About Us

Imagine Further Collective provides youth with ongoing, anti-violence mental health education, conflict resolution skills, and self-advocacy techniques at schools, after school programs, and community-based summer camps, year round. We provide youth at these sites methods for preventing mental health issues and addressing trauma by learning how to express their feelings and emotions in a healthy way through emotional wellbeing support, conflict resolution strategies, and leadership skills.

Since 2020, IFC has served approximately 1,100 youth (ages 6-18), hosted 250 program sessions, and partnered with 10 youth-serving out of school-time programs and one elementary school.

Our Story

Our co-founder, Alexis Werner, became passionate about youth mental health work due to her own experience of trauma and witnessing two of her teenage siblings attempt suicide. She searched for programs that would provide more consistent support for her siblings after they were released from the hospital, but could not find anyone supporting youth in this way. In researching the prevalence of experiences like hers, she found that over 20% of youth reported they had developed depression after the pandemic, but that it takes 11 years from the onset of symptoms for the average young person to actually receive services. Alexis felt compelled to do something and in discussion with two colleagues, they created a solution: Imagine Further Collective.

For the last 5 years, the work of Imagine Further Collective shifted from a passion based on her personal experience, to a passion to annually supporting nearly 700 youth participants, their families, and their communities. She found purpose in creating healthier, safer, and more equitable communities - led by their residents, for their residents.

At Imagine Further, we believe everyone deserves the right to receive resources to help them thrive. Mental health services are the clearest answer towards preventing crime and violence because it provides an opportunity for individual's to recognize their inherent worth and dignity. We focus on those a part of under-resourced, marginalized communities and provide them with relevant resources to heal.

Our History

2020

Imagine Further Collective (IFC) is founded to address the mental health needs of youth caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021

IFC team conducts two pilot programs in partnership with the Millvale Community Library and envisions providing programming to each of the 90 Pittsburgh neighborhoods by 2030.

2022

IFC develops partnership with the Hear Foundation and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police to provide six weeks of programming to 67 students at Voices Against Violence, Hope for Tomorrow, and Youth Enrichment Services summer camps.
After a successful summer program, we continued our services for 120 youth at Hope for Tomorrow and Voices Against Violence over 24-weeks of the following school year.

2023

IFC expands to support 500 youth a part of four summer camp programs including Voices Against Violence, Hope for Tomorrow, and Pittsburgh Faison K-5/ Homewood Children's Village.

2024

IFC is awarded a Pennsylvania Commission Against Crime and Delinquency grant to examine the effects of our programming on youth violence and crime.
IFC develops partnership with Urban Academy Charter School and Ozanam Basketball Camp and implements programming at each of their sites.
Programming is continued to be offered at Hope for Tomorrow and Pittsburgh Faison K-5/ Homewood Children's Village.