Discover how your support helps youth find their voice, tell their stories, and change our world for the better.
From urban neighborhoods to rural communities, our programs create spaces for transformative self-discovery and community connection, meeting young people where they are and investing in their futures.
Spy Hop envisions a world in which all young people possess the skills and mindsets necessary for success and that their voices are heard and valued as conduits of change in their communities.
We know that journeys of self-expression and artistic growth are rarely a straight path.
Our educational philosophy centers on a scaffolded, student-focused model that nurtures artistic, technical, and social-emotional development at every age and stage of their creative journey.
A creative project at Spy Hop can be almost anything: a simple drawing, a song, or a 20-minute short film directed over the course of a year. What matters isn’t the scale, it’s the story. Each project represents a young person finding their voice, sharing their experience, and showing the world how they see it.
Our mentors are professional artists who bring years of real-world creative practice into the classroom, alongside deep expertise in relationship-building, culturally responsive teaching, and trauma-informed care. By embedding full-time artist mentors at the center of our programs, young people don’t just learn technical skills; they find trusted adults who see them, challenge them, and champion their voice. The result is a community where youth thrive, artists are valued, and the creative economy grows stronger. When you invest in artists as mentors, everyone benefits, and Spy Hop is living proof.
Young people have a lot to say—and when it comes to the future of the Great Salt Lake, they’re using every creative tool they have to speak up.
Live local music festival featuring original music written and performed by local teens.
For over 100 years, Utah has served as a backdrop for Hollywood films and television. But the draw to Utah isn’t down to our memorable landscapes alone–it’s also due to the talent we build to support these productions upon arrival.
Indie game launch and interactive zine and illustration exhibit from local teens.
Young people have a lot to say—and when it comes to the future of the Great Salt Lake, they’re using every creative tool they have to speak up.
Live local music festival featuring original music written and performed by local teens.
For over 100 years, Utah has served as a backdrop for Hollywood films and television. But the draw to Utah isn’t down to our memorable landscapes alone–it’s also due to the talent we build to support these productions upon arrival.
Indie game launch and interactive zine and illustration exhibit from local teens.
“Spy Hop has changed my life endlessly for the better — I don’t know who I would be without them.”
Read our most recent impact report! Step into the journey of the latest year at Spy Hop—celebrating statewide stories of mentorship, students, and program impact.
How participation in creative youth communities cultivates lasting impact on work, civic, and cultural engagement.
Check out our 2022-2023 Evaluation Report to learn about how students attending Spy Hop “glow up” and become their best selves through art, creativity, and belonging.
Our program, Sending Messages, which brings podcasting to incarcerated youth in Utah, is the focus of this study from Mindy Faber (Convergence Design Lab, LLC) and Danielle Maude Littman (University of Utah College of Social Work).
The paper’s focus is to understand “(1) how the pedagogy of teaching artists enables incarcerated youth to communicate effectively to authentic audiences using the podcast medium and (2) how, in turn, the attitudes of adult audiences change as a result of listening to the podcast made by incarcerated youth.”
