Youth Point is a non-profit association that brings young people together to help them improve their lives and broaden their horizons. One of the focal points is organizing social events for charity.
This association has been organizing music-based projects since 2011, which not only feature live gospel music but also extend a helping hand to those who need it most.
The charity concerts are initiated by gospel music artist and teacher Shasta Miller, who has been living with her family in Lithuania for over a decade. Shasta has a long history of working with children and young people in need. She taught English to children affected by the Chernobyl disaster in 1993. In the USA, in 1997, she supported and supervised young people struggling with addictions and gang violence. From 1998, she worked beside her husband with young people from across the state of Louisiana organizing various camps and events for youth.
For the first time in 2011, Youth Point, under the direction of Jurate Sodyte and Shasta Miller, presented “Christmas with Joy” (former project name). The idea was to give the youth of Vilnius an opportunity to give back with their talents and time for a noble cause.
This event received a lot of public attention. The Christmas with Joy Charity Concert was held in the prestigious Vilnius City Hall with an audience of approximately 200 guests. The event featured the local choir “Joy” and now-famous Lithuanian performer, Saulius Petreikis. The proceeds of the event were given for upgrading the inventory of Visaginas Hospital children’s
unit.
In 2012, Youth Point, again, organized a concert called “Christmas with JOY” in Vilnius Town Hall. With an overwhelming turn out of 400 guests, the aim was to financially assist the children with oncological diseases. The performers included Erika Jennings, soloist Shasta Miller, and the local gospel choir “Joy”. All the music and theatrical program was prepared and performed by Shasta and the Vilnius College of Performing Arts.
In 2014, Youth Point organized and hosted the Christmas charity concert “Let’s Share a Miracle” with over 700 guests in attendance. The concert featured the Vilnius College of Performing Arts and special Lithuanian performers Merunas and Vaida Genyte.
The purpose of this campaign was to provide monetary support for the Santariškės Children’s Cancer Hospital by partnering with Paguoda, Compassion.
UNITED Voices for the Children 2016 was an exclusive charity concert organized by Youth Point. The gospel choir UNITED Voices was led by Shasta Miller and guest director, songwriter, and
musician Kevin Howard. The concert featured thirteen guest artists from various parts of the United States, all uniting together one cause. There were over 750 guests in attendance for the event.
The initiators of United Voices for the Children 2016 worked towards generating support for the children with cancer at Vilnius University’s Santariškės Hospital and better the general equipment at the hospital.
On April 27, 2017, the award-winning choir, The Apostolic Church Sanctuary Choir from the state of Michigan along with the United Voices Choir performed at the Vilnius Congress Hall. Joining them was Donatas Montvydas, one of the most famous faces on the Lithuanian stage,
assisted them. Youth Point and the Youth Suicide Hotline made to his possible by joining forces and targeting the most serious social need – suicide awareness. There were over 1100 people in attendance.
All of the proceeds went towards spreading suicide awareness and assisting the Youth Suicide Hotline.
On April 12, 2019, United Voices took place in St. Catherine’s Church. The main performers were Dan Dean from the United States, project initiator Shasta Miller, VMU SH Choir, vocalist Girmantė Vaitkutė, Kristina Žaldokaitė, and Edgar Petrulis of Makchu Pikchu. In attendance were over 400 people.
The funds raised during the UNITED Voices project were used to support the activities of the women’s Crisis Pregnancy Center.
The Crisis Pregnancy Center is a public institution and the only organization in Lithuania founded to help women who are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy crisis and related difficulties. The organization aims to take care of women’s mental health during crisis pregnancy and childbirth as well as to prevent abortion in Lithuania.