Community Art Center Inc

Programs: The school age child care (sacc) programyouth ages 5-12 participate in the sacc program where they become creative problem solvers through a hands-on arts curriculum. Sacc uses an arts based approach to address the difficulties our youth face that are brought on by trauma, special needs, poverty, immigration, racism and lack of access to key resources. Each activity that the students are involved in allows them time for self-exploration through the arts and the ability to work towards leadership roles. Youth are inspired artistically in classes covering disciplines including the visual arts, dance, theater and media arts. Junior leadership groups and intermediate level arts classes prepare pre-teens for success in high school and beyond. Sacc activities sequence up to a final, interdisciplinary performance at the end of the school year, and an outdoor community event during the summer. Sacc students are invited to participate all but 14 week days of the year, and the organization is open 10 hours a day during school vacations and summer. This comprehensive approach to integrating arts and social services allows youth to learn, grow and achieve their full potential.

teen media program (tmp)youth ages 13-19 enter the tmp and become creative technology users by participating in media arts and literacy activities. Tmp offers a sequenced, multi-year curriculum that uses artistic expression to develop new technology and creativity. Using artistic expression to develop new skills, tmp teaches youth to be digital creators rather than just consumers. Artistic growth is fostered through facilitating the creation, presentation and critique of media arts work and through teaching technology skills. Personal development is rooted in celebrating the inherent strengths of teens while filling gaps in their experience and knowledge.

community programscommunity members of all ages participate in the art center's year-round community programs. The art center's community programs use arts based activities to connect divided spaces and a divided community and grow the level of civic engagement of cambridge's most isolated residents. All community programs either provide a platform for the stories and artwork of our youth, are organized by our youth, and/or work to strengthen the communities and families our youth are a part of. Current community programs include:art events - year-round arts events create spaces for community members to come together, explore, learn and celebrate and include the outdoor summer events. Public art - this project is combining neighborhood history with current stories to create three large scale murals in area four and kendall square along with a business plan that will help the organization manage current corporate requests for murals and build public art. Family engagement - one cohesive effort that will include art therapy based classes for families, family art outings, and family participation in group meetings. Community engagement is encouraged through exposure to community resources, the invitation to work towards social change, and leadership and mentorship opportunities.

do it your damn self ! ! National youth film festival (diyds! ! ) is the longest running youth-produced festival in the country, drawing over 800 youth and adults to public screenings every year. Founded in 1996 by six cambridge teens that felt misrepresented in the media and wanted to do something about it, the festival is a champion of social justice and issue-focused youth filmmakers who want to see change and make it happen.