Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Yoon, Ray Ricafort, and Kyle Dineen.
Alex, Ray, and Kyle, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
In the Student Parent Orientation Program at UC Irvine is where we were first exposed to the power of safe spaces, childlike wonder, and community. Entering college, we (and many like us) struggled with anxieties around identity and belonging. This summer program is known to liberate participants from those fears. As incoming students, it set each of us on a path towards empowerment and in the ensuing years as student volunteers, we joined the SPOP community and met lifelong friends who’d later help us build Eayikes – our expression of that same transformational power.
We remained friends after graduation and gained community experience through organizing camps at festivals and other social experiences. Railing against traditional notions of “adulting,” we pursued a shared desire to build community and do something meaningful with our network. We utilized our innate gifts, got a crew together, and hosted a monthly event at a local bar for one year. The intent was simple – bring people together. Every month we had DJs, graphic designers, dancers, a pop-up thrift shop… creatives and friends from our college network coming together to “celebrate creativity and inspire positivity” (that was our tagline). We knew we could do more than social events, so sprinkled throughout the year were community service outings like serving the homeless. We were practicing people power. We were building a community!
After a year of events, we raised about $4000, and we now had the means to attempt the next level of our community vision: hosting a youth camp grounded in the ideals of SPOP. So in 2013 Eayikes was born – a youth empowerment arts camp powered by our community of adults serving as volunteers and mentors. After a powerful, path-affirming first camp, we continued creating youth empowerment programs funded by throwing adult social events. While on the path, we found no shortage of adults wanting to participate. We realized adults equally wanted and needed Eayikes, and that our mission could expand and sustain through one transformed adult at a time.
So three school programs, five retreats, ten camps, 15 community services, and 18 workshops later, Eayikes in 2019 is a community-based 501(c)3 non-profit and volunteer-run organization serving youth and adults.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Every failure is data. So while the road has not been smooth, it’s been full of lessons and blessings.
We’ve learned how to better adapt to change. Over the years, we’ve experimented with manifesting the Eayikes mission in multiple ways. With Eayikes being powered by people with varying volunteer commitment levels, the journey has had its twists and turns.
Staying grounded in core values and allowing the journey to unfold has been a lesson in emergent strategy. We’ve been challenged by our altruistic mission and the framework of capitalism. In this culture of start-ups and scaling, we’ve learned to grow comfortable in our own skin by defining our metrics for success. We’re finding what works for us within our desire for inch-wide and mile-deep impact, and remain patient for paths to revenue generation.
Lastly, balancing our day jobs, relationships, and the Eayikes vision has required a great commitment to self-care. As leaders in the community, we are vessels of this mission-in-action so tending to our own gardens was once a struggle. Now, it’s a practice we encourage, prioritize, and enjoy!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Eayikes story. Tell us more about the business.
We create experiences, media, and products that build connection and empathy between communities and people. We specialize in creating environments that allow people to feel connected with each other and truly comfortable in their own skin. We are known for being able to do it with love and childlike wonder.
We are most proud of the intention and purpose with which we serve. We’ve given our lives to this. We are constantly in a space of learning and applying those lessons to our work.
What sets us apart from others is our goal to build consciousness and bridges for, and between, people from all walks of life. We’re activating people to help in their own way, become more conscious, and understand different ways of life through exposure and relationship-building.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
As faith-based people, we’ve learned to see the signs within the small interactions all the way up to the large opportunities. What some call luck we consider divine affirmation!
Learning to flow with things that occur outside of our control has played a critical part in us sustaining this 5+ year journey of empowering others to live a more fulfilled life.
This paradigm shift allows us to consider “good and bad luck” in a more gentle, meditative way – detaching from expectations and “shoulds” and settling into (and enjoying) the process of becoming.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.eayikes.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/eayikes
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/eayikes
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
