From SPY Member to SPY Staff: Jelani's Story
Meet Jelani, SPY’s Outreach and Engagement Support Worker, and leader of our DJing workshop, where he is known as DJ Jelani.
Jelani, who describes himself as naturally shy, was instantly successful in this role. He brings a unique, gentle empathy to his daily work. But his success stems from a deeper place. Jelani first connected with SPY several years ago when he was experiencing homelessness. His path to stability began in one of our most unique resources: the Spiegel Family Healing Arts Studio.
SPY’s Healing Arts program provides a nurturing, judgment-free environment that is crucial for trauma recovery. For youth experiencing homelessness, creative self-expression builds self-esteem and emotional development. Our program offers wide-ranging therapeutic activities, including music groups, yoga, writing workshops, an open art studio, and more.
As a member, Jelani found a passion and a purpose when he connected with Jalen, SPY’s Digital Arts Youth Advocate. He quickly learned beat-making and mixing, finding the focused work immensely therapeutic.
“I first came to SPY for the music studio. Creating music gave me space to heal and express what I couldn’t always say out loud. As I kept showing up, I began accessing other services that helped me stabilize and eventually move into permanent housing. I learned the power of a community coming together to heal everyone of us. It’s rewarding to give back to the community at SPY.”
With support from his case manager, the consistency he found in the studio translated into his life. The ultimate goal for every SPY youth is to achieve a self-directed, stable life. Jelani has achieved that, and more. Now permanently housed, he uses his lived experience as the ultimate tool in his current role as Outreach Worker.
He shares his passion by running a weekly DJ Workshop at SPY, teaching other youth the production skills that empowered him. By turning his journey into his vocation, Jelani proves that when we invest in passion, we invest in lifelong stability and the next generation of leadership.
When you fund programs like Healing Arts, you provide the therapeutic space needed for a shy, unhoused young person to find their voice, secure permanent housing, and ultimately become a leader on our staff.