“Many people know Toyota as a car company, but we’re so much more than that,” said Alva Mason, senior director, Multicultural Business Alliance and Strategy and Multicultural Dealer Development, Toyota Motor North America.
“We’re focused on educating today’s students to build tomorrow’s leaders. At Toyota, we believe that youth development during non-school hours is needed today more than ever, and it’s vital for adolescents to learn 21st century leadership skills that support their academic, career and life goals.”
During the 2020 program year, InsideOut’s Performance Troupe collaborated in digital performances due to COVID restrictions with a number of other organizations, including Teens in the D, Next World Collective (in Delaware), Michigan Center for Youth Justice, The Detroit Zoological Society, Interlochen Center for the Arts, End Prejudice, and The Charles H. Wright Museum. The Performance Troupe was also commissioned to create a poem commemorating the messages of Martin Luther King, Jr. as part of Wayne State University’s annual MLK Tribute. In 2021, with current COVID 19 restrictions lifted in Michigan, InsideOut will continue its programming via a virtual and in-person (when the environment permits) platform that engages students to reach a higher potential through the literary arts.
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About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships. Toyota has created a tremendous value chain and directly employs more than 36,000 in the U.S. The company has contributed world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 30 million cars and trucks at our 9 manufacturing plants, 10 including our joint venture in Alabama that is scheduled to begin production in 2021.
To help inspire the next generation for a career in STEM-based fields, including mobility, Toyota launched its virtual education hub at www.TourToyota.com with an immersive experience and chance to visit many of our U.S. manufacturing facilities. The hub also includes a series of free STEM-based lessons and curriculum through Toyota USA Foundation partners, virtual field trips and more. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
About InsideOut Literary Arts
For over two decades, InsideOut Literary Arts has reached more than 65,000 students in schools throughout Metro Detroit and published nearly 500 school literary journals. Through creative writing and spoken word, young people in the Detroit metropolitan area engage in the exchange of ideas, creative self-expression and leadership and develop understanding, skills and relationships that lead to success in educational and career experiences. Our mission is to inspire students to think broadly, create bravely and share their voices with the wider world.
