Shyvone Blunt: On a Mission to Uplift
Shyvone Blunt had been serving communities for 10 years before joining our team at Urban Upbound as a Facilitator and Mentor. Starting her career in an affluent neighborhood of Winnetka, Illinois, Shyvone found herself transitioning and becoming more involved in serving underprivileged populations from the communities that she most identifies with. She believes that representation matters and that it is important to instill hope in these communities.
When asked what made her choose to work in nonprofits, Shyvone answered, “to fulfill a purpose, to do something that pushes the community — the world — to a better place, and it is our duty to push it a little bit forward.” Shyvone sees the similar needs between the community that she previously served in Winnetka and the ones she now serves on a different level. She aims to bring the learnings from her experiences in a more privileged community to the neediest — and hoping to do so through her work at Urban Upbound.
At Urban Upbound, Shyvone works closely with our Youth Career Pathways clients. Every day, Shyvone prepares and conducts workshops, which aim to help our clients obtain various skills, such as public speaking, career readiness, resume building, and even some lyrics writing classes, among others. She also makes sure that she gets the chance to speak with our clients individually and listen to their distinct challenges — things that hinder them from succeeding, especially in their career and education — as well as share invaluable life skills with them.
Shyvone’s work at our Youth Career Pathways program has been instrumental, from ensuring the provision of essential and progressive services for our clients to building partnerships with more than 14 community-based organizations in various fields, including healthcare assistance and training services. More importantly, her relationships with many of our youths help empower them and push them to achieve greater goals. This, for Shyvone, is one of her biggest accomplishments — to be able to develop these connections, play a part in their lives, and see the difference that she makes in each individual.
When she is not at work, Shyvone has many different hobbies. She owns a record player and is a vinyl enthusiast, so she listens to music a lot. Shyvone is also interested in art and fashion. Her long-term goal is to start her own nonprofit. She plans to open a vintage clothing store, which will allow her to introduce conscious fashion to low-income communities and to support women of color. This way, she can incorporate her passion into her work while pursuing her mission: to empower and uplift underrepresented communities.
