When Danielle found out that there wasn’t a Halloween party planned for the youth at FriendsPDX, she asked her mentor, Ayni, if they could plan one together. Ayni encouraged her to come up with a concept and a budget for approval, and planning began for a Halloween Hang.

"I love Halloween,” said Danielle. “So, when I learned there wasn’t a party happening, I wanted to plan something because I just like hanging out with others and celebrating.”

To get her event on the calendar, Danielle needed to complete a Youth Engagement Forecasting Form to help her think through the event, planning, budget, and other logistics so the event could be approved by our Youth Engagement team.

“Doing this form together helps youth break down a big event goal into smaller goals to better understand the work that goes into making a successful event,” said Ayni.

Danielle’s event was approved, and she got to work bringing it to life planning the food, crafts, and music.

Thinking outside the box

At FriendsPDX, kids are encouraged to ask what’s possible. They are encouraged to think outside the box, use their imaginations, and execute their ideas with confidence. Our job is to support them in that process.

“Youth helping determine and plan activities is one of the reasons we do forecasting, and the youth voice is usually incorporated in many ways!” said Briana, Director of Youth Engagement.

Danielle’s idea is just one example of a whole slew of events initiated, planned, and executed mainly by the youth themselves in 2025.

Youth led and planned events like a pool party, a basketball day, a waterfall hike, and seasonal celebrations like Danielle’s Halloween Hang.

Tiana, another youth in the program, planned several group events this year including a group hike to Saddle Mountain (a nearly 5-mile hike with 1,700 feet of elevation gain!), and a day trip to Seaside to hang out on the beach.

“I wanted to do this hike because I saw pictures and thought it would be fun!” said Tiana. “I didn’t realize how high it would be and it was kind of scary, but it was so beautiful.”

Beyond just planning things that she thought would be fun, Tiana mentioned that she wanted to plan activities that would be interesting to a wider group of people.

“I wanted to plan events that are inclusive and to think about everyone, not just specific people who would enjoy an activity.”

Our group events are all about bringing the community together—some youth are often trying something for the first time during these events, which is a great opportunity to find something they might be passionate about and make some memories along the way.

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we held several youth engagement activities to honor, celebrate, and acknowledge the heritage, community, and lived experiences of many of the youth that we serve.

When reflecting on those events, another youth, Carlos, said, “I loved that everyone came together to celebrate and have a good time.”

Event planning is such a great way for youth to get creative, engage their peers, and learn valuable leadership, planning, and organizing skills along the way. We can’t wait to see what kinds of events take place in the new year!