Be a hero to your creativity

It's very important to support non-profit organizations that engages traumatized youth who exhibit high-risk lifestyles – to foster positive personal development and social change. Thay develop and implement arts-based programming that functions as a positive engagement tool. Thay seek to re-integrate youth into the community by developing skills, self-esteem and a sense of worth and ability through mentorship, crisis intervention and targeted programming. Aboriginal youth make up a significant portion of clients, but thay serve youth from every demographic and socio-economic group.

Many of youth deal with multiple issues that make their lives challenging. Poverty, homelessness, addictions, mental health issues, gang affiliation and familial neglect or abuse means youth are often known to the criminal justice or child welfare systems. Too often these young people feel no sense of self-worth or that they have nothing to hope for. Care centers discover highly talented individuals demonstrating amazing characteristics like creativity, loyalty, ingenuity, perseverance, leadership and ambition. This is the starting point from which care centers encourage and develop their talents, confidence, self-worth and ultimately their potential to become positive contributing members of the community.

Youth stay in programs for an average of three years. In that time, they are introduced to arts-based activities that help them heal and discover their own identity, and they are given constant support and guidance while they transition into independent living and healthy life choices.