Historic 25th Street in Ogden is home to many unique things, and in the past week it has featured a new project called the “No Regrets” box.
The box is a project that allows anybody to write any regrets they have and put them in the box. In a big event the regrets are taken out and burned, allowing the citizens of Ogden to let go of their regrets.
The project was started by a student in the Nurture the Creative Minds foundation.
“Nurture the youth. Nurture the future,” is the foundation’s slogan, and it has an emphasis on creating a positive place for the youth while helping them see the “value in themselves, and the worth of others.”
This foundation works with schools, women’s shelters, treatment centers, the YWCA as well as the Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS).
Nurture the Creative Minds was founded by Amir Jackson about seven years ago.
Jackson said his inspiration to start the foundation was a class at Weber State. The requirement was to do a service project but Jackson didn’t want to do one that had been done a million times and went to start his own foundation.
According to Jackson, the foundation has worked with roughly 7,000 young people in the last few years. Jackson stated that he is “never satisfied,” meaning there are always different ways to help people.
“I always want to continue doing more,” said Jackson. “At one point I stopped thinking about how many kids we had worked with, and how many we hadn’t. There’s a lot more kids that we haven’t worked with.”
When it comes to projects like the “No Regrets” box, the foundation likes to have all classes that are taught be project-based.
Projects such as art galleries or exhibits are a staple of the NCM foundation. At minimum the foundation does one project per month.
However, the box is a little different. This community-based project that the foundation tries to put out five or six times a year.
The “No Regrets” box is a project of one student’s mind, and the inspiration came to her when sitting in class.
The box has been out since around June and is expected to stay out until around the Harvest Moon Festival this fall.
When it comes to the response from the community, Jackson wasn’t quite sure how the reaction to it would be.
“Sometimes there’s projects that I know will have a great response,” he said. “This was one of those things that was a good idea, but I didn’t necessarily know if it was going to be accepted or appreciated.”
Despite the uncertainty, the response from the community has been “overwhelmingly positive” according to Jackson.
When the box is eventually taken down a burning party will take place, and this is where people who participated putting their regrets in the box get to experience letting go of things that may hold them down.
The foundation asks that anyone who participated “like” their page on Facebook so when the announcement is made about the party, those who contributed may attend.
The party will be held at Grounds for Coffee located on 30th and Harrison Boulevard, complete with music and food.
Jackson said he would like to see the idea duplicated in the future.
“There are certain projects that are important for us to take ownership of, but this is one of those things that I wanted to just give to the community,” Jackson said. “Even if we didn’t do it next year, I would like to see one at Weber State, or even in Salt Lake. The idea is that it becomes a community thing.”
Those interested in the Nurture the Creative Minds Foundation wanting to become more involved can visit their website.
Their applications can be found for volunteering, being an instructor or even a board member. Facebook is the best way to get involved with the foundation since it’s more up to date.
