Our new logo designed by Robert Canty from the Canty Company.
Who we are
Platform is a nonprofit organization (501c3) that actualizes social justice by developing the leadership skills of our youth and women in the city of Aurora.
Our story
In 2018, our current CEO and Founder, Samantha Joo, started Platform with the intent to grow the leadership of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women in social activism. She soon learned the limitations of reaching a specific audience so she opened her workshops and programs to all women with a focus on the BIPOC community. What she discovered in many of the workshops was the need to start the conversation earlier in people’s emotional and mental development which is the reason why she shifted the focus to youth and women.
Platform is based in the city of Aurora, a richly diverse city with a large immigrant population. With a vibrant, courageous team of leaders, Dafne, Tsion, and Ximena, and a supportive board, we are reaching a new generation of potential leaders in our community.
First adult workshop in 2018 at the Red Rocks Community College (Lakewood, CO).
Our community
Aurora is an intercultural community, where about a third of the population identify as Hispanic or Latino, 20% of the residents were born outside of the US, and a third of the people speak a language other than English at home. The largest ethnic group is Mexican while the second-largest foreign born population are our Ethiopian and Eritrean communities.
Here is the demographics of K-12 students in the Aurora Public School system:
Native American 0.6%
Asian 4.9%
Black 17.3%
Hispanic 56.4%
White 14.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.0%
Two or More Races 5.8%
More Statistics
42.0% of our students are second language learners, with 77.8% of them Spanish-speakers.
74.6% of our students receive free or reduced lunch.
14.5% of our students attend special education programs.
4.9% of our students are identified as gifted and talented.
Our board, leadership, and participants in our programs reflect the diversity of our community. Therefore, we endeavor to create programs and activities that speak to this diversity, especially our immigrant population.
Our commitment
Platform creates daring spaces for youth and women to explore the power of their intersecting identities and experiences, grow into their values, faith, and strengths to benefit/better our communities, and live into their visions of belonging.
Our vision
Platform envisions a just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive society in which courageous youth and women can become impactful platforms for our under-represented communities.
Contact us
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