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A haircut may not seem like a big deal, but for Jody's clients, it's magical.

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Dignity Health old

Jade Jordan wanted to put a smile back on her mom's face.

After 34-year-old Jordan lost her job, she and her mother fell behind on payments. They were both evicted from their Newark, New Jersey, apartment, and had to take refuge in a temporary shelter.

"Day by day, I watched my mom's morale just kind of [fade]," Jordan told me by phone. "Every day she was saying, 'Man, my hair looks a mess, my hair looks terrible.'"


She knew she needed to do something to boost her mom's spirits while she looked for a new job. "I was thinking, you know what? It would be great if there was a program that existed that helps women out that are in shelters ... with beautifying themselves."

She was in luck: a Google search led Jordan to Jody Wood, visual artist and founder of Beauty in Transition.

Jody Wood with volunteer barber Jerry. Photo by Nicola Benizzi.

Wood believes that providing beauty services helps folks with more than just looking pretty.

And she's right. Roughly half a million people across the country are homeless. Without permanent housing, day-to-day life can be a challenge for anyone. Beauty, then, might seem like an afterthought. But appearances can play a critical role. Studies have shown that prospective employers put a lot of weight on personal grooming and attire.

That's why Wood created Beauty in Transition — a traveling salon that provides services like hair washes, cuts, and coloring for those living in homeless shelters.

Beauty in Transition trim. Photo by Nicola Benizzi.

Beauty in Transition got its start in the basement of the Lawrence Community Shelter in Lawrence, Kansas, in 2006. "I refurbished a room inside [the] shelter ... for the residents there," Wood told me in a phone interview. "It became much more than a salon — it was a place to hang out and get away from the rest of the crowd." She spent over six months there, documenting stories, cutting and dyeing hair.

She wanted to change the way homelessness was perceived, all while bringing together people from different backgrounds.

"People who are homeless and people who are hairstylists, they don't necessarily get an opportunity to come together very often," she says.

It might seem like a small thing, to cut or style someone's hair. But it can have a real impact.

In a video detailing the experience, one woman described how a haircut provided a sense of hope during a difficult time:

"It restored my self-esteem. It gave me a little more hope that I could get through this. ... Image is important. Not only my own self-image, but how I present myself to others ... how I want to be seen and how I want to see myself."


A project participant checking out her new 'do with stylist Abbie Klenzman. Photo by Nicola Benizzi.

The best part? Wood has been able to take Beauty in Transition on the road.

In 2013, the RedLine Contemporary Art Center invited Wood to bring the project to Denver. With the help of Aveda volunteer stylists and a truck donated by Denver bARTer collective, her mobile hair salon was born.

Since then, Wood has been on a roll. After her time in Denver, Wood received support from A Blade of Grass and the Brooklyn Arts Council to bring the project to New York.

With funding in place, Jody decided she needed the perfect vehicle.

"I found a guy selling his old Chevrolet Grumman Step Van in Long Island," she said. The 1975 Chevy was far from its final form, but a month of construction help from an old boss and volunteers from the local Home Depot prepared the salon for the streets.

Beauty in Transition mobile salon! Inside of the van before and after renovations. Photo by Nicola Benizzi.

Jody is quick to point out that it's not her role, but rather the interaction between the participants and volunteer stylists that really makes a difference.

One of those people is New York City stylist Jose Montanez.

"It has nothing to do with makeover; it's more about self-esteem, and I think that's the most important part," Montanez explained in a short film about the project. "It's 'yes,' you look at yourself in the mirror, but that's the beginning of it. The rest of it is how you feel all the time, and I think that's what we're really trying to instill in them here."

Volunteer stylist Jose Montanez. Photo by Nicola Benizzi.

Part of the magic, said Wood, is how unexpected the experience is.

"It's almost like a portal," she said. "You walk into the back of a truck and you're in this salon. So I think it's used to transport people outside of their everyday experience. Even though it's happening on ... a very small scale, it means a lot to people who are a part of it."

Beauty in Transition participants post-haircut. Photo by Nicola Benizzi.

It meant a lot to Jade Jordan, who was inspired by Wood's salon.

Jade, who has been corresponding with Wood, is now planning to create a pop-up version of the project at a salon in Newark for people like her mom. As she says, "If you get too serious or get too downtrodden, then it can change your life for the worse. But if you find things to be happy about, to laugh about, to smile about, you can face life and its challenges a little brighter."

Already, Beauty in Transition has helped hundreds of people, and there are plans to take the project to even more locations.

With the help of the New York Council for the Humanities and the Esopus Foundation, Wood will be bringing a salon to an abandoned storefront in Kingston, New York, this January.

Watch a short video about the Beauty in Transition program:

All images provided by Prudential Emerging Visionaries

Collins after being selected by Prudential Emerging Visionaries

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A changemaker is anyone who takes creative action to solve an ongoing problem—be it in one’s own community or throughout the world.

And when it comes to creating positive change, enthusiasm and a fresh perspective can hold just as much power as years of experience. That’s why, every year, Prudential Emerging Visionaries celebrates young people for their innovative solutions to financial and societal challenges in their communities.

This national program awards 25 young leaders (ages 14-18) up to $15,000 to devote to their passion projects. Additionally, winners receive a trip to Prudential’s headquarters in Newark, New Jersey, where they receive coaching, skills development, and networking opportunities with mentors to help take their innovative solutions to the next level.

For 18-year-old Sydnie Collins, one of the 2023 winners, this meant being able to take her podcast, “Perfect Timing,” to the next level.

Since 2020, the Maryland-based teen has provided a safe platform that promotes youth positivity by giving young people the space to celebrate their achievements and combat mental health stigmas. The idea came during the height of Covid-19, when Collins recalled social media “becoming a dark space flooded with news,” which greatly affected her own anxiety and depression.

Knowing that she couldn’t be the only one feeling this way, “Perfect Timing” seemed like a valuable way to give back to her community. Over the course of 109 episodes, Collins has interviewed a wide range of guests—from other young influencers to celebrities, from innovators to nonprofit leaders—all to remind Gen Z that “their dreams are tangible.”

That mission statement has since evolved beyond creating inspiring content and has expanded to hosting events and speaking publicly at summits and workshops. One of Collins’ favorite moments so far has been raising $7,000 to take 200 underserved girls to see “The Little Mermaid” on its opening weekend, to “let them know they are enough” and that there’s an “older sister” in their corner.

Of course, as with most new projects, funding for “Perfect Timing” has come entirely out of Collins’ pocket. Thankfully, the funding she earned from being selected as a Prudential Emerging Visionary is going toward upgraded recording equipment, the support of expert producers, and skill-building classes to help her become a better host and public speaker. She’ll even be able to lease an office space that allows for a live audience.

Plus, after meeting with the 24 other Prudential Emerging Visionaries and her Prudential employee coach, who is helping her develop specific action steps to connect with her target audience, Collins has more confidence in a “grander path” for her work.

“I learned that my network could extend to multiple spaces beyond my realm of podcasting and journalism when industry leaders are willing to share their expertise, time, and financial support,” she told Upworthy. “It only takes one person to change, and two people to expand that change.”

Prudential Emerging Visionaries is currently seeking applicants for 2024. Winners may receive up to $15,000 in awards and an all-expenses-paid trip to Prudential’s headquarters with a parent or guardian, as well as ongoing coaching and skills development to grow their projects.

If you or someone you know between the ages of 14 -18 not only displays a bold vision for the future but is taking action to bring that vision to life, click here to learn more. Applications are due by Nov. 2, 2023.
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