Youth Programming
Creative experiences designed to give young people opportunities to build confidence, develop their voices, and discover what they're capable of through the arts.
GaKnew Arts & Media offers two eight-week youth enrichment programs rooted in visual art and creative writing. Programs can be brought to STRTPs, schools, youth organizations, after-school programs, and other settings serving young people.
Confidence Through Art (CTA)
Confidence Through Art creates a safe space for imperfection.
Confidence Through Art is an eight-week visual arts enrichment program that uses drawing, lettering, character design, and optional aerosol art to provide youth with a positive creative outlet while building confidence that carries into other aspects of life. It teaches them how to achieve what they may initially conceive to be unachievable.
The program is built around a simple idea: You can't walk down the hallway of improvement until you walk through the doorway of imperfection.
Young people do not need to identify as artists or have previous drawing or painting experience. They simply need an opportunity to try.
Through hands-on creative experiences, participants learn artistic techniques while exploring what happens when they attempt something unfamiliar, make mistakes, receive guidance, practice, and discover that they are capable of improving.
The goal isn't perfection. The goal is becoming willing to enter the process.
Voice
Creative Writing Enrichment Program
Voice is a creative writing program that helps young people explore different ways of turning their thoughts, experiences, observations, and ideas into written expression.
Built from decades of writing song lyrics, short stories, and poetry, the program approaches writing through intentional communication: Who are you speaking to? What are you trying to say? How do you want it to land?
Participants explore rhythm, structure, rhyme, word choice, storytelling, clarity, complexity, and other creative choices while developing tools for examining and strengthening their own writing. The goal isn't to teach everyone to write the same way, but to help participants better understand the choices available to them as they develop their own voice.
Bring a program to your organization
Interested in Confidence Through Art, Voice, or both? Send us your information and we'll follow up to discuss your program needs
More Ways to Engage Young People
Community Murals
Young people can have a meaningful role in creating artwork for the spaces they use every day. Depending on the project, participants can share stories and ideas through Community Conversation, Collaborative Design, and participating directly in a Community Paint Day. For more information click here
Youth Events & Speaking
GaKnew can also participate in assemblies, youth conferences, school events, career days, classroom conversations, and other programs as a featured speaker or guest. For more information about booking community engagements click here