PROGRAMS
1
CATALYST
Catalyst is a 4-day program where we take volunteer Mentors into facilities such as group homes, at-risk youth facilities etc. and help the Mentees express themselves through various forms of art (visual art, music instrumental, music vocal, dance, writing and acting). Each day we delve into themes of past, present, and future using our different art mediums. In the last week of the program, the Mentees will be given a choice to share what they have learned in a show, with their fellow Mentees.
We have been doing this program at Sunburst Youth Challenge Academy since 2009 and to date we have worked with over 2000 at-risk youth. We are hoping to expand to other at-risk youth facilities in the greater Los Angeles Area and beyond.
2
OPERATION ART
Operation Art is a variation of our Catalyst program that we have tailored especially for combat veterans with PTSD. We currently do this program at the Long Beach Veterans Association (LBVA) where we are working closely with clinicians and veterans to make this program truly a fit for the the veterans we serve.
We also provide a veterans drum workshop every week run by program Director Richard Leitch.
We partnered with the LBVA in 2012 and are continually working with veterans to make it bigger and better. Our goal is to make this fully a veteran run arts mentorship program. With the help of our Veteran Liaison, Jon Harguindeguy, we are coming closer to making that happen.
3
CONSTRUCT +
CREATE
Construct and Create is a program designed to empower the children and parents whose lives have been forever changed by typhoons, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. This program strives to bring healing in addition to awareness and support for families domestic and abroad.
In 2014 our program in the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan was able to impact almost 6,000 people through our efforts in rebuilding, translation services for intake in medical care, and our own arts programs for mothers and young children. Our hope is to be able to be ready to mobilize if ever we are needed.
4
LEAVE YOUR MARK
Leave Your Mark is a 10-week program much like Catalyst, where we work with at-risk youth and make art more accessible through after school programs.
Teens will delve into different themes every session to express themselves through various activities from art discussion to small art projects, culminating in a large scale mural project.
We will be starting a pilot program in San Diego led by Kristian Bayan and Jessica Oropesa.