MyARTS has become a haven for at risk teens from every corner of the city: A place where they can explore and express their creative abilities, identify possibilities for continuing education, and most importantly, dispel the myth that the larger world is forever closed to them. At the heart of MyARTS is the belief that skills equal power and opportunity. MyARTS has three goals, which provide teens with access to the things they need most:
1. A safe meaning place where they are respected for their contributions.
2. An opportunity to have a voice through exhibitions, commercial services, and public presentations.
3. The responsibility of paid employment that promotes their own economic development and acts as a springboard to post-secondary opportunities.
All lead artist have gone through 100 hours of training by Storytellers Inc. including:
• Understanding the at-risk teen
• Communicating with the at-risk teen
• Teaching and developing arts skills
• Teaching and developing entrepreneurship skills
• Effecting a meaningful, positive change in the lives of at-risk youth through an arts entrepreneurship program
All Youth Artist have gone through a 72 hour volunteer apprenticeship program including:
• Entrepreneurship
• Business Law
• Accounting
• Selling
• Promotions/Marketing
• Research
• Painting, color, design
• Communication
After completing the apprenticeship the youth interview into one of the following studios making $7.00 per hour producing a marketable product:
• Visual Arts Studio
• Screen Printing Studio
• Ceramics/Sculpture Studio
• Photography Studio
• Graphic Design Studio
There are also workshops that take place by volunteers from the community including: Illustration, Calligraphy, Portfolio Design, Entrepreneurial skills, watercolor, marketing,
Pricing work, how to set up for gallery shows, communication skills, etc.
Results from the MyARTS COMBAT model prevention program show that participants have decreased their drug use, refrained from juvenile offenses, and most important, feel better about their work skills and what they have to offer. MyARTS employs youth, after a volunteered 72 hour apprenticeship for up to twelve hours per week developing marketable, saleable products while using their creativity.
1. A safe meaning place where they are respected for their contributions.
2. An opportunity to have a voice through exhibitions, commercial services, and public presentations.
3. The responsibility of paid employment that promotes their own economic development and acts as a springboard to post-secondary opportunities.
All lead artist have gone through 100 hours of training by Storytellers Inc. including:
• Understanding the at-risk teen
• Communicating with the at-risk teen
• Teaching and developing arts skills
• Teaching and developing entrepreneurship skills
• Effecting a meaningful, positive change in the lives of at-risk youth through an arts entrepreneurship program
All Youth Artist have gone through a 72 hour volunteer apprenticeship program including:
• Entrepreneurship
• Business Law
• Accounting
• Selling
• Promotions/Marketing
• Research
• Painting, color, design
• Communication
After completing the apprenticeship the youth interview into one of the following studios making $7.00 per hour producing a marketable product:
• Visual Arts Studio
• Screen Printing Studio
• Ceramics/Sculpture Studio
• Photography Studio
• Graphic Design Studio
There are also workshops that take place by volunteers from the community including: Illustration, Calligraphy, Portfolio Design, Entrepreneurial skills, watercolor, marketing,
Pricing work, how to set up for gallery shows, communication skills, etc.
Results from the MyARTS COMBAT model prevention program show that participants have decreased their drug use, refrained from juvenile offenses, and most important, feel better about their work skills and what they have to offer. MyARTS employs youth, after a volunteered 72 hour apprenticeship for up to twelve hours per week developing marketable, saleable products while using their creativity.
