#artscorps

[traceyhoward]

Detroit Neighborhood Arts Corps [email protected] COMMUNITY ARTS PARTNERSHIPS 313-664-1545 #artscorps https://www.instagram.com/p/B1biEmxBake/?igshid=1oritwd0itylx

[eveydoesit]

One cool part of my job is programming these breakdance assemblies at our partner schools. #warmuptease #artscorps #massivemonkees

[creativitycraftcommunitychange]

ARTS CORPS

Lauraview: Arts Corps

Organization: Arts Corps

Website: http://www.artscorps.org

Mission: Arts Corps unlocks the creative power of youth through arts education and community collaboration so that all young people have the courage to imagine and freedom to create a just and vibrant future. It started in reaction to the widening gap developing in Seattle Arts Education because of dropping funding. 

Programs: Youthspeaks Seattle, Creative Schools Initiative, Residencies in Schools, Out of School Time, Teen Program, Collaboration in Leadership, K-12

Arts Corps train artists from the community and send them into schools, community centers and residential housing across the city. They offer multidisciplinary arts programs: break dancing, ceramics, arts, performance and so forth. 

Who I talked to: Devon de Lena, Community Partnerships and Teen Program Manager

Who Participates: Young people in Seattle Public Schools Ages 13-18, primarily low income, youth of color

Most Proud of: When I started two years ago there hadn't been a lot of youth leadership. It's been cool to be able to build that, increasing youth leadership as a value in our programming. It's great to have build a platform where youth can grow in their skills and take ownership. 

Most excited about: We just started our new season of "Spokes Leaders", a teen leadership program where we are able to pay young people, a training ground for community organizing and social justice as well as professional artistry development. 

Biggest Challenge: Being a part of the non-profit industrial complex and being so vulnerable to local funding and shifts that are constantly happening. We are fighting to get our teaching artists back in the schools. The worthy challenges in this work (and social justice work in general) is always making sure everyone is on the same base level of learning. We put on a retreat every years with all of our artists, staff and board as well as have quarterly social justice trainings. We offer a lot of professional development opportunities for folks. 

Why is this work important to you? In Seattle?: I'm from the Seattle area, am an artist and have significant background in antiracism and social justice work. 

What I was like “for real? awesome!” about: "Spokes Leaders", their apprenticeship program where they train and pay young people in leadership development, community organizing and the arts. THEY PAY THEIR YOUNG PEOPLE.

Oh and they just got a 1.7 million dollar grant. Uh, WHAT?!?

Aaaaand they have a solid and successful model for working with young people and training their teaching artists- based out of Chicago, Youth Program Quality Assessment or YPQA (which has a lovely visual pyramid for easy following). http://www.cypq.org 

It sounds a lot like liberatory education but is more sequential, structured and has a build in assessment tool. I LOVE STRUCTURE SO MUCH.