Philadelphia PA, September 13, 2019 - Childhoodslost Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, serving the population of youth dealing with significant traumas and challenges in their childhood. Through various community engaged programming, such as instructional chess, mentorship, and most recently, informed trauma workshops. Childhoodslost Foundation mission is to reach youth by focusing on and addressing sensitive and controversial social issues that contribute to the loss of a youth's childhood.
Chess Chat – Chess Chat is a Childhoodslost Foundation signature program for youth ages 8 - 17 in the community, with an interest in learning how to play. Chess Chat serves youth all over the city and has partnered with the city agency’s for juvenile offenders.
Theater – Original stage productions written and produced by Childhoodslost, and performed by youth of all ages. A publication of all CHL productions is available free to the pubic by written request.
The Black Boy Experience - is a lived experience based workshop designed to provide formally incarcerated men with the opportunity to share their experiences through story telling and through the active engagement of participants.The workshops provide illumination for the often hidden societal and systematic gateways to mass incarceration, and to support youth to challenge systems and negative expectations via self and societal awareness and advocacy.
Childhoodslost Foundation has integrated two trauma informed workshops Royal Reflections (male specific; and coed ) and Authentic Gems (female specific) to promote and introduce mental health awareness within a holistic and therapeutic context, to youth who may be dealing with negative behaviors attributed to poor emotional health.
Childhoodslost has worked with programs servicing youth in foster care, and the most vulnerable such as the Villa, the F.I.G.H.T program and Carson Valley Children’s Aid, several other community organization, and has had maintained a supportive relationship with many city and state officials.
In February of 2017, Co- Founder Kaliek Hayes was recognized and honored with the KWY 160 Game Changers Award for his dedication and outstanding work in serving youth in the community through Childhoodslost. In the summer of 2017 Childhoodslost Foundation won the inaugural Philly Youth Festival for an ensemble of its original play Legacy.
Most recently in 2018 Kaliek was nominated for the Community Impact award from the Philly Independent film festival.
About Childhoodslost Foundation
Childhoodslost was first established in 2012 by brothers Kaliek Hayes and Stephen Gardener, as Childhoodslost Entertainment group, and then Childhoodslost Foundation in 2016. The vision for Childhoodslost Foundation is to inspire and support youth to live authentically, by recognizing their incredible strength, power, talents, ability and intelligence. Childhoodslost Foundation hope is to change the narrative for youth, help them to see their value and lead them into their purpose.