with VISIONS Career Development Program, an organization that pays for members of its virtual program in New York City who are visually impaired and need assistive technology, to work for Dream Young as an intern and volunteer. 

“Dream Young works with the students in their area of interests such as, graphic arts, social media, businesses, etc., while completing day-to-day tasks,” chamber officials said. “Several students have graduated from the internship program with positive outcomes and positive relationships.”

Every year, VISIONS/Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired awards employee partners who seek to diversify their workforce and support individuals with disabilities, specifically those who are legally blind, and make impactful hiring decisions beyond what is typical, chamber officials said. 

On Oct. 29, 2020, Dream Young Arts and Media was chosen as the winner for the National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

Dream Young is also a partner with YearOn, where it works with interns in the “career path” volunteer program. YearOn assisted Dream Young in running a successful social media campaign, chamber officials said.

DYAM is in the process of raising money for Dream Young headquarters where the production studio can be housed to record podcasts and virtual training videos, along with a small office space.

For more information or to make a donation, visit dreamyoung.org.