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- EIN 41-1797876
- (612) 334-6004
- 110 N 5th St Minneapolis MN 55403-1608 USA
- http://artbuddies.org
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Nonprofit Overview
Causes: Adult & Child Matching Programs, Arts & Culture, Children & Youth, Youth Development Programs
Mission: The mission of creatives for causes is to use the power of one-on-one creative mentoring to help low-income children develop exciting new visions of themselves, discover their creative gifts, boost their self-esteem and increase their motivation to learn. The children are paired, one-on-one, with creative mentors in a program called art buddies. Art buddies annually pairs 160 creative mentors, including many creative professionals like art directors, graphic designers, illustrators, architects, photographers and writers, one-on-one with 160 inner-city kids. Each program features workshops from 7 - 10 weeks. Our "kids rule" theme helps kids explore their strengths and interests, and who they want to be when they grow up. They then create fanciful and exciting costumes that reflect their unique vision of themselves. Mentors also help the kids develop writing, project planning and storytelling skills by creating a journal of their art buddies experience. At the end of each program, the ki
Programs: In fiscal year 2013-2014, we served 160 children, ages 8-11, from low- income families in south minneapolis. All the kids were eligible for free or reduced-cost school meals and 95% were children of color. We recruited 160 creative mentors to work one-on-one with the children. We produced four after-school art buddies programs, two in the fall and two in the spring at our two partner schools: whittier international elementary and bancroft elementary. Our mentors helped the children do the following: 1. Form a positive relationship with a creative adult 2. Discover their creative potential 3. Boost their self-esteem by creating something ambitious and unique 4. Increase their motivation to learn 5. Learn the creative process of conceiving, planning and producing 6. Explore future career possibilities the childrens' teachers and principals confirmed the positive impact of the art buddies program. The teachers observed student improvement in problem-solving ability, behavior, attitude, motivation to learn, school attendance and social skills. They noted that the mastery students developed in art buddies, as well as the positive relationships they formed with creative adults, enhanced their students' self-esteem.