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YOUNG @ ARTS
Inspiring Youth to Express their Creativity
Victor Marin, a 7th grader from the McNair School and a member of the Club's Moldaw Zaffaroni Clubhouse in Menlo Park, won a national award from the Boys & Girls Clubs of America for "The World in in your hands piece above. He created it in the Club's Computer Clubhouse using Adobe Photoshop.
When Victor Marin expressed his sadness and disappointment over all the trash on their neighborhood streets, his Club's technology director and mentor, Alex Yamamoto, suggested he make a photo illustration about how he felt.
Victor said he wanted to find a way to visually express his belief that the future of his neighborhood, his city and his world is in everyone's hands.
The result was simple and effective, combining of all the skills that Victor had learned in his two years participating in Club Tech. He merged existing images with a self-portrait, completing the project in just two days.
Victor's Club is located next door to McNair Elementary School in East Palo Alto, California, where he is in the 7 th grade. If he isn't out practicing his other favorite pastime, skateboarding, Victor can be found in the Clubh's computer room, quietly working on his designs.
In the future Victor sees himself becoming a Pro Skater or even a Graphic Designer, which is the reason why he has become highly interested in Adobe Photoshop. He believes that learning as much as he can doing Photoshop in Club Tech will give him a solid base to build on in the future.
He plans on going to a four year college where he wants on earning a degree in Graphic Design. Victor would be the first of his family to attend college.
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Young @ Arts
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Young @ Arts is a key element attracting kids to the Club's after-school programs. Hit hard by budget challenges, most of the schools which our members attend have little or no arts programming. Most of our members have little or no exposure to Participating in the arts allows for individual expression and demonstration of hard, focused work in a fun, supportive environment. One of the Club's top strategic priorities is to support youth to graduate high school with a plan for future education through the development of positive relationships with caring adult staff and volunteers at the Club. Arts education is an important means to producing well-rounded youth who are capable of thinking “out of the box.”
Young @ Arts enhances educational achievement in a variety of ways including the intrinsic value of the opportunity to express oneself creatively and opportunities for “stealth learning,” like drawing as an exercise in geometry, mixing paints as chemistry, and dance and music as counting. Core art skills youth learn in addition to fundamental drawing techniques are art vocabulary and history, color theory, and imagination and creativity. Enhanced core learning skills include fine motor skills, attention to detail, task/project planning, persistence and follow-through, patience and discipline, and increased self-esteem and confidence.
Young @ Arts provides a means for youth to connect with their heritage, culture and history. Our Young @ Arts program creates shared and lasting experiences that connect our youth to their cultures, each other, caring adults, and their individual creative potential. Through painting, writing, music and other art forms youth are able to express themselves, learn about their history, bring the past to life and create their futures. The youth in our communities face extraordinarily difficult issues including violence, poverty, drugs, gangs, single parent families and absent fathers: Young @ Arts provides an opportunity for them to express their feelings in a creative and constructive manner, rather than through risky behaviors.
Youth projects are exhibited in the annual Art Show and award-winners in eight different categories advance to regional, state, and national Boys & Girls Clubs exhibitions. Last year, one of our 12 year-old members advanced to and ultimately won the national award in his category. Last year, through partnership with Adobe Youth Voices, two of our members had their work highlighted at the internationally-acclaimed Sundance Film Festival which the youth were able to attend.
Young @ Arts Offerings
Open Studio -- an informal introduction to art
Guided instruction classes:
Drawing & Composition
Mixed Media -- charcoal, pastels, colored pencils, crayons, chalk, and tempera, acrylics, oil, and water color paints
Portraiture
Jewelry-Making
Photography
Clay
Paper Projects
Cultural Arts -- singing, dance, reading, and writing
Traditional Arts -- sewing, crocheting, cross-stitching, and quilting
Murals
Choir
Instrumental Music
Digital Arts Offerings:
Open Studio
Guided instruction classes:
Digital Camera
Music Studio
Video Production |
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